PERSIAN GULF OF TONKIN PASSES

What surprises me is the 77 votes in the Senate. But there are no excuses, this is a fucking disgrace.

The Moore in me is getting pretty pissed at my government. The Democrats fucked up big time, and it's their own fault. Al Gore and Robert Byrd were trying to give them a chance. But friggin Gephardt has one eye on 2004, and shoved aside principle in favor of centrist political gain.

Part of the problem? That Al Gore was the messenger of principle here. Not because Al Gore is unprincipled or not genuine. But because the press/pundit narrative perception on Al Gore is that he's full of shit and always acting for political gain. The media has shit on Al Gore since 98, remorselessly (remember the heckling during the 2000 primary debates?), and that above everything else has contributed to generalized perceptions of him. And Gephardt&co. fear that perception above anything, so they held their noses and signed on to taking it up the posterior from Dubya.

So much for international law and any number of UN resolutions. And where does our tactical moral high-ground go if we pre-emptively strike Iraq?

(as I write this, my roommate's mp3-list has come upon REM's "It's the End of the World as we Know It (And I Feel Fine)", how fitting)