As America begins to consider which candidate to elect as its new President in 2008, it's important to consider how each candidate's priorities would effect the shape of the national budget. Such decisions have life and death consequences. Just two dollars, for example, can purchase effective treatment for 5 people suffering from schistosomiasis. A total of 200 million people worldwide are infected with schistosomiasis. That means that it would cost only 80 million dollars to pay for enough treatments to purge schistosomiasis from every infected human being on Earth. The American government is projected to spend over 219 million dollars every day on the war in Iraq in 2007. With what it costs to fight less than half a day of the Iraq War, the Bush Administration could have provided all the medicine necessary to rid every human being on earth suffering from schistosomiasis of the parasites that cause the disease. This shift in budget priorities hasn't happened, of course, and it won't happen as long as a war enthusiast like George W. Bush is in the White House. Across sub-Saharan Africa, efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis are either extremely limited or do not exist at all. A truly progressive President will end the Iraq War and shift the new peace dividend to fund programs that will provide real and reliable relief from suffering, without having to shoot people of drop bombs on cities.

The idea of an escalation of the Iraq War that George W. Bush is prepared to propose tonight is so bafflingly blind that it makes me want to vomit. Hold on a minute - there's a rhyme in there. I guess you could say that the surge makes me want to purge. That's kind of a slogan, isn't it? How about Purge the Surge? Seriously, slogans aside, please sign the petition against the Bush escalation policy sponsored over at The Petition Site by the Council for a Livable World. We know that President George W. Bush is beyond reason. It is the Congress that we must attempt to persuade, as many Democrats fear offering anything but vocal opposition to the Bush agenda. Thousands of citizens have come together to sign the petition over the last couple of days, but time is running out for you to join them. Post Script: The petition gives people the space to add their personal comments. I particular admire the spirit of the comment offered by Shawn Austin, from Massachusetts: "Mr. President we will accept your resignation immediately. It is clear you are unfit to fulfill your job." I think he's onto something there. The time has come for Bush to resign