I knew that McCain would be Bush-all-over-again. But I had hopes for Obama.I've tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. No longer. I've run out of excuses.

Seventeen thousand to Afghanistan. For what, precisely? The Taliban and Al Qaeda have been steadily gaining ground in Afghanistan- and in Pakistan. What has our military occupation accomplished in terms of inhibiting their progress? What is our strategy? I've seen no clear strategy put forth. What are we there for? Our original reason for entering Afghanistan was presumably to clear out Al Qaeda bases and to prevent the country from being a launching ground for terrorist attacks against the U.S. and our allies. Now we seem to be espousing the Neo-Con view of fostering a democratic government as opposed to an Islamic theocracy. I even heard Bill Clinton the other night noting that one of the reasons for expanding our involvement in Afghanistan is to fight for women's rights, which are being violated by the Taliban. I am entirely supportive of women's rights; but are we supposed to be protecting women's rights in foreign countries by way of waging war? Is that a good reason to put American soldiers- men and women- in harm's way? There are quite a number of countries where women's rights are being violated. So should we invade them too? Is this the new Liberal/Neo-Con Joint Theory of Warfare? What are we actually accomplishing in Afghanistan? I haven't the shadow of an idea. Does anyone? Does Barack Obama? Or is he just being carried away by the generals? And how many more lives is all this ambiguity going to cost? How many, President Obama? Do we know what we're doing at all? And would the American people be allowing all this to happen if there were a draft and their children were being carried off to fight and die for incomprehensible reasons?

Well, take heart, Mr. President. You have gained a new friend. Ann Coulter was interviewed on Larry King this evening- and she likes you. She noted that you are carrying on George Bush's policies very well indeed. We now have more never-ending war going on than ever. We're "going forward" as far as war-criminality is concerned. Guantanamo still isn't closed as far as I know. And as far as I can tell, renditioning has to date not been declared illegal. "Change you can believe in." I guess if you can succeed in delaying long enough in setting things to rights you can leave it all for the next President to deal with. Meanwhile, same old same old. Never do today what you won't do tomorrow.

I have to acknowledge that I'm a responsible party in all this. I voted for you. The one consolation I have is that McCain would no doubt have been even worse. Very comforting. The flag-draped coffins will continue to come home. Have you made a decision yet about allowing photos? You might want to confer with Mr. Bush.

Emaho! Leave alone whatever arises in the mind. Let there be vivid perception of the here and now. Intuit the liberating aspect of pure being. Whatever arises seems like the reflection in a mirror, but there is no duality of viewer and vision- they are one in the space of emptiness. Appearance and emptiness are indivisible. There is a holistic existential state, a flawless and seamless reality field, nothing other than undivided pure being. No intellectual concepts are valid. Penetrate to the essence. Thoughts and emotions dissolve upon their inception. Thoughts and their release are simultaneous- like the simultaneous drawing and vanishing of a figure traced in water- uninterrupted arising and reflexive release. Watch the release of thoughts at their inception. Sustain recognition of the primal awareness of pure being. Suffering is released at the moment of its inception naturally and reflexively. No matter what thoughts or emotions appear- anger, desire, joy, sorrow and so forth- if they are perceived just as they are, not inhibiting them or trying to change them, then they are perceived as the free play of pure being, and they are spontaneously released and dissolved into the pure ground of their arising. They dissolve instantaneously, like a figure drawn on water. All is released in the ground of primal purity without stress or strain, neither coming into existence nor ceasing to be. Ultimate perfection is totally indeterminate, neither existing nor not existing. There is nothing other than undivided pure being, utterly beyond definition, utterly beyond conception. Penetrate to the essence- the total presence of singular pure being. Total presence. Sarva Mangalam.

( Adapted from Dzogchen-meditation instructions presented in: Dowman, K. The Flight of the Garuda. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2003 )