Having swept both houses in the mid-terms, the party of donkeys may be about to fall off a cliff into the trap set for them by the GOP. Some background: even though, it was Richard Nixon who escalated the Viet Nam war beyond anything previous administrations had dared think about, it was Democrats who paid the price. The GOP convinced the nation that Democrats were weak on defense. The strategy worked to set up Reagan's historic victory. An era of trickle down economics followed and the trend continues to this day: the rich get richer and everyone else falls into an economic black hole.The GOP had help along the way. Iran undoubtedly cut a deal to delay the release of US hostages until Ronald Reagan was sworn in, It reinforced the "weakness" that stuck on Carter like taffy.
As Eleanor Clift points out, the GOP has pulled out and dusted off a typical GOP strategem, a tired tactic that has, nevertheless, worked miracles for them in the past. Bush, says Clift, will keep just enough troops in Iraq "...to provide a surface illusion of progress." Bush will leave it to the Democrats to pull out and cut off support for whatever regime is in place. It will not matter to the GOP that it will fall because it will never have been legitimate. The GOP will blame "weak-kneed, weak on defense" Democrats for the inevitable fall of an illegitimate puppet regime.
Viet Nam redux! Democrats paid dearly for having "...pulled funding from the South Vietnamese government." Wouldn't it be interesting, however, if Gen. Petraeus should be the one to explode the GOP strategy in their faces, in "full view of the world"?
This scenario was suggested to me by Ernest Evans, a professor of political science at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kans. Several hundred of his former students are currently serving in Iraq. In a recent e-mail outlining his views, he wrote, “I do not believe a single serious student of unconventional war believes that the surge will help the US win in Iraq. The purpose of the surge is not to provide ‘space’ for Iraq’s politicians but rather to provide ‘cover’ for DC’s politicians.”Finger-pointing is always to be expected near the ends of lost wars. And Iraq, make no mistake, is a lost war. Too many writers have blamed Bush for not defining victory. In fact, victory could not be defined and there was never any way to win.
There is one other thing to keep in mind, he wrote, and that is the extent to which Petraeus, a serious scholar and student of history, might be influenced by Vietnam. Nobody knows what he will say or how Gillespie and the White House will massage the message. The expectation is that he will fall into line, but he could surprise everyone by giving an unvarnished assessment of how truly bleak the US options are in Iraq. The argument for why he may be the one to drop the horse’s head on Bush’s bed: the late Gen. William Westmoreland will always be remembered for the optimistic report he gave to Congress in late 1967, only to have the Tet Offensive occur shortly after, destroying the public’s confidence that the war was winnable. In Iraq, the holy Muslim holiday Ramadan could bring heightened violence reminiscent of Tet. Petraeus has his reputation to protect, and being remembered as the William Westmoreland of the Iraq War is something no Army officer wants.Eleanor Clift, Marketing the War
Much has already been written about a growing rift between Bush and the uniformed military command. Much of the blame has leveled at Bush and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Other deserving targets are Vice President Dick Cheney, General Tommy Franks, the former commander of US Central Command, Paul Wolfowitz, the former deputy secretary of defense, and L. Paul Bremer, the former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority. All but two are already out office. Bush is now on a second defense secretary, a third CIA director and the third commanding general in Iraq. None of the suffling has changed a thing. A lost war got even worse over time. This suggests that "personalities" had nothing to do with the very source of the problem back at the White House.
Was Petraeus put into his position to be a yes man? The future of the US comes down to whether or not Gen. Petraeus is an honest man or Bush's man, a real patriot or compromised GOP puppet.
In an internal assessment given to Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, a senior intelligence analyst and a military planner for the US command in Baghdad call for shifting US strategy in Iraq away from counterinsurgency and toward peace enforcement, and they suggest that the Shiite-led ruling coalition is involved in the country's "low-grade civil war."Much has been written on this blog and others about long term reforms that might make this a better country in Bush's wake. All are dreams until Bush and the GOP leadership that conspired with him is brought to justice.
