From a recent letter I wrote to a mailing list I'm on.  I think it summarizes my current mood pretty well (yes, at this point I'm a "Balking Hawk") so I thought I'd post it here for posterity.

On Mon, Mar 17, 2003 at 06:19:38PM -0500, John-Paul wrote:
> Andrea Buffa, an organizer with United for Peace and Justice, which
> Grabes vaunted as the respectable antiwar alternative to the Stalinist
> front International ANSWER, takes on an irate Iraqi radio show caller:
> 

This argument was over a few weeks ago.  Bush will have his war.
The anti-war protestors and apparently most of the world have been
deemed irrelevent.  Everyone keep your heads down and repeat after
me.  "It's all about democracy, It's all about democracy"

There's plenty of idealogues on both sides of the issue that are going to
believe what they're going to believe despite all evidence.  In the end,
both sides are so full of shit its coming out their ears.

Saddam has to go now, there was no way to back down.  Bush and his
entire Administration's lack of ANY diplomatic skills left us no
option but war.  And so be it, Saddam is a bad guy that needs to
go.  The UN shouldn't have passed a unanimous resolution if they
didn't read it.  However...

Those that are deceiving themselves into thinking Bush actually
plans to follow through with the Grand Plans to democratize the
Middle East are living in a fantasy world as should be readily
apparent by now.  Just because you hope something will happen
doesn't mean Bush has any intention of letting it happen.  And even
if he does, the chances of it resulting in a government that's friendly to America are just about nil.

The fact that we're all still clapping gleefully at the stupid-dumdum
anti-war protesters and masturbating to pictures of Apache helicopters
roaming the Iraqi desert while listening to the news-networks
carefully composed war-jingles reinforces my lack of faith in the
nobility of the American population at large.  No one should
ever be smug or happy about war.  People are going to die - including,
in all likelihood, people in this country.  I hope you're all ready
because in the 4th Generation, we're all soldiers.

Praise god and pass the ammunition.

The whole thing makes me sick.

Dear friends:

Gary Hart once observed that "a campaign ought to be a vehicle for involving American citizens in the determination of their own destiny."

As we approach the brink of war in the Middle East, we ask you to take the first step to reclaim our destiny. If our President commits us to war, we pray for its earliest success, not only to save unnecessary loss of life, but also so that we Americans can secure our future through bold, fair, and just restructuring of our economy.

Those of us supporting Gary Hart are now seeking contributions to encourage his consideration of a run for President of the United States. During this "testing the waters" phase, we are permitted to collect funds for the purpose of determining whether he should become a candidate. With your help, he can give this momentous decision the immediate and intensive reflection it deserves.

If you would like to use your credit card or ATM card, we now have the capability at garyhartnews.com to process the transaction, conveniently and securely. Your donation to this effort will allow Senator Hart to continue traveling the country, addressing college students and town hall audiences, +meeting with key organizers, and generally gauging national interest in his ideas. Click on the below link to be directed to our donations page:

http://www.garyhartnews.com/hart/contribute/index.php

Thank you for your continued support. Please send news of our fundraising effort to as many of your friends who share the senator's desire to secure America's future as possible.

Sincerely,
GaryHartNews.com

Fundraising questions or concerns? Please email: donate@garyhartnews.com

Pass it on.  If the money doesn't come from you, it will have to come from a special interest, and given Senator Hart's position on these matters, he'd most likely rather not run.  If you want to see this man run for President, he needs your help.