tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post115653043652976656..comments2024-03-25T16:03:36.810-07:00Comments on The Existentialist Cowboy: Another Loser of Lebanon II: AmericaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04598093941551759917noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156647711437908912006-08-26T20:01:00.000-07:002006-08-26T20:01:00.000-07:00Hey, Sad!! A fellow Canadian! Where are you writin...Hey, Sad!! A fellow Canadian! Where are you writing from? Yes, you're right, the economy is in deep trouble, but two factors contribute to the general marsmallowing over of the damage so you can't see it. One, the war costs come in the form of "Emergency Supplementals" (which somehow does not jibe with the rebranding of the Global War on Terror as the "Long War" -what part of "Long" suggests it's actually going to be "Short"?)which don't show in the budget forecast. That way, the masters of disaster look like they're staying within reasonable limits, when in reality the deficit has achieved escape velocity, bound for the rings of Saturn.<BR/><BR/>Another is keeping interest rates artificially low, and allowing the steep devaluation of the dollar. Both are calculated gambles that the Chinese won't call in their marker, and the Japanese won't get too nervous and stop lending money. Which I would, if the T-bills I held were losing value every day. There must be some high-level ass-kissing going on there!<BR/><BR/>In no case is it sensible to push for generous tax cuts to benefit the wealthiest ten percent, while simultaneously fighting two wars, looking to start a third and juggling a failing economy. <BR/><BR/>Those who think Bush's earnest delivery when he talks about the economy indicates any degree of business acumen ought to check his record. He's run every business he ever managed into the ground on afterburner. However, as long as the slightest scintilla of hope for success in Iraq remains, so too remains the possibility of getting those development contracts (Production Sharing Agreements, PSA's) signed for Exxon and Chevron and the big boys to go in for the biggest oil payday in history. I'm talking oil that costs less than two bucks a barrel to get out of the ground, and sells for seventy.<BR/><BR/>Surely that's worth a few tears from soldiers' families.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156647224052407092006-08-26T19:53:00.000-07:002006-08-26T19:53:00.000-07:00Sadbuttrue, Mark...great comments, articles in the...Sadbuttrue, Mark...great comments, articles in themselves. Indeed, Iran and Syria are made stronger. In the end, Bush will have failed to smash his "Axis of Evil"; he will have only empowered it, if "Axis" it is. If it had not been, it will be soon. Bush has the Midas touch, except that it is not gold but something considerably less attactive that he makes but upon a touch.<BR/><BR/>With regard to the idea that the Iraqi oil would pay for the Iraq war is cynicism not seen since Hitler auctioned off the Reich to Thyssen, I.G. Farben, Krupp et al, or the Praetorians auctioning off the Roman Empire to Didius Julianus.<BR/><BR/>Bush and his GOP cabal should have read the story of Didius Julianus in Gibbon before embarking upon the "purchase" of the US Presidency. The story of Julianus is a cautionary tale:<BR/><BR/><I>After outbidding Sulpicianus, Didius Julianus was named emperor, and he received an oath of allegiance from the guards. After the armies of Britain, Syria and Pannonia declared against Julian, a civil war began. The Praetorian guards eventually deserted Didius Julianus, and he was condemned and executed by the Roman Senate on June 2nd of the same year.</I>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04598093941551759917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156646331491894452006-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:002006-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:00With torso clamped and muscle-masked visage She is...<I>With torso clamped and muscle-masked visage She is armoured. </I><BR/><BR/>That is very nearly a Shakespearean iambic pentameter, fuzzflash. And, at the same time, Haiku. <BR/><BR/>In any case, you've summed up an inauthentic <I>mauvaise foi</I> in a single potent line.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04598093941551759917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156646032600803222006-08-26T19:33:00.000-07:002006-08-26T19:33:00.000-07:00Mark is exactly right. BBC reports that Chatham Ho...Mark is exactly right. BBC reports that Chatham House, a London based think-tank, has declared Iran to be the big winner in the war on Terror. By removing rival governments in Iraq and Afghanistan without offering stable, viable replacements, The US and its allies have given Iran a golden opportunity to create an Islamic superstate in the region. That means coalition occupying forces can't leave. And we all know they can't stay. Talk about hugging the tar baby!