"Obama's War" by Jim Hightower

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/02-1



Published on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 by Creators Syndicate
Obama's War
by Jim Hightower


<snip>

Well, claims Obama himself, we must protect the democratic process in Afghanistan. Does he think we have suckerwrappers around our heads? America's chosen leader over there is President Hamid Karzai — a preening incompetent who was "elected" this year only through flagrant fraud and whose government is controlled by warlords, rife with corruption and opposed by the great majority of Afghans.

<snip>

Nearly every independent military analyst, however, says this assertion is not just fantasy, it's delusional — it'll take at least 10 years to raise Afghanistan's largely illiterate and corrupt security forces to a level of barely adequate, costing us taxpayers more than $4 billion a year to train and support them.

Obama has been taken over by the military industrial hawks and national security theorists who play war games with other people's lives and money. I had hoped Obama might be a more forceful leader who would reject the same old interventionist mindset of those who profit from permanent war. But his newly announced Afghan policy shows he is not that leader.

So, we must look elsewhere, starting with ourselves. The first job of a citizen is to keep your mouth open. Obama is wrong on his policy — deadly wrong — and those of you who see this have both a moral and patriotic duty to reach out to others to inform, organize and mobilize our grassroots objections, taking common sense to high places.

Also, look to leaders in Congress who are standing up against Obama's war and finally beginning to reassert the legislative branch's constitutional responsibility to oversee and direct military policy. For example, Rep. Jim McGovern is pushing for a specific, congressionally mandated exit strategy; Rep. Barbara Lee wants to use Congress' control of the public purse strings to stop Obama's escalation; and Rep. David Obey is calling for a war tax on the richest Americans to put any escalation on-budget, rather than on a credit card for China to finance and future generations to pay.
<snip>

[drdtroit]

1. "costing us taxpayers more than $4 billion a year to train and support them"

But the hell with healthcare for Americans. What happened to our country?

[normrx7]

3. West Point Speech

I noticed a lot of cadets not applauding last night...

[IcyPeas]

8. I saw them clamoring to shake his hand and get photos of/with him...

[bahrbearian]

10. But no chest bumps ?

[ixion]

2. w00t!! excellent piece

and I agree.

[Echo In Light]

4. K&R - and this line....

"Obama has been taken over by the military industrial hawks and national security theorists who play war games with other people's lives and money...."

The only point I'd disagree with is that, rather than being 'taken over' by those vested interests, his 'election' victory was green-lighted beforehand by them, as would be the case with ANY "electable" candidate ("electable," meaning, knows the true score)

[ixion]

6. yeah, I'm sure there was a vetting

prior to him being hoisted up as the dem candidate.

[G_j]

7. which begs the question

would any candidate who promised to end BOTH present US wars, be allowed through the gate?

These folks need at least one war to prosper.

[Echo In Light]

9. No. This speaks volumes about who the Establishment deems "electable," or "loony" Left.

[G_j]

11. peace is loony

because we should all know that "war is inevitable"

[glitch]

13. No. They wouldn't even let Gore or Kerry through. Can you imagine them letting Feingold or Kucinich?

Won't happen until we take back our election process; including media, voting machines, campaign finance.

[Individualist]

5. K&R

[TexasObserver]

12. Recommend

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. Excellent. K&R

[bvar22]

15. K&R for Jim Hightower.

Wish I could vote for him.

[QC]

16. KICK!

[tnlefty]

17. I adore Jim Hightower.

Now, if I could just get him to read this to me as I love to him him speak when he's passionate about something.

K&R