Douchebags in office? Check; Psychopaths with guns? Check.

Loyal PatRoW readers know I'm fond of hyperbole (really, it's amazing I'm not a Republican), so you can imagine my glee when I read this quote from Israeli politician Yossi Sarid: "The United States under Bush single-handedly destroyed its deterrent power and that of the free world, including Israel."

Damn, that's some Grade-A exaggeration! Except for one thing…he's 100% right. Sarid continued by saying that "if the American demon that has taken over Iraq is not so terrible and can be worn down, then just how terrible could the Israeli demon possibly be?"

I've gone on record as calling Israel's war with Lebanon a clusterfuck, but my best buds in Salon's War Room have done some legwork and provided the following facts. Feel free to decide for yourself where the truth lies ("Where the Truth Lies" ©2004 George W. Bush):

1. Many Israelis [are] openly acknowledging that the Israel-Lebanon war has been a disaster for Israel

2. Waging unnecessary wars, particularly when they are waged poorly, makes a nation much weaker, not stronger (see, e.g., Iraq)

3. Contrary to the reprehensible accusations in this country that opposition to, or criticism of, the Israel-Lebanon war is evidence of anti-Israel bias or even anti-Semitism, many people are opposed to the war -- and critical of President Bush's foolishly unrestrained support for it -- precisely because it is so harmful to Israel

4. Israel's democracy is sufficiently healthy that journalists and other citizens not only can criticize the country's leader in the middle of a war but can call for his resignation -- without being branded a traitor, a subversive, a coward and all of the other slurs to which Bush critics in the U.S. are routinely subjected.

By creating a terrorist state where terrorists formerly had no standing, the US has not only forced a civil war upon Iraq, but has bolstered the resolve of our enemies around the world who now believe that the "World's Only Superpower" has no real teeth. And Israel – our only real ally in the Middle East – now faces a similarly-reinforced, reenergized and rejuvenated opposition. Without fear of legitimate American-led repercussions, what will stop political, economical and sociological attacks on the US and our allies around the world?

Oh wait, I know: psychic security guards. I feel safer already.