<BR/><BR/>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/ 5277362.stm<BR/><BR/>"We've seen really since 9/11 that the chief beneficiary of America's global war on terror in the Middle East has been the very country that it considers to be a major part or a founding member of the axis of evil. And that basically tells us that there's an enormous incoherence in American approach to the Middle East."<BR/><BR/>I would venture to say that when policy results in the opposite of stated objectives, that would be the very definition of incompetence. How much longer can America withstand this brand of decidering?<BR/><BR/>One point Mark missed; along with the crippling oil dependence America's shift from a net creditor nation to a net debtor will have long term effects that are unforestallable. Living in Canada I have watched the value of your currency fall from $1.50 CDN to a little above $1.10 since Bush took office, in spite of allies like Canada, the UK and Japan increasing their holdings in US treasury bonds. Your economy is like a wet paper bag full of heavy rocks. The multinationals have not only outsourced the indispensable value-added manufacturing jobs, they have also quietly been outsourcing capital. Look at one key industry, automobiles. GM is bleeding cash. <I>Daimler</I>-Chrysler is half German owned. Volvo has a healthy share of Ford. Sony owns Hollywood, once a big revenue generator. I could go on, but I don't want to worry you. Too true. Too sad.SadButTruehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09977090207448656065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156626659413117872006-08-26T14:10:00.000-07:002006-08-26T14:10:00.000-07:00S'okay Vierotchka...a fat chance in hell is equall...S'okay Vierotchka...a fat chance in hell is equally descriptive and conjures up visions of pool hustlers. "Snowflakes chance in hell..." is a vivid image. I have not seen snowflakes in hell, but I have seen them in West Texas. Same thing!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04598093941551759917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156621330565738962006-08-26T12:42:00.000-07:002006-08-26T12:42:00.000-07:00I meant to write "Not a snowflake's chance in hell...I meant to write "Not a snowflake's chance in hell". Lyrica is great against the Nerve Pain, but not very good for concentration!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156621109506430592006-08-26T12:38:00.000-07:002006-08-26T12:38:00.000-07:00She is in a permanent state of anquish...if not he...<I>She is in a permanent state of anquish...if not hell.</I><BR/><BR/>I think that's because it has dawned upon her that her career is over, and that she has lost any chance she might have had to run in 2008. Nope, Condosleazy, you won't be the first Black and the first woman president of the USA. Not a fat chance in hell - not even Diebold can help you now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156552747479308122006-08-25T17:39:00.000-07:002006-08-25T17:39:00.000-07:00Condoleezza Rice, perhaps the only neoconservative...<I>Condoleezza Rice, perhaps the only neoconservative invertebrate who remembers what it was like to be an American, is persona non grata in the Middle East, except for Israel. No other state leader wants her radioactive presence.</I><BR/><BR/>Condo and Colin might have been the only intelligent members of this failed administration. Their plight is the result of a Faustian bargain. For Colin and Condo, ol' scratch has already come and gone. Condo's permanent state of stress can be heard in her shallow and uneven breathing. She is in a permanent state of anquish...if not hell.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04598093941551759917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156541014531117582006-08-25T14:23:00.000-07:002006-08-25T14:23:00.000-07:00Yes, Dave, that's exactly what I meant - the decli...Yes, Dave, that's exactly what I meant - the decline in Bush's influence, combined with the myriad overextensions of American power on his watch, have left him with no wiggle room, political or physical. His asshat attitude ensures nobody will help, because it feels so good to see him fail.<BR/><BR/>I like the fast-food analogy; pure Jon Stewart.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156539100933801872006-08-25T13:51:00.000-07:002006-08-25T13:51:00.000-07:00I'd say that Wolfowitz's position just confirms th...I'd say that Wolfowitz's position just confirms that leadership of American institutions is not chosen by merit, but by cronyism. Were Wolfy to have been, say, a manager at Chili's, by now he'd have been lucky to get a job as assistant manager at Carl's Jr (3rd shift).