Grave And Disintegrating

Those were the words: "Grave And Disintegrating". They were carefully chosen by a bi-partisan committee to describe the situation in Iraq. They didn't ask me, but I believe that their collective thesauruses got quite a workout in the last few days of writing their report. President Pinhead has even seen fit to use one of the words, "grave" in his weekly radio defense of his crumbling administration.
The other one? "Disintegrating" immediately brings a mental image from a Daffy Duck cartoon to my mind. In "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century", Daffy battles Marvin the Martian for control of Planet X, the last remaining deposit of the rare element Illudium Phosdex, "the shaving cream atom". As eager young space cadet Porky Pig stands by, Daffy is blown to smithereens by Marvin. Luckily for our hero, Porky has access to a "re-integrating" pistol. Only when the two powers, Earth and Mars have battled until Planet X is nothing more than a square foot of clay with a lone root hanging from beneath the victorious Daffy, who claims the dirt clod that is left in the name of Earth, and Duck Dodgers. To this, a less eager Porky stutters, "B-b-b-big deal."
Which brings us back around to the situation in Iraq. With no "re-integrating" ray at our immediate disposal, we are stuck with the recommendations of those who have taken the time to study the problem. That, and send Rummy on one last "Victory Lap" around the country. This is the guy who resigned his post just ahead of being hauled out by an angry mob of newly elected and vindictive Democrats. Now he's out shaking hands with the troops, wishing them godspeed and happy holidays. Don't be surprised if Pinhead loops a medal around his neck upon his return. "B-b-b-big deal."