BUSH OR KERRY?

[SHRED]

BUSH OR KERRY? LOOK CLOSELY AND THE DANGER IS THE SAME

A myth equal to the fable of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is gaining strength on both sides of the Atlantic. It is that John Kerry offers a world-view different from that of George W Bush. Watch this big lie grow as Kerry is crowned the Democratic candidate and the "anyone but Bush" movement becomes a liberal cause celebre.

While the rise to power of the Bush gang, the neoconservatives, belatedly preoccupied the American media, the message of their equivalents in the Democratic Party has been of little interest. Yet the similarities are compelling. Shortly before Bush's "election" in 2000, the Project for the New American Century, the neoconservative pressure group, published an ideological blueprint for "maintaining global US pre-eminence, precluding the rise of a great power rival, and shaping the international security order in line with American principles and interests". Every one of its recommendations for aggression and conquest was adopted by the administration.

One year later, the Progressive Policy Institute, an arm of the Democratic Leadership Council, published a 19-page manifesto for the "New Democrats", who include all the principal Democratic Party candidates, and especially John Kerry. This called for "the bold exercise of American power" at the heart of "a new Democratic strategy, grounded in the party's tradition of muscular internationalism". Such a strategy would "keep Americans safer than the Republicans' go-it-alone policy, which has alienated our natural allies and overstretched our resources. We aim to rebuild the moral foundation of US global leadership ..."

What is the difference from the vainglorious claptrap of Bush? Apart from euphemisms, there is none. All the Democratic presidential candidates supported the invasion of Iraq, bar one: Howard Dean. Kerry not only voted for the invasion, but expressed his disappointment that it had not gone according to plan. He told Rolling Stone magazine: "Did I expect George Bush to fuck it up as badly as he did? I don't think anybody did." Neither Kerry nor any of the other candidates has called for an end to the bloody and illegal occupation; on the contrary, all of them have demanded more troops for Iraq. Kerry has called for another "40,000 active service troops". He has supported Bush's continuing bloody assault on Afghanistan, and the administration's plans to "return Latin America to American leadership" by subverting democracy in Venezuela.

<SNIP>

http://pilger.carlton.com/print/133205

You may not agree but he does write well.

[kalian]

1. Oh boy....

I posted this very same article a few weeks back and I was blasted
as being "anti-Kerry" and favoring shrub and blah blah blah....

:eyes:
Hope you have your asbestos suit on...

[KC21304]

7. And I am sure we will see it again at least 500 times.

And I hope it works out well for both of you.

[rasputin1952]

2. Let me be simple on this....

Kerry is NOT bush. bush is the leader of the worst administration this nation has EVER had.

Let's leave it at that.

O8)

[SHRED]

10. I will vote for Kerry...

...but I think the article speaks to a deeper sense of disenfranchisement many of us feel.

[sadiesworld]

3. All of the candidates supported the invasion except Dean?

Hmmmm....looks like you have a fine piece of work there.

[salinen]

4. One word

DennisKucinich

[LiberalManiacfromOC]

9. aww..... you beat me to it

[JohnKleeb]

11. thats what I was thinkin

It says only Dean opposed the war but let me get one thing clear, DK did more than Dean against the war, yes I know Dean was just a retired governor but please give the congressman credit it was him not Dean who with Pelosi led the fight against IWR in the house. The "electable" candiates supported Afghanstan, all of them did, Dean often brought up that and his support of Gulf War I to prove how he was no dove. While I would prefer DK to Kerry I gueses, Kerry is a good guy and candiate in my eyes.

[Hippo_Tron]

21. I don't want a dove in the white house...

And at the same time I don't want somebody who lies about WMD as an excuse to blow shit up.

[David Dunham]

5. Especially on domestic issues, which matter most, Kerry is anti-Bush

[corporatewhore]

6. i love Pilger his work is very informative and talented

[aquart]

8. The danger is not the same.

And I will get banned if I say anything further.

[Zorra]

12. He's not accurate.

It is difficult to give much credence to Pilger's opinions if he is so uninformed that he is oblivious to obvious facts. He says:

All the Democratic presidential candidates supported the invasion of Iraq, bar one: Howard Dean.

This is not true.

Dennis Kucinich vehemently opposed the invasion of Iraq. And he is still in the race, albeit symbolically.

November 2002 issue
The Bloodstained Path
by Dennis Kucinich

Unilateral military action by the United States against Iraq is unjustified, unwarranted, and illegal. The Administration has failed to make the case that Iraq poses an imminent threat to the United States. There is no credible evidence linking Iraq to 9/11. There is no credible evidence linking Iraq to Al Qaeda. Nor is there any credible evidence that Iraq possesses deliverable weapons of mass destruction, or that it intends to deliver them against the United States.

America cannot and should not be the world's policeman. America cannot and should not try to pick the leaders of other nations. Nor should America and the American people be pressed into the service of international oil interests and arms dealers.

We must work to bring Iraq back into the community of nations, not through destruction, but through constructive action worldwide. We can help negotiate a resolution with Iraq that encompasses unfettered inspections, the end of sanctions, and the cessation of the regime-change policy.

http://www.progressive.org/nov02/kuc1102.html

How can Pilger be so blatantly uninformed?.

And saying that Kerry is barely different than Bush is like saying Clinton was no different than Reagan.

Spare me. Look up John Kerry's overall legislative record. He is as different from Bush as Mike Malloy is from Rush Limbaugh.

[JohnKleeb]

13. and Zorra youre a DK backer right

:hi: I am too in a way sorta.
Everyone including Dean supported Afghanstan, hell Dean referenced Afghanstan to say hey I am not a total dove, Dennis Kucinich bless his fine soul admitted he had voted to use force but has been critical of our actions there. Kerry I think after DK and perhaps Sharpton would be the biggest contrast with Bush. Ive taken tests, and after DK and the Rev Al, I agree with Kerry the most, btw thats me being my fool idealist. Thanks btw, I always was upset by people believing that Dean was all along especially after I myself saw DK speak once in person and the Rev Al twice.

[Zorra]

20. I surely am. And like you and DK, I'm also a John Kerry supporter now.

[sandnsea]

14. bloody assault on Afghanistan?

Who's your candidate?

[JohnKleeb]

15. all the candiates voted to use force after 9/11 including Kucinich

Both DK and Kerry have criticized our actions there.

[sandnsea]

16. Not a "bloody assault"

They've criticized the lack of true involvement and money in getting the country really functioning again. They've criticized turning it over to warlords. Kerry has criticized Tora Bora. But I don't think either of them have referred to it as a "bloody assault".

[JohnKleeb]

18. Tora Bora thats right

Not sure but none of the candiates opposed Afghantan truly. Dean I remember often used it to justify that he wasnt a dove and Gulf war more so. Thats what I meant, our conduct has been criticized.

[mike_c]

17. notwithstanding the Kucinich gaff, Pilger DOES raise some...

...good points. I smell another 2002 election coming on-- Kerry is not running in opposition to most of Bush's worst policies, rather he's hoping to convince voters that he'd get them right. He's refusing to take real opposition stances-- hard to do when he VOTED to enable Bush on some of the boy king's worst decisions, unfortunately.

[zulchzulu]

19. Vainglorious claptrack from someone who needs to get a clue

To even bring up the idea that there is no difference between Bush and Kerry is utter stupidity and ignorant, fog-headed foolishness. Period.

[Crunchy Frog]

22. I'm sorry, but that Pilger article

is hogwash. Both Kucinich and Clark opposed the Iraq invasion, and unlike Dean, they actually did what they could to stop it, DK by organizing people in Congress to vote against the resolution, and Clark by testifying before Congress in Sept. of 2002.

Sharpton and Mosley-Braun also opposed the invasion.

I don't believe that Kerry actually favored the invasion either. The resolution was for going to the UN and getting weapons inspectors in.

I'm sorry, but this guy has such low credibility that I simply can't take anything he has to say seriously.