With all due respect to Senator Clinton, “the new war” is already underway. In fact, it has been for close to seven years, and truly it has been raging for the past four years.
Whether you, the the Bush Dog Democrats, the lobbyists who you feel represent people like us, other colleagues in the Senate or the House on either side of the aisle, corporatist, neoconservative or stay the course people who are afraid of the scary brown person lurking under your bed realize it or not – this is a new war going on. Sadly, it seems as though if you don’t realize it, you are probably on the wrong side here.
I use the word “war” with a heavy heart. While it is a cheap way to describe a conflict, especially one where the weapons used are not of a violent nature, and there are no bombs (other than a few “f-bombs” here and there) being dropped, it is the term used by people who like to over inflate and over conflate issues into silly bite size (or sound byte size) pieces like “war on drugs”, “war on terror” or “war on Christmas”. So, I use it for context only.
On one side of this“war” is the American public, who overwhelmingly are against a continued military presence in Iraq, or much of the Middle East for that matter, are against the policies of this administration, are against elected officials who are not accountable to anyone or are not holding those accountable who need to be. This side is also against the corporatization of the economy and government, and for some form of affordable basic medical care, less spending, fairer taxes and better education standards. They are in favor of a document called “The United States Constitution” and the rights enumerated within that document. They also like to keep the right of privacy. Both Democrats and republicans are on this side.
On the other side of this “war” are those who think that “if we just did things differently in Iraq, it would have been so much different”. Or that it is ok to let a man who lied under oath to Congress about warrantless wiretapping would be given more powers to wiretap without a warrant. To “stay on the offense”. To not keep our ports, railways, infrastructure safe. Or not rebuild the Gulf Coast. Or try to influence politics in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan or any other country in such a blatant manner. Or protecting our environment is no big deal. Both Democrats and republicans are on this side too.
Our side knows that Iraq was never going to be successful with the very foundation of lies and fear tactics it was based on. We know that the lies spouted and double speak will be captured somewhere and come back to bite you in the ass. We hold people accountable. For their actions and their words. Both Democrats and republicans, for that matter.
We have candidates running for Congress who share our values much more than you do. And we have resources. Lots of resources. Our side is growing. More people realize that they don’t like the other side’s actions. We catch the lies and discredit those petty liars. We want change. We want serious action on getting out of Iraq. We want fair and affordable healthcare. We will fight for these things. And we ARE fighting for these things.
Of course, now that I’ve tipped you off, I would expect a complete change in tactics (ok, that was overreacting). But as a number of you have noted (both Democrats and republicans), “elections have consequences”. And people need to live up to the promises made while running for office. We don’t forget.
But if you think that the “new war” is going on out there as opposed to right here, then that is precisely why, to our side, you are not fit to lead our country at this very important time in our history.
You can’t lead if you don’t “get it”.
Sadly, you don’t get it.
also in orange
Lewis Lapham has an excellent essay in the September Harper’s (subscription required, unfortunately) in which he argues that war went out of fashion after World War I. Once, war was accepted as as much part of the human condition as the “peculiar institution” of slavery; today it is viewed, in the words of a recent book by the military historian John Mueller, as “repulsive, uncivilized, immoral, and futile”. But members of our ruling elite like Hillary just don’t get it: they are stuck in the past, like “flies in amber”.
…”the fact that war as the heavyweight instrument of foreign policy didn’t survive, either as a technology or as an idea, its tour of duty in the graves of the twentieth century.”
So very true. Henry George predicted that cooperation and exchange would bring into being a Greater Leviathan that would supercede the Hobbesian pyramid of power. The age of globalisation is bringing that very thing about. In the context of this permanent revolution, our Mesopotamian crimes, costly and appalling as they are, count for little.
Globalization is an American project to make the whole world in America’s image, through a system of international corporations and “multilateral” institutions controlled by the US. Clinton understood this project well.
The ironic thing is that through his over-reach, the puppet master Cheney is destroying this system that America built and which served America well at the expense of other nations.
Although decline is ultimately inevitable for any empire, the US could have gone on successfully dominating the Middle East for many years, using only soft power, as it had been doing. But that was not enough for Israel. Israel is the monkey wrench that got thrown into the works of the American empire.
Globalization is an American project to make the whole world in America’s image.
Rumsfeldian megalomania. And totally untrue. Ask the Chinese, or the Indians whether they see themselves as an “American project”.
This whole idea that the U.S. can remake the world in its own image is as absurdly megalomaniacal as it is ignorant.
In the end there is very little difference between you and the likes of Rumsfeld: other cultures are seen by both of you as natural push-overs for the Triumphant Beast. He may applaud and you may hiss, but what’s the difference. You share the same provincial superiority complex. Pull your head out of your ass, go see the world and get real!
America is the land of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism is an Anglo-American project. Both the Chinese and Indian governments have embraced neoliberalism in their own way.
Nice Post.
Hillary Clinton expects that people are nostalgic for Bill. She’s in for a surprise.
Brzezinski Embraces Obama Over Clinton for President
Read the whole thing. I add Amen.
As for Iraq? A must read recent conversation with Sy Hersh. Sy says ‘nothing makes sense.’ a lot of concrete is being poured building bases and embassy for what?
The end will be pretty brutal. In the end the embassy will crumble. It will all fall down. (H/T: cursor)
Brzezinski is an imperialist. He’s just a lot smarter and saner than the neocons. Carter’s policy of arming Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan to destabilize the Soviet client government there was largely his idea, the brainchild of his Russophobia.
No one can credibly claim that Obama represents a “new direction”, given that he endorsed Lieberman over Lamont. Obama represents pretty much the same interests as Hillary. The reason Brzezinski is backing Obama over her is probably that he knows that Hillary can’t win.
I sure hope that something happens (please God, let Al Gore run-be the nominee-and win(sorry for the interruption)) to keep Hillary from being the supposed Dem nominee and our savior from repub torment/BS! There is so much phony about her in her personal life and in her political life that I really do not trust her any more than GWB (again sorry, but that is how I feel!)
It just seems so strange that with this great opportunity to cash in on the Repub failings, which should give us a lock on so many federal positions, that the one Dem I really dislike seems to be out front. Is she really out front for sure, and am I in the wrong party?? If so, what [party do I go to for more trustworthy progressive politicians????????
Sen. Clinton just gave the thugs the perfect campaign gift if she gets the nomination – ‘even Hillary thinks we’re better in the War on Terra’.
Obama or Edwards and we win going away. We lose with Hillary. Simple as that.