<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure I believe that Lord Bush sabotaged our role in the Lebanon thing, I think he just didnt have the resources (political and physical) to do anything about it. Assuming he's an Apocalyptophile (and I do), he's going to <I>want</I> to stay in the area (how great was the disappointment that this didnt lead to WWIII? Or do they just think the Devil's taking a little break?)daveawayfromhomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06237313399294302353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19580203.post-1156537796412855442006-08-25T13:29:00.000-07:002006-08-25T13:29:00.000-07:00"Has the sun set on US influence in the Middle Eas..."Has the sun set on US influence in the Middle East, and, indeed, worldwide?"<BR/><BR/>Len Hart<BR/><BR/>“No one who is honestly assessing the decline of American leverage around the world due to our energy dependence can fail to see that energy is the albatross of U.S. national security.”<BR/><BR/>Senator Richard G. Lugar, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee<BR/><BR/>“We are seeing a radical change in how countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela on the supply side, and China and India on the demand side, bring the world marketplace to bear on foreign policy. I don’t think any of us have done a terribly good job of thinking through how far behind the eight ball we are on these issues”.<BR/><BR/>Carlos Pascuale, Director Foreign Policy Studies, the Brookings Institution<BR/><BR/>“…and we are here as on a darkling plain<BR/>swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight<BR/>where ignorant armies clash by night”.<BR/><BR/>Matthew Arnold, from “Dover Beach”<BR/><BR/><BR/>General Eric Shinseki assessed, prior to the commencement of festivities in Iraq, that the operation of wrestling Iraq to the ground and pacifying it to accept its new role would require "several hundreds of thousands of troops". In what came to be a hallmark of the Bush administration, the professional judgment of a senior military officer was widely ridiculed by top civilian offiials without a day in uniform. He was sidelined, and dismissed, by military genius Paul D. Wolfowitz (I suspect the "D" stands for "Dolt", or perhaps "Dunce").<BR/><BR/>Mr. Wolfowitz characterized Shinseki's appraisal as "wildly off the mark". Of course, now Bushco is struggling to find enough soldiers and marines to keep even Iraq and Afghanistan grinding along, having lowered the bar several times - accepting recruits with criminal records, drug problems, mental problems and those who would have been disqualified by age a few years ago.<BR/><BR/>Paul Wolfowitz, enabled by the King of the Monkeys, is wrecking the United States Ground Forces for years to come. Let's not even get into how he said Iraqi oil would pay for the war, and that the estimate of a half-trillion dollars in cost was "laughable". If he was in any other line of work, and stepped on his dick as many consecutive times as he has in this job, he'd be living in a cardboard box and eating out of dumpsters. Instead, he's president of the World Bank. There's a lesson there, but I'm not sure what it is.<BR/><BR/>Some people see the debacle of attempted nation-building in the Middle East as an inconvenience - a temporary loss of military momentum. Others, like the author of this blog, recognize it as a deep, perhaps mortal wound to American influence worldwide. The centre has failed to hold, and simple centrifugal force is flinging off bits in all directions. The U.S. is coming apart.<BR/><BR/>Examples are legion. Condoleezza Rice, perhaps the only neoconservative invertebrate who remembers what it was like to be an American, is persona non grata in the Middle East, except for Israel. No other state leader wants her radioactive presence. Bush disassembles that America should not take too active a hand in forming the Lebanon international peacekeeping force - in truth, his assistance is neither solicited or welcome. Europe, exclusive of Britain, is calling the shots now.<BR/><BR/>Iran's influence in the region, as a partner and patron of Hezbollah, has taken on powerful new momentum. When the school team wins, the whole school looks good. The U.S. is perceived to lack the military strength, bogged down with wars as it is, to force Iran to do anything - on the other hand, its diplomatic efforts may be safely rebuffed, since it has alienated pretty much every other major power with its arrogance. The only arrow left in the quiver is the nuclear option, which is unthinkable for the rest of the world.<BR/><BR/>No more, please, King Midas. Everything you touch turns to shit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com