The Collected Writings of Sardonicus

"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet."
- Aristotle

Truer words have never been spoken.

The Senate has approved the renewal of the Patriot Act, with a disappointing vote of 89-10. But I suppose it was to be suspected. Most components of the PA are quite necessary, so I guess my only hope is that we will see some amendments in the future.

Bush visited India this past week and legitamized India's use of nuclear energy, after decades of uneasiness about nuclear proliferation in South Asia. Relations between Washington and New Delhi have been on the rocks recently, with Pakistan being one of Bush's key allies in the war against terror. Indian-Pakistani relations, of course, have been on the rocks for decades, sometimes leading to some scary moments of abrasive brinkmanship, including nuclear. But in the long-term, US-Indian relations will become a key component to containing any Chinese expansion. China has recently become an international economic golden boy, but India possibly has even more potential, as their population is outpacing China's, and their greater political liberalization is believed to be- in theory- more conducive to capitalistic innovations. India is still a few decades behind China in terms of grow and industry, but the US is smart to improve relations now so that there can be some regional counterbalancing in the future. The Japan-India partnership also remains quite strong.