immediate predecessor, George W. Bush, in continuingto wage wars of aggression under false pretenses. And like his namedpredecessors, he will escalate the war(s) to end the war(s).

And now, back to the Tiger Woods saga, or better yet, to things thatreally matter. For instance, whatever happened to balloon boy? And howis Sarah Palin’s book tour coming along?

That seems to be the focus and attention span of American media. Moretime is spent on covering sex scandals, reality TV and itsflight-by-night stars and empty headed celebrities than on the storyof our times: the American assertion of the right to wage worldwidepermanent war. The president is not only engaged in a costly war inIraq, but is also escalating the war in Afghanistan. Worse, he is alsolaying the foundation for a third warin Pakistan.

His acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize was a scene straightout of the Twilight Zone. Rather than speak of peace, he made the casefor war… for so-called just war. Every tin pot dictator and warmongeraround the world was pleased. At home, right wing politicians such asNewt Gingrich and Karl Rove and even Sarah Palin herself heapedextraordinary praise on the Commander-in-Chief.

Mind-boggling.

And as noted, the news cycle has moved on. The war(s) is no longer anissue, even though the country cannot afford to wage them. Yet inpoetic language, the president has defended and sanctioned hispredecessor’s war policies, no less, during the Nobel Peace Prizeceremony in Oslo. And not surprisingly, the right wing is pleased.Apparently, defending the notion of a -just war- does not includedenouncing unjust wars by name: