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Pandora's
Arsenal
September 27, 2002
By Maureen Farrell
 "Unilateral
preventive war is neither legitimate nor moral. It is illegitimate
and immoral. For more than 200 years we have not been that
kind of country." - Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
If President Bush hadn't been required by law to submit his
strategic statement to Congress, he might have continued to
play "I've got a secret." But the National Military Strategy
for the United States of America, released last Friday, finally
made it official: the U.S. wants to control the world. Dispelling
any notion that the first strike policy introduced in Bush's
West Point speech was somehow misinterpreted, while confirming,
once again, that the Bush Cartel is absolutely aching for
dominance and supremacy, the 33 page document spells it out.
If not for the underlying reality that we're planning to
kill people, (especially those perched upon oil), it sounds,
superficially, like the United States is saying, "We're Chevy
Chase and you're not." Stating that "the president has no
intention of allowing any foreign power to catch up with the
huge lead the United States has opened since the fall of the
Soviet Union," the Bush Doctrine is part Wolfowitz, part Strangelove,
largely Empire.
Though Chris Matthews responded by asking, "Where in the
Constitution is crap like this?" less insightful voices defended
this historic shift as a natural outgrowth Sept. 11. Don't
believe it. Members of this administration had visions for
Pax Americana long before barreling into power and the White
House's dismissal of unconditional inspections set the foreign
press ablaze. "Saddam's concessions will never be enough for
the US," read the Guardian, as it became increasingly
clear that this administration won't settle for anything but
the removal of Saddam Hussein and control of Middle Eastern
oil. So, yes, Virginia, there are evil men plotting to take
over the world. They work in the Pentagon and hide in undisclosed
locations and have transformed America into "that kind of
country."
". . . the attitude of the United States of America is
a threat to world peace." - Nelson Mandela
Now that Nelson Mandela has joined an unlikely chorus of
Republicans speaking out against America's newfound craziness,
criticism can no longer be attributed to unthinking, anti-American
sentiment. Mandela's observations that America is "following
a dangerous policy" and attempting to "bully the world" are
valid. Honestly, if America feels she can hit first and ask
questions later, what's to stop Russia or China or Pakistan
from doing the same? Greed, shortsightedness and arrogance
have opened Pandora's arsenal, and as Mandela pointed out,
this administration's allegiance to the oil and weapons industries
is to blame.
"President Bush wants war, not justice - and he'll soon
find another excuse for it." - Robert Fisk
Though the president continues to pretend that Americans'
safety and Iraqis' liberation are the primary motives behind
the impending carnage in Baghdad, Bush's inspections dodge
gives credence to Scott Ritter's claims that this administration
has been using Iraq's weapons capabilities as a ruse. The
Washington Post's report that "oil companies have already
begun maneuvering for a stake in the country's huge reserves
of 112 billion barrels of crude oil," was reiterated by a
refreshingly frank Chris Matthews who accused this administration
of acting as if the oil belongs to them. And certainly, now
that American tax dollars are being used to bribe other nations
into compliance, in return for shares of ill-gotten oily gain,
it seems that the administration is already doling out what
has yet to be stolen.
"I'm beginning to think we are what they think we are."
- Chris Matthews, referring to America's growing number of
critics
It's ironic, now, that at the start of what looks like World
War III, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder tapped into
his countrymen's revulsion over Bush's Iraq policy as part
of his reelection campaign plank. With 85% of Germans no longer
trusting America to do the right thing, and others citing
the U.S., not Iraq, as the biggest threat to Middle East stability,
it's clear that the Bush Doctrine has tarnished our worldwide
reputation. Though claims of American hegemony are more valid
than ever, the United States now appears bloodthirsty and
out of control.
"In the end, if America doesn't restrain itself, [it's]
going to provoke groupings of countries which will restrain
America instead." - Jamie Dettmer, Insight Magazine
Perhaps the most damning evidence of the Bush administration's
agenda was found within a newly released document which was
drafted in 2000 for Jeb Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld
and Paul Wolfowitz, among others. Entitled, "Rebuilding America's
Defenses: Strategies, Forces And Resources For a New Century"
and authored by the Project for the New American Century,
this 'blueprint for maintaining global US preeminence' says
outright that America's 'core mission' should be to 'fight
and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theater wars.'
In other words, forever war and regime change, always required
for global domination, were planned before the election. Sounds
like the work of Evil Doers, doesn't it?
"I have not seen such executive arrogance and secrecy
since the Nixon administration, and we all know what happened
to that group." - Senator Robert Byrd, on the Bush administration
Think, for a moment, about the secret energy task force meetings
and Homeland Security provisions and executive orders meant
to keep Bush sins, past and present, sheltered from public
view. Given the multiple ways the Bush administration denies
Americans the transparency it demands from others, it's wise
to question any action that favors anyone but Bush Cronies,
Inc. In other words, now that the White House has changed
its mind about an investigation into the World Trade Center
and Pentagon attacks, it's important to read the fine print.
Backed into a corner due to the untiring activism of victim's
family members, and the Senate's impending vote on an independent
commission, the White House's sudden call for an independent
commission is, by most accounts, less than commendable. Sept.
11 families and congressional sources who have studied the
White House proposal believe that Bush is actually trying
to sabotage an investigation and prevent further probes into
pre-9/11 incompetence. "This is disgraceful what we're learning
about intelligence failures," Sept. 11 spokesman Stephen Push
commented, before adding, "and the White House is trying to
cover it up."
I ask you. Do good guys behave this way? Haven't plots to
take over the world traditionally been considered evil? Though
Ari Fleischer spins this administration's foreign policy as
an attempt to spread democracy, he might want to consult with
the residents of Chile, Nicaragua and Colombia before glorifying
his boss's intentions.
It seems that we haven't learned anything from history. And,
as a country being overrun by tyrants, we face an increasingly
uncertain future. Where will they lead us? And how many innocents
will die along the way?
"God bless America" has become part of our national lexicon.
But as the Bush bunch forges ahead with corporately driven
warfare, which will cost citizens between $100 to $200 billion
(not to mention unimaginable devastation to families losing
children), perhaps we should start seeking Divine intervention
instead. Because make no mistake: The sins of the father will
be visited upon our children. But by then, redemption may
be hard to come by.
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