"...fights a never ending battle for truth, justice and - the American way!"

From the opening narration of the 1952 television series - "The Adventures of Superman."

One could easily be motivated to think that President George W. Bush must, on the odd occasion, hallucinate that the White House is actually the headquarters of the fictional newspaper, the Daily Planet, and that he is really Clark Kent aka Superman. And I think that the only reason he has not attempted to test the limits of unassisted flight by jumping out of a window in the oval office, is that Vice President, Dick Cheney, would most likely thwart the attempt by holding on firmly to his ankles.

You see, the Neo conservatives have not as yet finished with their destructive puppet. It would appear they have a few more 'Missions Stupid' for him on their way out of the administrative power sphere, and won't allow him to risk any questionable air travel techniques beyond that required on Air Force One.

George Bush has been for them an excellent choice surrogate. He has also served and performed well as a shill for their poorly planned, ill timed and disastrously executed foreign adventures; both militarily and diplomatic.And to prove to the world that it all that took place during his administration wasn't an accident, they are continuing in the same vein - right to the very end.

The Clinton Conundrum

By their own words and actions, the disciples of George Bush Jr. have made former President Bill Clinton's era in the White House, an unintended guide to how the office of the president should and should not conduct itself. In doing so, however, they have had to do a 'father, son and holy ghost' division to compare the two presidents. Needless to say, the ploy has not worked.

Clinton's administration left office with a $760 billion surplus. The surplus was still there on January of 2000 when George Bush took office. However, before the end of his first term in office, even before 911, the surplus was gone: this is incontrovertible fact.

One must also keep in mind that George Bush is the only president on record to decrease taxes in wartime. And by doing so, his actions initiated the coming financial collapse of the United States of America - one that may be irreparable for the foreseeable future.

With this unacceptable comparative status on record and committed to the history books, the Neo conservative movement has had to resort to other avenues . And that was where the global adventure began as we headed, inevitably, "Back to the Future" and the beginnings of a new Cold War.

End of the Old Cold War

There were three major events that detailed the demise of the former Soviet Union and, in essence, the era of the post World War ll - Cold War. They were as follows:

The Cuban Missile Crisis: The crisis began when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev saw that the USSR's relations with Cuba also represented a unique opportunity to offset the threat posed to Moscow by US Jupiter C nuclear missiles based in Turkey.

On October 15, 1962, United States reconnaissance photographs taken by an American U-2 spy plane revealed missile bases being built in Cuba. On October 1962, JFK gave the following speech on the crisis as a warning to the Soviets:

"It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union...

"To halt this offensive buildup, a strict quarantine on all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated. All ships of any kind bound for Cuba from whatever nation and port will, if found to contain cargoes of offensive weapons, be turned back... We are not at this time, however, denying the necessities of life as the Soviets attempted to do in their Berlin blockade of 1948".

Khrushchev folded when President John F. Kennedy challenged him in a face-off at sea, edging the world close to its first nuclear conflict. On October 1962, the Soviets capitulated in a U.N. brokered agreement, and agreed to remove their missile bases in Cuba. In return, the USA agreed never to invade Cuba and (secretly) to remove its Jupiter C missiles from Turkey.

The Notorious Flight of Mathias Rust: In May of 1987, Matthias Rust, a teenage West German pilot, boldly flew his private plane from Germany, through heavily defended Soviet Union airspace, and managed to land it smack in the middle of the Kremlin complex in Moscow. The highly bureaucratized Soviet air defense system was immobilized, because none of the stations that could have rightfully shot him down, was willing to give the order without having first received orders to do so. The aura of Soviet invincibly had come to an end. (Click for ref: The Notorious Flight)

Reagan's Star Wars Gamesmanship: During his administration, then President Ronald Reagan proposed what he called a Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), that would eventually be labeled by the press as "Star Wars." Warned by many advisors and experts in the building of defense shields that such a system was far too costly to build and, most importantly, would not work - Reagan openly moved ahead with it in any case.

The affect of this bold move forced the Soviets to reconsider their economic investment in the constant ongoing nuclear missile race, the very heart of the Cold War, and in the end they decided that they could not afford to endeavor on a such a quest for an equivalent system. And from this point on, for all intents and purposes, the Cold War ended. We'd won!

Something Can Go Very Wrong - Again

Now, thanks to the mindless machinations of the Bush administration, we are right back where we started in 1962. By making an agreement with the Polish government to place American missiles in Poland, as a 'supposed' defense shield against the rather 'dubious' possibility of Iranian missile attacks, the Russian premier, Vladimir Putin, saw right through the ploy for what it was: a blatant attempt attempt to surround them - defensively. And it gave him the opportunity to do what he'd been looking for an excuse to do in any case - invade the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.

This geopolitical mess we at present find ourselves enmeshed in at present, is the sole invention of Right Wing Conservative Intellectuals - once again moving George Bush's hand. They and they alone were the architects of a blunder that is only second to the starting of the Iraq War.

