As the Placebo President, George Woops Bush, winds down the great American nightmare that started with an election he didn’t win and concludes with the whole world losing, his administration continues to the end to miss opportunities. Having lost the War on Terror, Washington is hardly doing any better fighting the War on Error that can’t be bought off for even $700 billion.

You’d think Yerevan is far enough outside the D.C. Beltway to be spared the shrapnel of an imploding empire built on greed and deception. But no. My Erebuni beer (the “Official Beer of ArmeniaNow”, should market distributors be reading) now costs 350 drams – nearly 30 percent more than three years ago – and I’m not blaming beer-making oligarch parliamentarian arm wrestler Gagik Tsarukyan. No sir, I’m dropping the mug at W’s doorstep.