ONE YEAR AGO...

The United States invaded Iraq. It did so under utterly false pretenses, in total violation of recognized international law. Thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of US soldiers have died needlessly, and the killing continues. As a result, radical Islamic terrorism is now much more probable than before, as the citizens of Madrid can attest. American relations with other nations are at an all time low. Oil prices are reaching record highs. Osama bin Laden is still at large, presumably coordinating al Qaeda activities.

With the undeniable fact that Iraq was not a threat now obvious for all to see, things seem slightly more sane than they were a year ago, but weird hyper-patriotic dementia still looms as a threat: President Bush and his controllers not only continue to roam free, but also to rule with impunity; this ain't over yet.

About the only satisfaction that I have about all this is the blank look that I sometimes get from war supporters when I repeat, "Yeah, but there were no weapons of mass destruction!" Some satisfaction.

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