Kaiser Wilhelm once presciently offered the observation that if and when the next war came it would come because of some damn fool thing in the Balkans. In the summer of 1914 the ordinary people of Europe had little inkling of what was to come. Yes, they had heard some Austrian and his wife had been shot to death by a foreigner in some foreign land, but what did that have to do with them? They watched, bemused, as an ignorant, arrogant and befuddled Austrian Emperor and his courtiers led them, all unknowing, to total destruction. Substitute 2015 for 1914 and an ignorant, arrogant and befuddled American Emperor for an Austrian, and we have glimpsed the future. The only question is, is the American Emperor as befuddled as the Austrian, or is all going according to plan?

Sarajevo, Serbia
Was nothing like suburbia
Each street had guys with guns out on the curbs
Just like those crazy Yemen guys
Who claim they’re selling lemon pies
But they have guns as well, just like those Serbs
Which brings us to our man, Barack
Who, while he’s sharper than a tack
Has lit the fire and supplied the oil
That set the desert all ablaze
While claiming there are better days
To come and meantime let the kettle boil
The desert or the Caucusus
Insert the Harfs and Baucuses
And you have difficulty thinking that
The Rices and the Powers who
Think strength is sending flowers to
Guys ordering you bow down to their hat
Where will it end, how will it go
Don’t ask a Harf ‘cause she won’t know
But as it all collapses she will smile
And say they have it all in hand
The answer is at their command
And Barack knew the ending all the while