"If there is one principle more deeply rooted in the mind of every American, it is that we should have nothing to do with conquest."
~Thomas Jefferson
There is a reason why America rejected the VietNam War and why more than 60 percent are rejecting Bush's Iraq War and its sequel, The War with Iran. United States Citizens can smell a war of choice---a colonial venture. Whether the goal is nation building or protecting the investments of a powerful company or securing the oil that U.S. business craves, Americans have traditionally lumped these excuses for war under the broad heading of empire building--a most unAmerican activity.
When W. finally admitted to his base the true reason for the invasion of Iraq, the NeoCon vision of a United States that controls its own oil supply by controlling the government of a middle east oil producer, he revealed how out of step he is with the majority of the people he is supposed to represent. Bush would be right at home representing the Dutch and British traders in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". He would talk about bringing civilization to the savages while secretly coveting their natural resources, and his political supporters would nod their heads in agreement, because that was the 19th and early 20th century way. Their greed and meddling are the reason for much of the chaos in Africa now. Tribes were played against tribes. Traditional social structures were broken down and the rule of the colonials was established--and then abruptly taken away, leaving a vacuum to be filled by the strongest man, who writes a contract with a multinational corporation to increase his strength at the expense of those who were once his brothers.
This is the plan in Iraq. While Saudi Arabian private citizens have been arming Sunni rebels (see page 29 of "The Iraq Study Group Report") the U.S has tolerated shia militias as being on "our side".
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0414-25.htmBush has accused Iran of arming rebels, but there is no proof of this. Their interference has been unnecessary. All they had to do was cheer on the militia that the U.S. protects, and sit back as Iraq's government employeed security personel trained by Iran to become members of Iraq's police. How ironic that the U.S. has done Iran's work for it and now the U.S. wants to punish Iran.
Hmmm. Could there be more to the tough talk against Iran than a simple desire by W. to start another war in hopes of getting this one right? The Saudi Arabians would love to see the U.S. take down their biggest enemy in the Middle East---and see the U.S. grow dependent upon Saudi oil at the same time. With an embargo of Iranian and Venezuelan oil in effect and Iraqi fields out of play, the U.S. would have to pay Saudi Arabia astronomical prices for its oil. Anyone who thinks that Saudi Arabia does not have the clout to direct Bush administration foreign policy should remember that Henry Kissinger, whose company represents Saudi Arabia, has secretly been directing this war. Kissinger continues to denounce Iran and Shias as dangerous to U.S. interests and to call for a military hard line against Iran. Check out the article below entitled "Iran despises weakness" and compare it to Kissinger's doublespeak during the VietNam War.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-2459986,00.html Iran is controlled by Islamic clerics who despise impiety, as Dr. K. well knows. Weakness is neither a sin nor a virtue to a spiritual man, but it is often preferable to aggression. Iran's careful restraint during Israel's invasion of Lebanon during the summer should tell the world much about the political philosophy of its leaders.
Why would Bush and his small core of followers choose to ally themselves with Saudi Arabia, a repressive monarchy? You only have to look at the goals of the Federalists and the Right Wing, who have suceeded in increasing the wage and wealth gap in America since 1980 and who are attempting to roll back all the social changes that have been enacted since FDR. Look at the way that W. was selected by a small elete group and the blatant way that voting rights were trampled in 2004. The writing is there on the wall. When you attempt to build Empire, you are enslaving more than the people abroad. You are declaring that democracy is dead and that everyone who is not a member of the elite is now subject to the whims of the monarch/dictator/decider.
"A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny."
~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Why would Bush and Co. risk bankrupting the nation with a war against Iran that can not be won? Because the war will line the pockets of the mega-rich, and when it is over, the gap between the haves and have nots will have widened and the erosion of civil liberties will be complete. Saudi Arabia and China will own a big chunk of the U.S. but so will Exxon and the Bush Family and the Cheney Family and the rest of us will be their serfs, forced to work until we drop dead because Social Security will be bankrupt, forced to fight whatever wars our rulers tell us to fight for the greater good of The Company.
The Horror, indeed.
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