It's a King Lear Thing: If You Haven't Been Vain and Powerful, You Won't Understand

When Bush meets with Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia today, our president needs to be ready to put it all on the table. If the Crown Prince says -- and his English is good so he won't need a translator -- that he will be glad to pump another million barrels a day if Bush gives him one of the twins to beef up the hidden harem, well greater love hath no chief executive than to sign over one of his ditz girls to make sure the SUVs run on time.

If events in this country continue down their current path -- low taxes, crumbling infrastructure, bad school systems, the rise of theocracy -- in 20 years all of us may be living on Thai model, sending off our young girls as "maids" and our young men as "house boys" to those nations with the oil and the T-bills.

For once, let the sacrifice start at the top.