L, my travel partner to Iraq sent me a letter written to her by a relative who was less than supportive of her decision to return to Iraq. Buried in the letter was a statement that struck me,

"Since the left in this country seem to be hoping for a bad economy and high casualties in the Iraq war just so Bush looks bad, it seems they comprise a cadre that is hoping for downfall or destruction."

I sometimes think there is an odd kind of truth to this. Is it true that the people who opposed the war feel a certain amount of vindication when they hear how badly things are going in Iraq? It is what I and many people on the left predicted would happen and, sadly, there is a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing you were right ... but then you have to stop and remember that real people are being hurt, U.S. soldiers and Iraqis alike, and feeling smug about being right doesn't help them at all.

On another note:
Just had my car window smashed out last night … some kid, I guess … nothing stolen … there was nothing to steal! It's just another expense I'm going to have to deal with, which gets harder and harder to do when you can see your last paycheck coming at you like a freight train!

And today, I just purchased my ticket to Jordan for the beginning of February! Ack!