The Aug. 15 briefing, titled "Resolving the Conflict in Iraq: An Alternative Peacemaking Strategy," offers an unusual glimpse into the intellectual debate within the US military over the way forward in Iraq, and it comes just days before Petraeus, the top US commander there, is scheduled to testify before Congress on the progress of President Bush's war strategy.--Washington Post, New Strategy Urged in Briefing to Petraeus
They deceived the country into the Iraq War by abusing the intelligence gathering process and telling us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, leading us to believe that Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attacks and was a direct threat to the United States. We now know that none of that was true and we continue to learn more about the ugly and dishonest process that took this Nation to War. I cannot conceive of a more significant reason to impeach a President and Vice President than brazenly misusing the capabilities of this government to start a War. That War has cost the entire world dearly. The price we are paying continues to grow. The country of Iraq has been destroyed along with over half a million Iraqi people dead. Our Nation has lost the lives of thousands of young men and women, seen many more come back wounded or disabled and disrupted the careers and family lives of our National Guard troops - the suffering and damage is beyond comprehension, and yet it goes on and grows. And beyond that, we have spent billions upon billions of dollars that have mostly been borrowed from future generations. Consider for a moment what those billions could have accomplished if they had not been wasted. And all of this for what? I am outraged by every part of the decision to start this war and the way that they have carried it out. And I ask you, are you outraged? I ask you, given this picture must Bush and Cheney be held accountable?
I am outraged that here in this country, they listened to phone conversations, intercepted emails and spied electronically on Americans with a program that was so clearly a violation of the law that even Bush’s own attorney general, John Ashcroft, refused to certify it as in compliance with law. I ask you, must Bush and Cheney be held accountable?
In this country, at Guantanamo and around the world, they illegally captured and detained people without appropriate hearings and safeguards in a way that was determined by the Supreme Court to be a violation of the Constitution. Just Friday, the Supreme Court took the very unusual step of re-opening its consideration of an appeal from Guantanamo. I ask you, must Bush and Cheney be held accountable?
They used torture and sent prisoners to other countries where they would be tortured even more severely -and the Vice President was one of the chief architects of the torture program. I ask you, must Bush and Cheney be held accountable?
And we see even more reasons to impeach - the blatant disregard for the rule of law is rampant in this Administration. President Bush uses signing statements to announce which portions of laws passed by Congress he will not obey or enforce. The Administration refuses to cooperate with legitimate Congressional inquiries or to comply with subpoenas. And then there is the secrecy and the covering up - the refusal to comply with Federal law about preserving secret information, setting up a separate secret email system and then deleting thousands of emails, the order to the Secret Service to destroy all logs of visitors to the President and Vice President. I can only imagine how many more grounds for impeachment there would be if we knew all they are hiding.
But, outrage and anger are not enough. We have a job to do and that job is to hold this Administration accountable and take this country back. The power to change history is on our hands. We share a positive vision that we can help our Nation change for the better. We are the ones that we’ve been waiting for. There in no one else who will do our job. But our job is not easy. As we’ve called for impeachment, we’ve heard many objections - even from those who believe that there has been serious wrongdoing.--Impeachment: We’ve Got a Job to Do, John Kaminski, Chair of the Maine Lawyers for Democracy, at the Citizens Summit for Impeachment
Why Bush Must be Stopped!
Why Bush Must Be Stopped Before He Nukes Iran!
- Meet Jerome Hauer, 9/11 Suspect Awaiting Indictment
- Why did the World Trade Centers create so much powdered concrete?
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Iraq
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17 comments:
Len, there are some doubts about the Kennebunkport warning. Four of the signatories now say they signed a different document. One argument is that signatures may have been made to a second piece of paper containing different wording which may have been attached beneath the first piece of paper. The complainants affirm that they want impeachment to proceed but that they have not sighted any evidence of a false flag event.
One of the more interesting comments from the above link is that the author of the article, Bruce Marshall, and a key proponent of it, Webster Tarpley, have allegedly close ties to Lyndon Larouche. I must confess I'm not up on the local politics of this but it may be that an effort is under way to shape the 9/11 Truth movement along hard Right lines. I can't really say, only that there are some question marks about this particular document.
thanks for the heads up. Bears checkin' out.
