> Both of these candidates are inveterate hawks,
> and what we would be up against is a choice
> between the neoconservatives and the neoliberals
> as to who could be more adventurous in getting
> us into unjustifiable foreign wars.

Of course, as George Packer explains in “The Assassins’ Gate”, many (most?) of the neo-conservatives, such as Fred Kagan and Irving Kristol, were (neo)liberals in the sixties. Many neo-conservatives have stated that they view themselves as liberals. So it isn’t quite as surprising as you might expect that Hillary Clinton and John McCain are equally likely to commit us to foreign wars. All in the name of spreading democracy, protecting human rights, and similar claptrap.

Attack Iran the day Iraq war ends, demands Israel
Extract from The Times of London Nov.2002.

From Stephen Farrell, Robert Thomson and Danielle Haas

ISRAEL’S Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called on the international community to target Iran as soon as the imminent conflict with Iraq is complete.

In an interview with The Times , Mr Sharon insisted that Tehran — one of the “axis of evil” powers identified by President Bush — should be put under pressure “the day after” action against Baghdad ends because of its role as a “centre of world terror”. He also issued his clearest warning yet that Israel would strike back if attacked by Iraqi chemical or biological weapons, no matter how much Washington sought to keep its controversial Middle Eastern ally out of any war in Iraq.

He made clear that western Iraq would be one of the first areas targeted by the US in any invasion, saying that lessons had been learnt from strategic mistakes of the 1991 Gulf War when Iraq successfully fired 39 Scud missiles into Israel.

Mr Sharon, 74, was speaking as he conducted high-level negotiations to keep his Government afloat after the desertion of his centrist coalition partners. Last night he survived three no-confidence votes, giving him more time to forge a coalition with small right-wing parties. He rejected calls for early elections.

By all accounts Ariel Sharon is still in a coma.

By Louise, May 8:“Like I said, cyrena is consistent and thoughtful......”

You must be joking, Louise, cyrena is anything but and you have been erratic yourself lately. This Barack Obama trance has got you all sliding off your chairs, ha ha.

The trouble is that what you and cyrena say about Condoleezza Rice you are still unable to face in Barack Obama, uhh.

If Condi.... has become more of a liability than an asset..... because she can so easily be viewed as a fascist...”

Hardly an issue in Washinton these days and I think you and cyrena just think that ‘dark chocolate’ is too strong and you’d prefer ‘milk chocolate’ in your politics.

Another “Oh my goodness!”

By cyrena, May 8: “It IS about Fascism.... people like Condoleezza Rice… do not IDENTIFY themselves with the black race...”

Ahh, we now have cyrena’s very belated permission to think along the lines for which I have been repeatedly screamed at in the recent past for daring to mention.

Blcak Americans ARE their own worst problem. This is not confined to America and is evident in all predominately white societies where any black person, of African descent or otherwise, is part of a racial and color minority.

It is not so much their “souls” but the layer OVER their souls. The problem is not in black people being different from the majority of a country but that they want to become the SAME as the white majority in thought, word and deed.

Yes, Condoleezza Rice is one of the many actors in this nightmare but cyrena herself fails to see the obvious in her own desperate clinging to white mans’ legalism as a justification for her own existence in white society.

Thus black people willingly perpetuate and embrace the very system which spurns them, deprives them,a nd usurps them. In effect, contemporary blacks in a dominant white culture today have all become “Uncle Toms” to and against themselves.

The difficulty is that many can see it but are helpless to do anything about it. Its pointless to say “God damn America” when you are not creating positive change yourself within the nation which you live.

“Unhappy events abroad have re-taught us two simple truths about the liberty of a democratic people. The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of a private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.”

FDR: message to Congress proposing the monopoly investigation, 1938

***

People and politicians are afraid of the word fascist. So they avoid it’s use and they avoid it’s study. And by doing so, avoid recognizing it when it’s in their midst.

Perhaps having a president who seems to want more than anything to bring people from all spectrums together will restore Government by for and of the people. Will restore correct Constitutional law and raise us above the shallow and stupid divisiveness that we so often see coming out of the mouths of those who would be leader. Those who place value of corporate power above the value of we the people.

