A country, this country, has so many choices... and fucks up.

Take Chavez of Venezuela.

spiegel.de

Yes, the US wishes someone would take Chavez away somewhere and carry out a Robertson-styled "fatwa". Robertson is the fundies' own crazy aunt who repeats what he hears in the big house in DC. Though I am very amused at catching some "religious leader" on cable (there are so many) stating that Robertson, in declaring god's own retribution had come down on Sharon (a close bud of the US, we love our war-making "man of peace"), has erred in a ''too fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible''.

Wow, fundies hit a wall, the predatory girth of Sharon.

Taking the long view, Chavez is providing lower cost winter heating oil to tribes in Maine and soon to parts of Vermont and Rhode Island. The program extends what is already in place for parts of MA and NYC.

This cannot be bad. It just cannot be bad.

Then there is our chum, Karimov of Uzbekistan... a bit of background from Van Atta of the NYT and a fast google of "uzbekistan+torture".

The requisite shot with Rummy, you know you will be seeing it again, in 20 years.

Plus, because Lt Calley (and Colin Powell) comes to mind, as the savior from that long ago day has died, here is Colin Powell and Karimov. Yes, America best be careful of militarism...

Why is it men get that old 'come hither' look over war and armaments sales? Perhaps best not to ponder that one too long... but they surely do.