Sunday, then Monday and then we're off to work again. I'm not sure what's going on with Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the guys but it sure seems weird lately, doesn't it? I mean really, Rumsfeld hit every Sunday morning news show he could physically make and tap-danced quite nicely around the straight-up, fast-balls fired at him from the commentators.

But there was something amiss; something a little off tune, though I can't put my finger on it exactly.

It seems to me that things in Iraq are going from good to bad at and an increasing rate. More and more deadly attacks are occuring every day and though the party line is that it's a small group of Fedayeen fighters loyal to Saddam coupled with al-Qaida factions and other terrorist groups, it seems to me that something else is happening. The purported welcome that U.S. troops were to receive once Saddam was ousted still hasn't truly borne fruit and my never.

What is going on behind the scenes - off the record, as it were - is beginning to exude a foul smell to me. I want the troops to have the best possible protection against attacks and with the $87 billion grant Bush pushed through Congress I hope that something good comes of it in that regard.

I'm getting sick of hearing about American soldiers getting killed daily in the so-called Sunni Triangle and, frankly, I wonder why we aren't cordoning off the whole region and doing an intensive sweep to rout those armed enemies who're causing havoc for U.S. troops.

That said, the recent allegations that Saddam made overtures to the U.S. requesting peace talks just prior to the "war" raise further issues for the administration regarding its motives.

I'm still convinced that Bush targeted Saddam for personal reasons, as wildly irresponsible as that sounds for the leader of the 'free' world. If we had an opportunity to avoid the bloodshed and burden that we now bear it seems to me that prudence would dictate exploring the possibility to some degree, regardless of the lying and treachery Saddam was known to propagate.

Ah well. Life goes, chaos and all, and each of us has to deal with his or her own personal awakenings and failings.

One can only hope that the reported 7-plus percent increase in productivity will eventually lead to more jobs. It's amazing to me how many people listen to the right-wing radio hosts (yes, even the fallen Rush Limbaugh) and the spin they put on any positive blip on the economy's radar while disregarding the continued job losses reported each month, not to mention the fact that many jobless people fall through the cracks because they give up on trying to work through federal programs and, therefore, are no longer counted among the unemployed. It's outrageous. When are we going to be treated to a liberal talk show host?

It would be nice if someone could step into the void and create a little balance in the airwaves.

Signing off.