"Yes, Dearie, it's always been about oil; patriotism is for the fools we get to do our bidding":

More evidence that the Bush administration has its hands deep into the war for oil business is coming to light. Today's New York Times reports on Bush's knowledge about an oil deal between a company close to his family who concluded a deal with Kurdistan that undercut Iraq's current government.

The State Department, along with the rest of the Bush administration, has been asserting that it discouraged the deal between Hunt Oil, which is closely connected to the Bush family, and Kurdistan; however, documents now coming to light in congressional investigations indicate that the Bush administration has been heavily involved in facilitating the deal.

Perspective:

Retired General Wesley Clark received a ton of flack for stating the obvious—being shot down in an airplane doesn't qualify you to be president—but here's the kicker: In 1996 when the Republican party nominated Bob Dole (shot down and wounded during WWII), John McCain backed Texas Senator Phil Gramm, who was one of the biggest draft dodgers of all time. As New York Times' Op-Ed writer Gail Collins puts it, Gramm "piled up a series of draft deferments that made Bill Clinton look like Nathan Hale."

For each of the last four presidential elections, Americans have had the opportunity to elect a president who had served in the military under hostile fire, and each time they've elected a draft dodger. During the first eight years, most Americans did quite well; during the past seven and a half years, the oil companies have gotten rich, while the rest of us are racing toward economic collapse. Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser.

The Dude explains it all: "You've also got to measure in order to begin to effect change that's just more—when there's more than talk, there's just actual—a paradigm shift." — George W. Bush, Washington D.C., July 1, 2003.