I believe that the disaster in Iraq in now complete. Any chance the US had in winning the hearts and minds of the people is now lost.

The new U.S. Embassy is near completion. It will be the largest "embassy" in the world, larger than Vatican City. It will have everything an occupying power needs for a permanent military base on the largest oil field in the world.

Iraqis are horrified.

They see it as the replacement of Saddam's palace with what they are calling "George W's Palace."

Twenty one buildings, 104 acres, its own sewage treatment plant, water supply and power supply. Room for 8,000 workers.

EIGHT THOUSAND!!!!!

They are disgusted by the builder's boast that "it can bee seen from space."

They want to know if this huge tract of Baghdad was paid for or simply taken.

They want to know (and so do we) why the US is spending $9 billion per month on military bills in Iraq and only $22 billion was set aside for rebuilding a country of 24 million.

In a place where electricity is on only 4 hours per day and at a time when the US just released a report saying that in essence the rebuilding effort in Iraq has been a disaster and is running out of money the negative imagery of the construction cranes could not be worse.

All great empires that fell overextended themselves in foreign adventures, relied on debt not manufacturing and innovation to fund these wars and became increasingly religious. The Romans, Dutch, Spanish and English all had these traits, so does the U.S.

Let's call this what it is. It is THE forward operation base to control Middle Eastern Oil and an a base from which to thwart Russian designs on the region.

It seems more and more like the seeds of destruction have not only been planted but are starting to flower.