I am completely in agreement with the Senate majority’s point that we cannot afford the latest bill from the occupation of Iraq. But talk about the worst possible way to make that point–the Senate is going to try to turn $20 billion of the reconstruction/occupation funds into loans. We are going to attach their oil revenues.

This could be the worst post-war P.R. move ever. Forget about the moral implications of wrecking their country and handing them the repair bill. This not only furthers suspicions about U.S. motives (a.k.a., we just snagged ourselves the oil profits Iraq desperately needs), but it also pisses off the rest of the permanent members the U. N. Security Council (with the exception of Great Britain). All of the other members were owed large debts by the Ba’ath government, which are now apparently cancelled. International finance by conquest is not the kind of thing that helps us in the fight against terrorism. We are both alienating friends and giving ammunition to our enemies.

If the Democrats had any backbone, we would be reversing the tax cuts we obviously can’t afford instead of causing an international incident.