It comes as news to us (if not to you all) that included in the Bush Budget are billions of dollars to refurbish and enhance our nuclear weapons facilities and capabilities. It appears we are about to get back into the nuclear bomb business big time. Congress has been debating the proposals, and committees resume meeting this week.

Proposals in President Bush's 2004 budget would refurbish virtually every facet of the nuclear weapons complex, ranging from the nuclear test site in Nevada to the Savannah River plant in South Carolina.

There has been intense opposition in Washington to some aspects of President Bush's nuclear weapons policies. The Democrats have fought, for instance, a proposal to build a new generation of smaller warheads, which cleared a Senate committee last week. But there has been virtually no congressional dissent or debate over the president's proposed multibillion- dollar resuscitation of America's nuclear infrastructure.

....The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday approved $15.5 million for research into the bunker-busters, officially called the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator. It set aside an additional $6 million for research into advanced nuclear concepts, and approved a repeal of the 10-year-old ban on the development of low-yield warheads. Democrats say there is little hope of halting the initiatives.

Our states are going bankrupt, social services are cut to the bone, the economy is in deep trouble, and Bush wants to build nuclear bombs?

Even worse, outside his perceived military success, his re-election campaign is apparently going great guns. One democratic strategist referred to him as "John Wayne in the Oval Office." Norman Mailer says we are in a "pre-fascist atmosphere" and about to become a "megabanana republic."

So where are the Democrats? Why can't even one of the nine contenders in the crowded field of announced candidates generate some excitement--or at least genuine interest?

San Francisco party activist Jeanette Gitler says "... the unfortunate thing about Democrats is, they haven't taken a proactive approach. They've slid into the woodwork." GOP strategist Sean Walsh likens the democratic contenders to a first grade soccer game.

They're running all over the place and yelling at each other, and they've had to backtrack and apologize on comments" -- from Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's quip about a "regime change" to Dean's attack on Kerry for lack of "courage." "It's driving them absolutely insane that (Bush) won't engage on their level, and he's flying high above them," Walsh said.

We're still waiting for a candidate who excites us. We wish a hard left-of center candidate would emerge to give the voters a real choice. Right now it's Bush vs. Bush vs. Bush, and what that adds up to is a Bush/Ashcroft/Rumsfeld win in November.