America's "other" War Party
By Mike Whitney
10/16/06 "Information
Clearing House" -- -- The giddiness among Democrats about their prospects
for a sweep in both Houses of Representatives has reached a level of absolute
euphoria. But what exactly are the voters are hoping for?
A speedy exit
from Iraq?
Forgetta-bout-it!
John Walsh posted
a great article on counterpunch.org; “Election 2006: The Fix is already In”,
which outlines the grim facts about “candidate selection” in the Democratic
Party. The Democratic leadership has no intention of extracting us from the
bloody mess in Babylon and they have methodically rooted-out the bothersome
antiwar-types from their pool of potential candidates. As Walsh points out,
nearly 8 out of every 10 Democrats (78%) want an immediate or partial withdrawal
of troops from Iraq. That, of course, makes no difference to the
DLC-powerbrokers who have thrown their bucks behind candidates who are
completely divorced from the convictions of the party faithful.
As Walsh says:
"64% of the
Democratic candidates in the 45 closely contested House Congressional races
OPPOSE a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Note carefully: not only do these
Democratic worthies oppose the Murtha or McGovern bills for rapid withdrawal or
defunding the war; they oppose as much as a timetable….The position of these Dem
candidates is indistinguishable from that of George W. Bush".
Amen.
Prediction: The
Democrats will never get us out of Iraq nor will they repeal the Patriot Act or
the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (which allows Bush to imprison American
citizens without charges and torture them according to his own discretion)
The party has been co-opted by a pro-business, liberty-slashing, war-mongering
clique of free traders who simply feel they can put a better face on imperial
politics.
No argument there; but for anyone with a trace of a conscience, the prospect of
voting for a party that may slaughter another half-million or so Iraqis presents
some basic ethical problems. Is it too sanctimonious to suggest that the war in
Iraq is MORALLY EVIL, and that any policy or party that supports the conflict
must be flatly rejected?
Ahhh yes; time to don the body-armor and protective headgear that one needs
whenever they make disparaging remarks about the Democratic Party. It’s never
healthy to take aim at the emasculated phonies who run America’s “other” war
party.
Regrettably, the
Democratic Party is only slightly different from the GOP. That’s not pessimism;
it’s realism. We need to be clear about the magnitude of the task in front of us
if we expect to have any hope of restoring our personal liberties and ending the
butchery in Iraq.
Despite the dramatic shift-away from the Republican Party, Bush and Co. must
have something up their sleeves for the mid-terms. After all, the Eisenhower
carrier group is steaming towards the Gulf for a possible confrontation with
Iran; so the fur could fly at any minute.
It seems improbable that Bush would allow a takeover in the House and Senate
knowing that unpleasant investigations into 9-11, war crimes, and executive
abuses of power could quickly follow.
So, what's he up
to?
Who knows? But we do know that the present occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
are high-stakes gamblers who are bound to roll-the-dice to keep their chestnuts
out of the bonfire.
Something is bound to snap, and fairly soon, too. Bush and Cheney didn’t
assemble all the levers of tyrannical rule (including the repeal of habeas
corpus, due process, and the laws banning cruel and unusual punishment) just to
transfer that authority to Democratic leaders in the congress. That simply won't
happen.
The Democrats are headed into the elections fairly confident that they can
regain a place at the political table and have their voices heard on the conduct
of the war. They have no intention of leaving Iraq. They simply want to change
directions and minimize the damage to America’s long-term interests. Their
strategy is probably similar to the (forthcoming) recommendations of James
Baker's "Iraq Study Group". In fact, I’d be surprised if leaders on both sides
of the aisle haven’t already collaborated on the details to make it more
palatable to Bush.
But these guys are in La-la Land. The Bush team will never relinquish power nor
will they accept the results of a system of balloting which they conspicuously
despise. They’ve spent 6 years “transforming” the military so that it serves the
exclusive interests of corporate mandarins. They have changed FEMA into a
stealth-organization which defends the political status quo from potential
internal security threats (including Continuity of Government COG provisions
which disband the Congress) And, they have created a global torture and
liquidation regime for preemptively eliminating enemies real or imagined.
Nothing in the present Bush-system is transferable. It is a “one-shot deal”
tailor-made for fanatical neocons, who play for keeps.
Winner take all.
I have no idea what the Bush troupe is planning, but we'll all have a better
idea by November 7; so, buckle up!
One small footnote: Prensa Latina News Agency reports that "Luis D. Elia,
Undersecretary for the Social Habitat in the Argentine Federal Planning
Ministry, issued a memo in which he spoke of the purchase by Bush of a 98,842
acre farm in Northern Paraguay, between Brazil and Bolivia". (Oct 13)
Bush bought a 100,000 acre ranch in Paraguay!?!
Are you kidding me? Is Bush planning an early retirement with his Nazi friends
south of the border?
It's just too weird to wonder?Click on "comments" below to read or post comments