We already knew that George W. Bush was losing the war in Iraq, but a New York Times article reveals that he may also be losing the war on drugs. In his bloodlust to avenge Saddam’s attempt to kill Poppy, Bush invaded Iraq and left the Afghan poppy fields in the hands of a resurgent Taliban. The President’s failure to smack down the black turbans has led to a 50 percent spike in smack production, accounting for more than 92 percent of the world’s opium supply on the black market.

Having mastered the law of unintended consequences, Bush’s bungling in Afghanistan has somehow led to the proliferation of both syringes and Sharia (Islamic Law). Sadly, this new OPEC (Opium Producing Exporting Countries) is the only industry that seems to be working in the forgotten country that actually had something to do with 9-11.

Now that the duel distractions of the Israeli/Hezbollah war and John Karr have subsided, the public is once again focused on the Iraqi debacle in the run up to midterm elections. With pundits pontificating about a Democratic takeover of the House, Bush gave a cynical speech once again tying Osama bin Laden to the quagmire in Iraq. Trying to confuse Americans, Bush sounded alarms about Osama working to create a caliphate based in Baghdad.

This notion is absurd when one considers that Al Qaeda is comprised of Sunni Muslims and the real threat to freedom in Iraq comes from the Shiite majority who are quickly turning southern Iraq into a mini-Iran. We now face newly empowered and heavily armed WMD’s – Weapons of Mullah Destruction – that are transforming the plan for democracy into the pit of theocracy.

With the American invasion having created a vacuum of viciousness, the murderous Mullahs have gladly stepped in to fill the void. London activist Peter Tatchell revealed on the web-site Iraqi LGBT, which monitors the condition of gay Iraqis, the extent of the horror for all Iraqi citizens under control of the Ayatollahs:

“Parts of Iraq, including some Baghdad neighborhoods, are now under the de facto control of Taliban-style fundamentalist militias,” wrote Tatchell. “They enforce a savage interpretation of Sharia law, summarily executing people for ‘crimes’ like listening to western pop music, wearing shorts or jeans, drinking alcohol, selling videos, working in a barber’s shop, homosexuality, dancing, having a Sunni name, adultery and, in the case of women, not being veiled or walking in the street unaccompanied by a male relative.”

Tatchell goes on to report that these zealots are zeroing in on anyone who appears to be gay. He paints a portrait of a nation where homosexuals are routinely blackmailed, hunted like wild game and barbarically raped and riddled with bullets. Even families are sometimes harassed and threatened if they refuse to rat gay family members out of hiding. Here is an excerpt from the Iraqi LGBT website:

“The father of 23 year old Baghdad arts student, Karzan, has been told by militias that his son has been sentenced to death for being gay. If his father refuses to hand over Karzan for execution, the militia has threatened to kill the family one by one. This has already happened to Bashar, 34, an actor. Because his parents refuse to reveal his hiding place, the Badr militia murdered two of his family members in retribution.”

Such reports are hard to verify without a Baghdad Bureau. However, these stories are not difficult to imagine when one considers that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa earlier this year ordering the execution of gay Iraqis."Those who commit sodomy must be killed in the harshest way," ordered al Sistani.

The situation in Iraq is so dire that the Grand Ayatollah is considered one of the “good guys” by coalition forces. The hatred of such maniacal Mullahs toward gays makes one nostalgic for the days when we just had to deal with the ranting of Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C.

If this is what freedom looks like in Iraq, it is time to begin a phased withdrawal as soon as possible. The slaughter of 40 Iraqis this week in Baghdad also reminds us that the conflict is likely spiraling towards an all-out civil war. Instead of one terrible Saddam, it appears there are now thousands of mini-Saddam types executing imagined heathens, heretics and homos with reckless abandon.

The Republicans can cry cut and run, but their failed policy of lie and deny is killing American troops. Iraq has backfired and become a tinder box of terror that will likely punish the GOP at the ballot box in November. Even the new and improved Taliban can’t grow enough Opium to anesthetize the pain that President Bush’s mind numbing policies have brought the world.