You know..

I almost posted that quote this morning, I guess horrified minds think a like. I didnt post it because I didnt want to be the guy to stir up the pissed at Bush angst we all seem to have. I guess it is about that time for another one of those frenzies we get into every couple of weeks.

What I love is the quagmire is going to just get worse in Iraq. Way to go Bush. Some analysts have been reported by the BBC as saying we will need to be present for 3-5 years in Iraq. Tut de suck. Hmm let's see, budget cuts everywhere, a desperate need for consumer spending incentive, and rotting schools. Can't do anything about that, I got me a little war that might make me and my buddy's a few more percentage points on my already fat stacks.

Oh and oil prices hit yet another record today @ $44.50/barrel. Rule! Isnt it great that the oil companies have the largest profit profit margins on high crude oil prices? All the big oil companies posted the best earnings in a while this past quarter. With so much money, you would think they would do something good with it... Like pay more special interest groups and lobbyest to protect their interests so that they can loot more. Sweet.

Exxon Mobil 1st Qtr 03 net profits - $4.17 billion
Exxon Mobil 1st Qtr 04 net profits - $5.79 billion

Royal Dutch/Shell 1st Qtr 03 net profits - $2.60 billion
Royal Dutch/Shell 1st Qtr 04 net profits - $4.00 billion*

ConocoPhillips 1st Qtr 03 net profits - $1.19 billion
ConocoPhillips 1st Qtr 04 net profits - $2.08 billion

* After several civil suit fines of $156 million

Perhaps the problem lies here:

"These profits probably appear gross, and consumers wonder why they're not lowering the prices," Baxter said (director of an energy institute at Southern Methodist University). "They could do that, but the first time they did, the CEO would get fired."

Rule