In a posthumously published book, Mark Twain made several observations about man as a species that accurately describes a curious species among all the creatures on Earth. There is a specific quote from “Letters From the Earth” that accurately describes Republicans and their never ending quest for imperialism and world domination regardless of the costs in lives and America’s resources. In a chapter titled “The Damned Human Race,” Twain wrote; “Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.”

In 2004 Bob Woodward wrote a book, “Plan of Attack,” that chronicled the events leading up to the Iraq war and highlighted how on the first day of George W. Bush’s presidency, his war council walked into the White House and asked where the plans were for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. The account suggested that Bush’s team had designs to wage war on Iraq before his inauguration and the terror attacks of 9/11. Now as the Iraq conflict is winding down, Republicans are again clamoring for a war against another Muslim country to satisfy their bloodlust, the state of Israel, and fundamentalist Christians who yearn to bring on the end times and the bible’s war of Armageddon.