American Patriotism Crushed By Republican SUVs

Bob Cesca
Huffington Post

The actual retail price of the Bush Wars: $1.6 trillion, according to a congressional report released yesterday. And this generation of (civilian) Americans has never been asked to sacrifice a single damn thing in order to help ameliorate the cost of these historically expensive war efforts.

In this transcontinental Chinese buffet called America, we don't dig sacrifice anymore. Too effete. Too liberal. We prefer tax cuts for the super rich. We prefer our tax-deductible SUVs and all the gasoline we can bong.

Somehow, according to the most-excellent marketing strategies of Roger Ailes and Karl Rove, it's more patriotic to go around saying you're patriotic than it actually is to be patriotic. The most trenchant right-wing tools among us are proud and grateful to receive the president's unpatriotic and irresponsible rich-man welfare checks during a time of war. In fact, President Bush yesterday listed his tax cuts for the super-rich as one of his successes, while later in the day he accused the Democrats of spending like teenagers with a new credit card.

The Democrats. Spending. Like teenagers. Okay, compared to whom, Mr. President? And yet today the Wall Street Journal -- the economic newspaper of record -- had the old-man nards to editorialize that opponents of the president are insane.

That's rich. The president's ideologically-driven policies have bankrupted America, both financially and morally, and you and I are insane for being vocal about it?

Here's the real insanity. As the American economy falls to pieces, oil is hovering in the $100 per barrel range and gas prices are a few days away from shattering all-time high records. Forecasters are predicting that gas will surpass $3.22 per gallon by next week. Mad Money's Jim Cramer told Chris Matthews last week that gas prices might top $4 per gallon within the next six weeks.

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