What convincing arguments could we come up with for objection if tomorrow, in direct response to our 'defensive' missiles in Poland, the Russians decided to, once again, place 'defensive' missiles in Cuba? None!

Emerging daily news reports, often on the back pages of newspapers and the Internet, tell a different story of coming troubled times for American foreign policy - or resulting from the lack thereof. By just perusing the following examples from news organizations in the U.S. and around the world, it is not difficult, even for the politically uninitiated, to fathom the relative direction international matters are headed:

A Gathering of Global Storm Clouds

Afghanistan Says U.S. Killed 76 Civilians

By M. Karim Faiez and Laura King, Special to The Times

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, Aug. 24 -- President Hamid Karzai on Saturday denounced an air strike by U.S.-led forces that his government said killed 76 Afghan civilians. Civilian casualties are an extremely sensitive subject in Afghanistan, where the government has repeatedly pleaded with Western troops to exercise greater care to avoid injuring and killing noncombatants. Karzai broke down in tears during one such appeal.

The U.S. military initially put the number of dead at 30, describing all of those killed Friday in a remote part of Herat province, on Afghanistan's western border, as Taliban militants. However, photographs and reports from several other sources and the U.N. gave clear indication that 30 of the dead were children.

Governing Coalition Collapses in Pakistan

By Candace Rondeaux

Washington Post Foreign Service

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 25 -- Pakistan's ruling coalition broke apart Monday amid a political battle over the presidency, paralyzing the U.S.-backed government at a time when Taliban insurgents here and in neighboring Afghanistan appear to be gaining ground.

President Pervez Musharaf, a longtime U.S. ally, resigned under threat of impeachment a week ago, and Parliament is set to elect his successor on Sept. 6.

Taliban Tightens Grip Near Northern Pakistan Border

by Jackie Northam

July 25 - In Pakistan, Taliban militants have tightened their grip on three sides of Peshawar, a strategic city of 3 million people near the frontier with Afghanistan.

The fourth and remaining side includes a major highway leading to Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, just a 90 minute drive away.

Pakistan protests 'coalition air attack'

Sept. 3 -- Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday lodged a stiff protest against U.S.-led coalition and NATO forces for what it called a "helicopter-borne ground attack" from Afghanistan into Pakistan, an uncommon tactic in the coalition's fight against militants along the violent border.

Iraqi Officials: Deal Close on US Troop Withdrawal Timeline

Turkish Weekly

Aug 19 - Iraqi officials say Baghdad and Washington are close to a deal for U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq by October 2010.

They say the proposed timeline sets an initial target for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities and remain on their bases by June 30, 2009. The schedule could be amended depending on security conditions, but U.S. officials say they have not agreed to any withdrawal dates. They say there has been progress in security talks, but some issues remain in dispute.

A spokesman for Moqtada al-Sadr said Friday the influential Shi'ite cleric will call on his militia to disarm if the United States begins to pull troops out according to a set timetable. Sadr has ordered several cease-fires which are attributed to a significant reduction in violence over the past year.

Iran Achieves Significant Nuclear Goal

Dana Zimmerman-Israel News

Tel Aviv - Aug. 26 - Iran continues to signal unwillingness to halt nuclear development: Official in Tehran announces heavy water plant completed. Ahmadinejad claims Iran does not constitute a threat, but states that the nation willing to defend its right to nuclear activity with force.

Strike On Iran Still Possible, U.S. Tells Israel

By Paul Richter and Julian E. Barnes, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

Washington - On July 29, the Israeli Defense Ministry released a statement saying that Barak had told Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates that "a policy that consists of keeping all options on the table must be maintained."

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Barak said that there remains time for "accelerated sanctions" to try to persuade Iran to abandon the nuclear program.

Israeli officials were concerned in December when a key U.S. intelligence report concluded that Iran had abandoned an effort to build a nuclear bomb. They also have noted with concern comments this month by Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that an Israeli air strike on Iran would further destabilize the Middle East and compound the strain on overworked U.S. forces.

North Korea to Suspend Nuclear Disablement

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it will stop disabling its nuclear facilities and consider restoring the Yongbyon reactor that can make material for atomic bombs, accusing the United States of violating a disarmament deal.

"We have decided to immediately suspend disabling our nuclear facilities," the North's KCNA news agency quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.

"This measure has been effective on August 14 and related parties have been notified of it," the official said.

Russian Parliament Recognizes Breakaway Georgian Enclaves

By Tom Lasseter and Alla Burakovskaya | McClatchy Newspapers

MOSCOW Aug. 25 — Russia's parliament voted unanimously Monday to recognize the independence of two Georgian breakaway regions that its military invaded earlier this month, intensifying the Kremlin's showdown with the United States.

