Obsession: Not just a cologne, but a way of governing

PRESIDENT BUSH still favors partially privatizing Social Security.

Would you believe it?

Can you imagine the hysteria that would sweep through the land if people's Social Security savings had been invested in Wall Street stock, while it's been plummeting? Yet our chief executive - who is consistent if nothing else - is standing by the cockamamie idea.

Another example of government by obsession, this administration's modus operandi.

For example, our fearless leaders continue to plan an invasion of Iraq. Why? Because they're obsessed with Saddam Hussein.

Here we are, still unsure just who is responsible for 9/11 and why, whether our Afghan campaign has really done anything to prevent further atrocities, not even able to track down the probably-homegrown nut shipping anthrax through the mails - and what preoccupies our administration? Iraq, a two-bit backwater, which - no matter how our powers-that-be would love to find a link - has not been tied in with 9/11 in any way. Or with anthrax, either.

Is Saddam a bad guy? You bet he is. So are a lot of the world's leaders, including some we cozy up to, like his neighbors in Saudi Arabia, where most of the 9/11 hijackers hailed from. Is he developing those dreaded "weapons of mass destruction"? Probably. But so are a lot of countries. So, in fact, are we - big time. When it comes to WMDs, you can be sure the United States is way ahead of the rest of the world combined.

But we can't invade ourselves. So let's go invade Iraq. Maybe Americans will forget about the economy going south or an attorney general who's trying to whittle away our rights in front of our eyes.

Wag the dog, anyone?