"Liberal democracy would be difficult to achieve ... Electoral democracy, were it to emerge, could well be subject to exploitation by anti-American elements."

The above is a statement that is in direct contradiction to the president's prediction that an invasion of Iraq wil enable that country to achieve democracy. It is part of a document--recently revealed by the Los Angles Times--that casts considerable doubt on Iraq's having a democratic future, no matter what the United States does.

Who would say such a thing? The U.S. Department of State--that's who. The classified document bears the title, 'Iraq, the Middle East and Change: No Dominoes," and that pretty much says it all. Objections to the invasion have been voiced by American military experts, the vast majority of American religious organizations, the vast majority of nations in the world, and millions and millions of individuals. But that doesn't appear to matter to the president.

Democracy or not, we already know that Halliburton is a victor: Its subsidiary, Kellogg Brown & Root, has already received the contract to "clean up" after the invasion, and to put out any oil field fires that may occur.

And one more thing: It is March of 2003, and Ken Lay still has not been indicted.