for potassium. After all, all other countries have inferior potassium.

supplies to US troops in Afghanistan (the costs are reported to be six times the amount budgeted for).

Kazakhstan’s self-proclaimed "president for life" -- Nursultan Nazarbayev – is certainly the kind of person the US should be doing business with, right? As noted in the article:

"The cynicism in Nazarbayev’s rhetoric could not have been missed by those familiar with a country where no true opposition parties, critical media or free trade unions are allowed, where protections under the law are virtually absent; and bribery and corruption rule.

.....Amnesty International examined events in the aftermath of the December 2011 massacre of striking oil workers in Zhanaozen. Appearing a 100 days after that dark day, the report found the government’s investigation into the events "inadequate." Amnesty noted, "There have been numerous reports of widespread torture and other ill-treatment of those detained by security forces in the aftermath of the violence and investigations into these allegations do not to date appear to be thorough and impartial."

It's policy. There can be no *moral* justification for the subjugation of Iran unless we can pull a "George Bush" on them. And what the heck are we supposed to do with all those drones anyways?

on how to start multiple wars, it might not be too difficult to do - especially since the President first calls for diplomacy and warns against loose war talk, then imposes harsh economic sanctions that make the daily lives of average Iranians miserable, has rejected “containment,” and boasted that he doesn’t “bluff.” The Sec of State warned Iran that the "window of opportunity" for a peaceful resolution “will not remain open forever," while expressing doubt that Iran had any intention of negotiating a solution and said they are trying to develop nuclear weapons even though both US and British spys say they aren't. Such diplomacy...

As for drones, they seem to easily pull the US into "conflicts" (never called wars, just conflicts) anywhere and everywhere the administration deems there's a need. Most Americans just shrug and ask what's the problem with killing anybody anywhere via a drone if the President says they may or may not be a terrorist? Don't need no stinking congress dilly-dallying around deciding if drone attacks in countries we're not at war with are legal - heck, they're just conflicts, not wars.

We'd rather be friends with folks like Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev, as would US multinational corporations who see a booming uranium mining and expanding nuclear industry something they can get richer off of - no matter that how evil the leader is. Could it be a double standard?