Len, good post as usual. I agree with most of it, but do think there are many differences today, although the mechanisms remain the same, the details are very parsed , along with a totally immoral and ethically challenged media…the Dems do have their work cut out for themselves.
The good thing is that they really do not have as strong a candidate as Reagan was, as Fred Thompson won't get near the cross over Reagan got for many reasons, and all the other goppers are unknown or mortally flawed.
Also I believe the Dems are much more prepared for these tactics. Carters administration was much of his down fall (it appeared to be very dysfunctional at times), as was the bungled rescue attempt of the hostages. That all aside, I agree the goppers will run that tactic, they always do to some extent or another anyhow, and they certainly are looking for a scapegoat for the Iraqi debacle at any rate.
I believe the Dems are going to have to be very careful, but decisive in what they say and do, on the war issue, and as always they will have to stand up to these liars and their media whores at all times. I am not versed enough in the variations and critical talking points that continue to shift in the media and leadership circles, but I will say that last debacle the Dems engaged concerning hypothetical nuclear use and Iran… while attacking each other in debate is exactly what should be avoided. Of course they need to deal with this issue, but in a much more organized fashion, as they should be destroying the Gop in debate, not each other. One thing is for certain, the GOP know what is at stake here, if they are out, it will be big and for a long time, so they will be implementing all they have, it is not going to be a nice election.
Howard Dean, along with the other main stream Dem orgs. and the progressive Dem orgs. (Progressive Blue, move-on etc.) had better figure out a way to co-exist and share resources, they are gong to need to...if they are to over come this corrupt bunch they are about to take the field with.
Also, I agree with the last post, concerning the impeachment of the vice president, no matter what document they signed...the strategy is sound. If Cheney is besieged with those kind of legal procedures, it will handicap him for sure, in any attempts to prolong the gop power base. But unfortunately, I do not see it happening with main stream Dem leadership.... I read this from digby’s @ Hullabaloo:
“Very interestingly, Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein told myself and Jonathan Weisman in separate interviews Monday that if Bush picks a consensus AG, that the spirit and drive of the Dem investigations into the US attorney firings would likely dissipate.”
With Dems like this on the front line we are doomed, if they don't stand up to the Gonzales travesty, they surely won't go after Cheney. I was disappointed in Schumer on this stance, and not surprised at all with Feinstein. It would seem that even now, the Dems have enough cards that these type of deals should be moot at this point.
benmerc
Here's an article saying that if a Democrat is to have a chance of becoming president in 2009, he or she must come from the south.
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,
2159643,00.html
Regarding the Kennebunkport Warning, and with all due respect to Damien, I don't think you have the facts quite right. Tarpley used to work for Larouche. There's no evidence of current ties that I can see. Larouche's politics may be repugnant to a lot of people but he does make a point of hiring the smartest people he can find. I've worked for people whose politics I now find repugnant; I didn't know anything about them at the time except that they'd offered me jobs, and I don't know how that reflects on what I say nowadays.
In other words I'm saying the hints that Tarpley is covertly working on a Larouchian agenda amount to an ad-hominem attack based on guilt by association.
Much more important, I believe, is what's happening here, and now.
It's starting to look like everybody involved in this entire debacle may have made one or two honest mistakes each.
I've got a post about it at my blog
click here if you dare:
Kennebunkport Warning: Hoax Shreds 'Credibility' Of Hoaxers -- But Who Are The Hoaxers?
cheers
WP
I think Petraeus has made it clear that he is a career man, just exactly the kind of political opportunist the Bush administration has been grooming in the military. I would cite, for example, his increasingly notorious "powerpoint" presentations in the Green Zone to legislators.
Christopher I said...
Here's an article saying that if a Democrat is to have a chance of becoming president in 2009, he or she must come from the south.
The South was given the power to "crown" US presidents when LBJ signed the voting rights act in the same decade that Nixon exploited Southern bigotry with what came to be called his "Southern Strategy". No one wins without taking the south. Corollary: any Democrat who succeeds in taking the south will be a DINO --Democrat in Name Only.