Those who believe they can buy election.
Those who love the lobbies.

One can only hope.

In defense of cyrena’s “Condi is white” comment. Apologies to cyrena if I misunderstand, but in my mind, when you contemplate the reality of fascism, you recognize that down through the history of same. The majority of fascists have been white, have been racist and have been for sale to the highest bidder.

Why is that?

Because those who would use power for personal profit need a cause to mask their personal greed. Causes are easily born if one simply taps into already existing prejudices. And like reverse psychology, those prejudices can work in your favor if you happen to “look” like one of the victims of prejudice.

I believe Condi stands as a good example of someone who has used her “color” and/or “gender” and a growing sense of public shame over racial and gender prejudice to propel herself into her position of wealth and power.

Agreed, she is not alone. Many have. But her particular position has been part and parcel of the fascist behavior of the Bush administration that has destroyed our credibility in the world, our Constitution and brought our economy to the brink of ruin.

And KILLED a lot of innocent people!

Even now, while millions lose their homes and join the already millions of homeless, the shameless republicans in Congress demand we pump money into private enterprise [specifically the financial Markets] to solve the Mortgage Crisis.

Amazing!

Already the Bush government has quietly siphoned millions into the failures of the very financial markets whose greed created the problem in the first place.

Yes my friends ... they are fascists. And Condi is one of their esteemed leaders. A woman who has so perfected the use of people’s trust and prejudice, she has successfully propelled herself into a position of incredible power.

Not all whites are corrupt. But most corrupt corporate shills are! Given Condi’s most perfect model of how to win and control in the world of private greed and public political trust, one has to look twice to remind ones-self she is NOT white!

By Max Shields, May 7: “Obama has put Iran on notice not Israel.... BTW, you do know that Obama actually voted FOR Condi Rice for Secretary of State...”

You must know what a modern-day “trojan horse” looks like, Max Shields. It never looks the same twice so people are always easliy fooled.

Condoleeza Rice IS Barack Obama’s handler.  They are there together on the Foreign Affairs Committee for all to see. It is NOT merely a black agenda, either.

Why do you think he is so keen to upstage Hillary? His chances of ever being elected to being US president will actually be LESS once he is the Dem’s nominee.

Figure the rest out for yourselves.......

Israel is decisive in turning US foreign policy rightward because Israel, more than any other political factor, divides the left (or “liberals”, or “progressives”, or whatever you want to call them).

This, in turn, renders the Democratic party incapable of standing in the way of US wars of aggression in the Middle East.

Israel is absolutely the key to the whole thing.

Obama and DLC Strategy
It worked for a while. Barack Obama followed the DLC script to the letter for the last two years, publicly scolding Democrats for their insufficient piety, liberally borrowing from Republican talking points. He advertised himself as grounded by his personal relationship with Jesus, and by the faith tradition of the Black Church. But after Obama’s Philadelphia speech on race, in which he characterized his pastor as a crazy old uncle stuck in the fifties and sixties, the Black Church was compelled to speak for itself. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, retiring pastor at Trinity UCC made a series of speeches and appearances in which he likened US Marines to Roman soldiers, described hundreds of US bases around the world as “empire” before the National Press Club, and refused to retreat from the contention that 9-11 was a preventable consequence of US foreign policy.

To preserve his support among whites which Obama won without challenging any of their fundamental beliefs about America, empire, Obama was forced to denounce his pastor’s words as “akin to hate speech” and disavow his church, and with it the prophetic tradition of Christianity and the Black Church in particular. But this, and joining a prosperity-Gospel mega-church will not be enough. From this point on, all Republicans have to do is prove to their base that Obama is not as conservative as he once appeared, which they will do by pointing to his pastor and the prophetic tradition of the Black Church in general. They can, in fact, point to any stirrings of black or grassroots outrage or militancy anywhere, which Obama will want to ignore anyway, and demand a ringing denunciation from Barack Obama. When Obama gets his way, he will be silent, sticking to content-free appeals to “unity”. And when Republicans prevail they will force him to denounce at every turn the grassroots activists he should be supporting.