Legacy

Legacies surround us. Government, culture, religion, even our DNA is a legacy.
Some legacies help us unconditionally (traffic signals), some conditionally (social behaviors) and others rarely, if at all (superstition, bias.) One problem with legacies is that they tend to become ossified- stiff and unyielding in the face of new circumstances.

Recent congressional testimony by General Petraeus and others suggests that there is no end, or least no well-articulated objective in the continuing occupation of Iraq by the United States (and its allies). Senators McCain and Clinton seem to be in agreement in keeping this legacy of the Bush administration alive, at least for the foreseeable future. Senator Obama seems to be less inclined, although not rejecting some transitional period.

The invasion and occupation of Iraq has created its own legacy, and all parties who hold any power in the situation (Arab and otherwise) believe in and are cultivating it. It has become more or less permanent; its expansion limited by the amount of available resources, but it thrives, nonetheless.

Dubya's war. His legacy.

P.S. Taxes are due tomorrow.