If approved by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the resolution would give a domestic legal basis for Russia to essentially take control of the areas, in defiance of the U.S.-backed government of Georgia.

Renewed Alliances and Rekindled Fears

The unnerving factor in these global shifts of power, influence activities and intent, is not in the specificity of the players, but in the fact that these events are all taking place within the same relative time frame. By all historic reference this is a recipe for a pending disaster.

To make matters worse, we are now entering a time of new alliances and in some cases, renewed alliances. The most troubling of such is that taking place in the Middle East, where the Russians are once again flexing their political muscle to regain the influential foothold the once held in the Mideast.

By their action in Georgia, the Russians are determined to regain their old sphere of influence in the countries surrounding them, and this time to do so without the need for troops on their soil or puppet governments. Their plan is to simply plan to terrorize them - and there is every indication that they are, indeed, succeeding.

Flush with oil revenue and determined to be players in the new world order, the Russians have accelerated their work on the Iranian nuclear facilities. At the same time, they have openly declared new security ties with the Syria and renewed diplomatic relations with Libya. And by all of these skillfully planned actions, they are on the cusp of obtaining a future power brokering influence over the flow of Middle East oil - to the world.

Under Vladimir Putin's skillful manipulations through behind the scenes leadership, the Russians are advancing with painful certainty toward a confrontation with America and its allies on all fronts. And unlike with the Cuban Missile Crisis, this time they are highly unlikely to - blink first - and back down.

Meanwhile, in the same arena of the continuing Middle East contest, the Israelis' are reading the writing on the wall. They know that their major financial and military backer, the United States, has fallen on hard times. But more important they don't want to lose their regional edge, for contrary to what most people think, in general, the Israelis are not all that concerned that the Iranian leader will nuclear bomb them. Even they know the Iranians are not that stupid: devastating retaliation would be instantaneous

What concerns the Israelis about a possible Iranian development of a nuclear weapon, is that they will lose their greatest defense shield in the area - that of being the toughest and most dangerous guy on the block. This is a strategic element they are not willing to give up or allow to be negotiated away - even by a trusted ally such as the U.S.

An Unscripted Ending Fraught With Peril

Needless to say, all is happening at time when America is at its weakest since it formation. If the Fannie Mae and Sallie Mae takeovers are counted into the final tally, along with the stimulus package and a few other items, the incoming new administration will face a budget deficit that will just about equal the budget surplus left by the Clinton administration: $760 billion and growing.

Simultaneously, our fractured, exhausted and overextended military is bogged down in two wars, and much of our debt is owed to the very countries we may be confronting. And to make matters worse, the country is in the middle of a very divisive and embittered presidential election. Then there is the other factor: President George W. Bush is still in office and will be so for another four months and - lot can happen in four months. So the question now posed becomes a crucial one namely, what are the qualifications and capabilities of whomever will be coming in to clean-up the mess - if it can all be cleaned-up?

On the political Right we have Sen. John McCain and his running mate Alaska Gov., Sarah Palin, and on the left there is Sen. Barack Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden. There are elements and personality inventories of each side that have the potential to bring terrible risks to the present global equation - dpending on which side is elected. And both contending camps are, for all intents and purposes, unknown factors.

Therefore, the greatest danger posed at present, is that of the 'lame duck' President Bush, who even as a lame duck leader, is unlike the misconceptions of many - he does believe in what he believes in.

The extreme Right was able to use and manipulate him, not by brainwashing, but because he was already committed to their point of view. Bush is not only a 'born again Christian', but he actually regards himself as the Christian equivalent of - Superman.

The man is not afraid to make a stupid decision because - he doesn't think about his decisions after he has made them. To his way of thinking, that would be tantamount to his God having second thoughts on the day of creation: God wouldn't so either would he.

My biggest fear is that near the end of his reign, should he once again hear that righteous siren call of the 'Christian Right', he may just decide to leap out of that proverbial window - and he and his Neo conservative Christian soldiers will take all of America with them.

Your comments - The voices of our readers

I read most of what you said, Dubya is the worst President this country has ever had,he regards himself as a Christian Superman, I don't believe in Christianity, however Dubya in my opinion is the F--g Devil, the worst economy, since Reagan and Pappa Bush, A fake war, and billions of dollars going into Dubya and Dubai Cheney;s pockets. Blackwater Security, Neil Bush, bank Failure in the 80's Neil Bush, another war McSame, a bank failure Andrew Mc Same, people against the gays, Sarah Palin, Duffis you are a joke and we went to High School together. This country hasn't changed because of backward thinking people like you. -Gene, Davie, Florida I admire your unusual but highly intelligent reasoning. I don't always agree with you, but damn you do make me think in three dimensions. And the possible outcome is downright scary,  And I know you will agree with me in saying that we both hope you are completely wrong.  I lived through the Cuban missile crisis and I don't want to go through that again. -M. Schaffer, Syracuse NY