Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Journalist Risen: 'Mercenary Class' Now Permanent Fixture in National Security State [View all]Octafish
(55,745 posts)60. Sen. Prescott Bush, Sr. talked about Iraq's oil reserves back in 1959...

First he wrote about showing the Soviets we mean business when it comes to warfighting in order to avoid a war, which is a most reasonable thing:
To Preserve Peace Lets Show Russians How Strong We Are
By Prescott Bush
U.S. Senator from Connecticut;
member of the Senate Armed Services Committee
The Readers Digest July 1959
MANS GREATEST danger, it is said, is ignorance. In a very real sense, the Soviet Unions ignorance of our military strength may be the source of her gravest periland ours. Kaiser Wilhelm started World War I because he miscalculated Allied power. Hitler, mistakenly thinking he could blitz the world, launched World War II. Kruschev today lacks firsthand knowledge of our country; he may be given what others think he would like to hearrather than an objective report on our actual military strength. Although it seems impossible that any sane person could start a war, we would be wise to take no chances.
Why not invite the Soviet high command to the United States for a conducted tour of our military might? We are bringing Russians to see our farms and factories, our scientific laboratories and research centers; we exchange dancers and musicians. Why not have their military leaders over for the most beneficial look of all? Our expressed policy, the aim and purpose of our entire defense system, is to deter the Kremlin from starting a war. What better way to deter than to show?
What we could show is nothing more nor less than the greatest military might ever assembled in the history of the world. If the Soviet high command could see what we have, they should be of our mindthat for them to start war today would be an act of insanity.
We could start in a Pentagon briefing room. There, with maps, globes, films and sound-projection equipment to help illustrate our points, we could give them a good hard look at the distribution of American power. Then we could fly the group to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Montana, where bombers of the Strategic Air Command are on 24-hour alert, many ready to take off within 15 minutes. We could see an awe-inspiring line of B-47s, any one of which can, in a single mission, deliver explosive power equivalent to that of all the bombs dropped by all sides in World War II. We could invite the commander of the Soviet air force to ride in one of these planes, and see it refueled in the air, thus quietly demonstrating that, while most Soviet bombers would have to fly one-way missions, ours can strike any target in the world and return nonstop.
SNIP...
The demonstration at SAC should effectively dismiss from Soviet minds any speculation about the possibility of their gaining an advantage from all-out war any time soon. But we must face the fact that in a few years the Russians may be able to zero in our SAC bases with ballistic missiles. To drive this temptation out of their minds, we could show them other deterrents.
CONTINUES
The Readers Digest
July 1959 pp. 25-30
Prescott Bush detailed how Kruschev and the head of the Soviet armed forces be our guest on nuclear submarines, demonstrations of sea- and land-launched ICBMs, operations from aircraft carriers and a cruise aboard the inter-continental strategic bomber, the B-52.
The guy was on to something. You know how much they get for a lousy B-2 these days? Two billion? Each?

Then, Sen. Bush also discussed the strategic importance of Iraq the very same right next door to Iran, the very place the CIA and MI6 had, five years earlier, replaced a democratically elected government with a despot, the Shah, who promised to do business Wall Street's way.
Its fortunate for them that we want only peace with justice. Our entire record attests to that. We have no history of aggression, profess no desire for world domination, as do the Communists. Only by their continued menace have we been forced to take these measures for defense.
I ASK, Why dont we show the Russians many of these defense measures? What I would not show them is any self-satisfaction on our part about the future, any slowing-up of plans to produce the new weapons which must inevitably take the place of the old ones. I believe we are in a continuing struggle to keep on top in this business of declaring war. I think that the Russians are never to be underrated. [font color="red"]I also believe that the Communists are master bluffers that they seek to put us off by arrogant threats to Berlin and to the peace of the far Pacific, and, while our people are preoccupied with these threats, they may try to take over Iraq as the Chinese Reds have conquered Tibet.
[/font color]
So. At least three generations of the Bush Family Evil Empire have had their eyes on Iraqs oil. Interesting how Prescott mentioned Tibet's destruction by China. How was he to know his namesake, Prescott Bush, Jr., would one day become head of the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce? The article also shows how Prescott, Sr. boosted the Cold War, way back in 59. Its not so odd to think that three generations of crazy petrodollar-loving warmongers would rise to the top echelons of American leadership.

This is exactly what Ike was talking about when he mentioned being on our guard against the Military-Industrial Complex. And now we also have to throw in the Intelligence Community, which, evidently, has declared We the People enemies for all the spying and counter-political actions they do in secret.
The Bushes and their supporters in the Secret Government may think they're American royalty, but all they are is a multi-generational mob of traitors who have used public office to enrich and empower themselves and their cronies. The problem is, most people know it, they just can't put their finger on it because so much of their story is classified Top Secret, destroyed by fires at SEC and Pentagon facilities, and otherwise lost to history.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
91 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations

Journalist Risen: 'Mercenary Class' Now Permanent Fixture in National Security State [View all]
Octafish
Oct 2014
OP
T Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower all tried to rid the country of the post-war war machine
librechik
Oct 2014
#25
And don't forget how former Booz Allen CEO is now the lying head of the NSA. Conflict of interest
sabrina 1
Oct 2014
#58
Forgot to mention: Cheney spearheaded the privatization of Pentagon profits for BFEE
Octafish
Oct 2014
#76
It is truly sickening. It is obvious to anyone now that the wars they drag this country into
sabrina 1
Oct 2014
#82
They hate the new Iphone. We aren't supposed to have anything that can keep them from searching us.
L0oniX
Oct 2014
#39
Remember when Blackwater threatened to kill State Department inspector in Iraq? RISEN told us...
Octafish
Oct 2014
#15
The prolongation of the mercenary class/top secret everything is deeply troubling to me.
democrank
Oct 2014
#20
this is actually the point where we need POTUS to fulfill the promise of transparency
nashville_brook
Oct 2014
#40
I think you missed the point here. It appears that Pres Obama doesn't have the power
rhett o rick
Oct 2014
#51
True and before a single shot is fired, somebody's got to pay. Just don't ask for an accounting...
Octafish
Oct 2014
#87
The fact that they can keep files locked for 50 years says a lot about how little we are allowed to
liberal_at_heart
Oct 2014
#27
Which would explain why Gov. Don Siegelman's in prison and George W Bush is not.
Octafish
Oct 2014
#50
In general, the Founding Fathers did not even want us to have a standing army,
JDPriestly
Oct 2014
#32
"a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design"
johnnyreb
Oct 2014
#42
With US-led air strikes on ISIS intensifying, it’s a good time to be an arms giant
Octafish
Oct 2014
#77
''Money trumps peace.'' -- appointed pretzeldent George Walker Bush, Feb. 14, 2007
Octafish
Oct 2014
#69
War is here to stay. Too much PROFIT to be had. And, yeah, we'll all be starving penniless in the
blkmusclmachine
Oct 2014
#61
Yet the Democratic Party resists any attempt to bring these toxic agencies under control. eom
whereisjustice
Oct 2014
#65
"But some have seen this national security crisis as a financial opportunity, Risen said."
suffragette
Oct 2014
#84