See my recent article: How the Democrats paid dearly for doing what was right while the GOP profited from evil
At last, Sutton is absolutely correct in his scholarly study of the Skull and Bones Society: Democrats and Republicans are merely two wings of one party. Kerry, significantly, did not attack the Swift Boat liars and had Bush on the ropes debatewise --but backed off.
Pending a bit more research, I am inclined to bet that the US is completely dominated by no more than 200 people --not all of them are US citizens. Elections are mere window dressing.
More later.
We are thoroughly screwed!
"Pending a bit more research, I am inclined to bet that the US is completely dominated by no more than 200 people --not all of them are US citizens. Elections are mere window dressing." - Len
Well, if all our elections, legal and political power structures were a sham, don't you think there would be obvious defections? Wasn't it the Trilateral Commission who put Carter in the White House? And on the 200 people control it all currently.
I don't think that this concept is new or unusual, in that small wealthy power brokers have typically called most of the shots from our republics inception. But I don't think they get everything they desire all the time, it is a constant battle for them and the working class, it is the essence of the unending class wars.
As far as some wealthy controllers being "foreign", it is true the whole of the bin Laden clan was whisked out of this country during the 911 event, when even domestic traffic was halted...that speaks volumes. So I don't think that is so far off...it was FDR that shook on the first deal with the House of Saud, one of the last things he did before he died.
I've been a rather cynical participant for many years, but the 2000 election really re-awoke much of my old thoughts and ideas of what it really means to live within an imperial state, and what one must do to confront this fact. The Bush administration has put this system in an hyper-drive mode, with little hope as to where we are going to finely land.
benmerc
Thanks for your comments Winter Patriot. The Lyndon Larouche connections are all much of a mystery to me. I made my remarks merely to note that there had been some dispute about the Kennebunkport warning from some of the signatories. 911 Blogger Col.Jenny Spikes makes an interesting claim that Chief Petty Officer Chris Hoffpauir from the US Joint Forces Command (USJFC) Public Affairs has signed up with the Oregon Truth Alliance. All very odd. One good way to politically discredit someone like Cindy Sheehan would be to encourage her to sign up for a panicky and unsubstantiated claim of a false flag attack, and then publicly discredit the claim. There's considerable political downside for a Congressional candidate like Sheehan in associating with Fetzer, Haupt, Reynolds, Shayler, all of whom have fairly sensationalist ideological baggage as I recall.
I'm not sure what's at the bottom of the Kennebunkport warning, but one would expect some accompanying evidence to be publicly released which hasn't happened here.
There's a complex, messy and yet very real history of Right wing individuals and government agents joining US protest groups and discrediting them from the inside. Which is not to say that many such protest groups aren't perfectly capable of discrediting themselves with no help from anyone. Since there's only so much murk and mire one can explore before one get's "conspiracied out" I'm standing back from this one.
I must say though, that however much I reject Judy Woods space weapons theory, I can find no explanations for the melting cars of 911 or the big hole in WTC6. At least the National Inquirer, unlike WAPO, admits there are conspiracies.
"I'm not sure what's at the bottom of the Kennebunkport warning, but one would expect some accompanying evidence to be publicly released which hasn't happened here." -damien
That's a no brainer damien... it's a bunch of useless drama.
benmerc
General Petraeus is not delivering his own report. He is delivering a report written by the White House.
Moreover, Petraeus has a history of acting as a shill for the administration.
I had hopes that Petraeus would have delivered his "own" report. It's clear that he is not an honest man and, indeed, our fate is sealed.
I recommend "The Good Shepherd" directed by Robert De Niro. This is a brilliant depiction of the CIA, an organization that has institutionalized corruption of the soul. It's hard to say when the same thing happened to the US military establishment, but, clearly, it has.
benmerc...
Well, if all our elections, legal and political power structures were a sham, don't you think there would be obvious defections? Wasn't it the Trilateral Commission who put Carter in the White House? And on the 200 people control it all currently.
