Dog Days of Summer USA 2009

Dog Days of Summer start in the first week of July and extend to August – it is the hottest, muggiest time of the year. The dog star constellations are the brightest at this time and it was believed by the ancients, erroneously, that this was the cause of oppressive weather in the continental climates.

One thing for certain, this first part of July 2009 has brought a heavenly firmament filled with gaseous, exploding clouds; it is due to stars but not the dog heavenly bodies, Canis Major and Minor. Try such celebrities as Michael Jackson, Sister Sarah Palin, Barrack Obama and VEEP Joseph Biden. These gas bags are going off serially, like fireworks, making our environment hot, sticky, and noisy – the citizens are irritable and angry.

VEEP Biden spent three days of the Fourth of July holiday in Iraq. He visited his son whose reserve unit was called up to deploy there; he visited the servicemen to boost morale; and, he wanted to confer with the Iraqi leadership over some things that got under his skin.

In accordance with the status of forces agreement signed by GW Bush, US troops were to redeploy from the cities to the outskirts. Most did, that is except about 20% who now have been re-designated as combat support for Iraqi forces and military assistance personnel. (TURN ON THE GREEN LIGHT THE MAN WANTS TO BUY A GREEN SUITE.)

In addition to 130,000 US troops in Iraq, there are still over a 100,000 paid US contractors inside Iraq. Last figure I had on Iraqi detainees held by US was about 10,000. Despite these encroachments on Iraqi independence, the Iraqis declared 30 June as Sovereignty Day, joyfully celebrating the end of US occupation.

Apparently, Bush has not taught the the Iraqis much except how to misrepresent victory with their own version of MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Another bone Biden had to pick was that the US had been outbid on oil field development in the first officially Iraqi open bidding. Chinese won contracts to develop fields south of Baghdad as well as the important Rumala fields as part as a UK/Chinese Consortium. US Exxon was as much as 100% under bid and was not even close to competitive.

Has Exxon lost a competitive edge even with over 4000 US KIA and over 700 billion in pump priming during the pointless war? It is a wonder Biden does not have a stroke when conferring with Maliki – no respect for imperialism anymore?

Biden as a senator voted for the invasion of Iraq. As it became more apparent the war was a strategic blunder, he became a strong advocate for a very loose confederation of Shiite, Sunni and Kurd. Except for Kurdish aspirations, there is no political settlement on the horizon which would foster such a solution. As US troops draw down, the possibility becomes even more remote.

Biden dressed for his visit in a Khaki cotton suit, an embroidered baseball cap and wearing rough suede issue desert boots; he looked like a cross between a pizza delivery man and a UPS driver – he will always be remembered as a variation of both.

He just popped off that Israel has the right to bomb Iran. The guy does not even have a high school sense of national policy – BOMB BOMB BIDEN! Obama had to correct him immediately explaining that the US is not green lighting bombing Iran. The President should keep Biden in a straight jacket and duck tape the VEEP'S mouth.

Last Thursday and Friday 97% of cable news focused on Michael Jackson. There was finally a memorial spectacular this Tuesday. He really is going to be buried... for a while I thought maybe a band of angels would lift him to paradise in some sort of apotheosis... or he would travel the world in a Barnum and Bailey like spectacle, so he can be perpetually adored by the public at 20 dollars a pop.

Sister Sarah Palin got out of her hot kitchen and resigned as governor of Alaska and eschewed a 2nd bid for reelection. I listened twice to her abdication speech; she was either a Pentecostal talking in tongues or it was pure stressed out gibberish. Menopause in a 45 year old woman? Levi Johnson will eventually explain why Sarah really abandoned the ship of state. He appears to be the shaman of the Yukon.

Whatever happened to normal protestants like Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Shakers, Quakers and Mennonites? All the Republicans seem to offer up as candidates are strange Mormons and cavorting Evangelists with their herd bloc voting and collective mega churches; or whatever cryptic denomination Bomb Bomb McCain was at his last opportune moment.

Obama the Socialist has gone to Russia to meet Putin the Communist. It is meeting of two demons in Hell, if you trust the wacko judgement of fervid Right Wing sky-is-falling pundits. It is true Obama has never had a lemon-aid stand nor was he a newspaper carrier – he has sold a couple of big ticket books and with his higher education, and he can adroitly sing for his supper anywhere.

As most members of the Democratic party, he likes big government to solve problems. We will find out soon whether the GW Bush model of big business/Government economic fascism with permanent war as economic stimulus worked better for the US than Obama's form of government intervention.
Perhaps both are equally destructive. Both are a different process, but in the end moved by self interest and greed. In the end Goldman Sachs always wins.

Putin has graduated or evolved from his Communism – his pockets and bank accounts filled with money and his net worth at this period in his life could buy and sell Obama over and over. Despite Obama's naivete, Putin is the locus of power in Russia. Obama should light his cigarette before Medvedev's if our president has a choice.

Seemingly unaware of this Russian reality, prior to his trip to Russia, Obama characterized Putin as still stuck in the Cold War. The White House has tried to walk back the characterization; so did Obama at a press conference in Moscow on the eve of his meeting with Putin.

Putin will be flattered that Obama is supporting his client Chavez in the Honduran cat-fight. Is Obama making amends or is he just foolishly and wholeheartedly supporting leftist Latino regimes? If Putin gives Obama an antique KGB dagger as a presentation gift, the president should have his security make certain it does not transmit signals.

Obama has come away from Moscow with a frame work for another unverifiable strategic arms treaty and other national security agreements. Obama has also promised to review the GW Bush missile defense system planed for Poland and the Czech Republic.

He has also a Russian agreement for transit rights across Russia to support operations in Afghanistan. For this permission, the Russians may operate economically in Afghanistan; it also can witness how NATO bleeds and spends in the war. And they are paid for the show to boot. What a deal.

Dog Days of Summer are here. Prepare for the Dog Days of Fall, Winter and Spring. They are a'comin. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret