Convinced ambitious folks had nuclear dreams:
For our young nation’s century—a Rome
Reborn. “Ape strong! Who dares reject our schemes?
We’ll crush the nervous pipsqueaks, rush the doom
We visit on the Earth (for her own good).”
The thuggish roster’s long, but some stand out:
Rumsfeld, Cheney, Libby, and Rove (we could
Count witless Bush, except he has no clout
Among these heavyweights). But now they’re caught.
“Not me,” the weaseling begins. “Back stab-
bing is no crime!” “A lie or two we thought
Would sell this noble war—is that so bad?”
Mock truth. Split hairs. Resolved to duck the dread
Contempt, the mangled legions, and the dead.
10/25/05