200 is just an estimate of the size of that very rich elite that works behind the scenes to subvert any regime not kowtowing to them. I have an article in the works that will address that. In the meantime, keep in mind that this group rules by means of the EXTREME inequalities of wealth in the US. It is so extreme, that some wealthy people who think themselves insiders, are not and never were. The joke is on them --but the tragedy of it all falls upon all of us who make up an ever dwindling share of total wealth.
Fuzzflash sez...
You're bang on, whig. Petraeus is a Borg. He will regurgitate whatever Moloch wants him to.
Great thread, gang. The Kennebunkport paper caper is a strange fish, indeed. And the burnt motor vehicles have got me stuffed, too. That "Believe It Or Not" Ripley guy coulda milked the modern zeitgeist for a motza. Clearly, a man before his time.
Len sez...
"I recommend "The Good Shepherd" directed by Robert De Niro. This is a brilliant depiction of the CIA, an organization that has institutionalized corruption of the soul. It's hard to say when the same thing happened to the US military establishment, but, clearly, it has."
Yes, Len, in the act of making this movie, De Niro has shown us how a Patriot should act. Perhaps when the regulars who want to, have had a chance to view the film, you might consider leading a web log on it? It's gets to the guts of where we've been going for quite a while now.
Meanwhile, The Imbecile is condescending Downunder for the APEC summit. Laura has a "pinched nerve" in her neck and personally telephoned her counterpart, Hyacinth Howard, to offer her apologies. Isn’t Laura lovely? Australia's PM, Johnny "The Rodent" Howard must hold a Federal Election before year's end.
Sydney's primo CBD is walled off. The joint is crawling with kitted-up hut-hut-hutting goon squads demanding ID from anyone who looks sideways. A German tourist was stood over to erase camera shots he'd taken of the wall. Howard is one of Bush's War Poodles and trails by 10 points in the polls. The voters are in an ugly mood after 11 years of authoritarian rule.
The Rodent is desperate to provoke a violent demonstration from "Terrorist Sympathizers" so he can rear on his hind legs and do the "El Rondente Strut", thereby finessing the rubes with the old One-Two, one last time. Difficult to achieve when your credibility is shot but this trifle does not deter a man who The Imbecile has dubbed his "Man of Steel".
*Fuck. Me. Dead.*
Voting in elections is compulsory for all over 18 in Oz. All ballots are marked with pencil and are counted in front of hovvering scrutineers from all participating parties. It’s impossible to rig on any large scale. Election theft like Florida 2000 or Ohio 2004 can’t happen because of the transparency of the process. Thankful for small mercies I guess.
The opposition leader, Kevin Rudd, is just another polly but at least he'll sign Kyoto, and has publicly disagreed with Bush over Iraq. Rudd has called for a staged withdrawal of Australian troops(a token 1000)within a year. Jellyback Dems take heed.
Will keep you commie punks posted if the fat hits the fire.
Fuzz,
"The Good Shepherd" has gotten some typical "net" noise from idiots. Screw 'em! It's a great movie. The only bad reviews are from recent spawn who have not yet grown anything worth shaving off.
I was inclined to dash off a quick review --but it deserves more than a review. Rather, an analysis with factual parallels. I would hope it might stimulate some feedback and dialogue. De Niro has given us much to chew on.
Sez Fuzz...
LH: "The only bad reviews are from recent spawn who have not yet grown anything worth shaving off."
Yup, this one goes way beyond the critical capabilities of the Beavis and Butthead brigade.
LH: "--but it deserves more than a review."
Absolutely Len, like your review AND analysis of "Elizabeth" The Movie(1994), in EC December 2005 archives. One of your finest literary hours, sir. A 200 yard line-driven homer.
Consider yourself leaned on.
(._.)
Sez Fuzz...
Consider yourself leaned on.
Thanks, Fuzz. Elizabeth, the movie, was a tour de force. It's still among my favorite all time flicks, a short list which includes but is not limited to Gilda, A Man for All Seasons, Casablanca (perhaps the best film ever made), Kelly Heroes and A Bridge Too Far.
Somewhere, I had written a review of Scorsese's "The Grifters", a modern Faust but with a really nice shot of Annette Benning's boobs. Ain't culture great?
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