Obama Is A Hawk - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

**Frenchy** · 06-16-2008, 05:45 AM

The more things change, the more they stay the same. I like his take!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In The Great Tradition

Obama Is A Hawk

In his latest column for the New Statesman, John Pilger reaches back into the history of the Democratic Party and describes the tradition of war-making and expansionism that Barack Obama has now left little doubt he will honour.

By John Pilger

14/06/08 "ICH" -- -In 1941, the editor Edward Dowling wrote: "The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it." What has changed? The terror of the rich is greater than ever, and the poor have passed on their delusion to those who believe that when George W Bush finally steps down next January, his numerous threats to the rest of humanity will diminish.

The foregone nomination of Barack Obama, which, according to one breathless commentator, "marks a truly exciting and historic moment in US history", is a product of the new delusion. Actually, it just seems new. Truly exciting and historic moments have been fabricated around US presidential campaigns for as long as I can recall, generating what can only be described as bull**** on a grand scale. Race, gender, appearance, body language, rictal spouses and offspring, even bursts of tragic grandeur, are all subsumed by marketing and "image-making", now magnified by "virtual" technology. Thanks to an undemocratic electoral college system (or, in Bush's case, tampered voting machines) only those who both control and obey the system can win. This has been the case since the truly historic and exciting victory of Harry Truman, the liberal Democrat said to be a humble man of the people, who went on to show how tough he was by obliterating two cities with the atomic bomb.

Understanding Obama as a likely president of the United States is not possible without understanding the demands of an essentially unchanged system of power: in effect a great media game. For example, since I compared Obama with Robert Kennedy in these pages, he has made two important statements, the implications of which have not been allowed to intrude on the celebrations. The first was at the conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), the Zionist lobby, which, as Ian Williams has pointed out, "will get you accused of anti-Semitism if you quote its own website about its power". Obama had already offered his genuflection, but on 4 June went further. He promised to support an "undivided Jerusalem" as Israel's capital. Not a single government on earth supports the Israeli annexation of all of Jerusalem, including the Bush regime, which recognises the UN resolution designating Jerusalem an international city.

His second statement, largely ignored, was made in Miami on 23 May. Speaking to the expatriate Cuban community – which over the years has faithfully produced terrorists, assassins and drug runners for US administrations – Obama promised to continue a 47-year crippling embargo on Cuba that has been declared illegal by the UN year after year.

Again, Obama went further than Bush. He said the United States had "lost Latin America". He described the democratically elected governments in Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua as a "vacuum" to be filled. He raised the nonsense of Iranian influence in Latin America, and he endorsed Colombia's "right to strike terrorists who seek safe-havens across its borders". Translated, this means the "right" of a regime, whose president and leading politicians are linked to death squads, to invade its neighbours on behalf of Washington. He also endorsed the so-called Merida Initiative, which Amnesty International and others have condemned as the US bringing the "Colombian solution" to Mexico. He did not stop there. "We must press further south as well," he said. Not even Bush has said that.

It is time the wishful-thinkers grew up politically and debated the world of great power as it is, not as they hope it will be. Like all serious presidential candidates, past and present, Obama is a hawk and an expansionist. He comes from an unbroken Democratic tradition, as the war-making of presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter and Clinton demonstrates. Obama's difference may be that he feels an even greater need to show how tough he is. However much the colour of his skin draws out both racists and supporters, it is otherwise irrelevant to the great power game. The "truly exciting and historic moment in US history" will only occur when the game itself is challenged.

ITV - John Pilger - Home

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20095.htm

Ishpeck · 06-16-2008, 08:21 AM

Heh. Cute.

Etta Place · 06-16-2008, 07:36 PM

Wise article, Frenchy. I don't know John Pilger, but I will find out.

MikeA · 06-17-2008, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Etta Place

Wise article, Frenchy. I don't know John Pilger, but I will find out.

just another american hating communist...seems to favor al jazeera and noam chomsky....

vist his site...check his biog and links...

doesn't seem to far from the thoughts of some on this board...

mike

**Frenchy** · 06-17-2008, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeA

just another american hating communist...seems to favor al jazeera and noam chomsky....

vist his site...check his biog and links...

doesn't seem to far from the thoughts of some on this board...

mike

Right on cue, Mike!

MikeA · 06-17-2008, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frenchy

Right on cue, Mike!

mornin' to you to, frenchy...

mike

**Frenchy** · 06-17-2008, 03:37 AM

Top o' the morning to you, Mike!

With that being said and your critique of the author duly noted, what do you think of the article.

MikeA · 06-17-2008, 03:50 AM

call me naive, but i essentially think of the USA as a good country, and the only free country willing to put the lives of it's young men and women in harms way for the good of freedom, liberty, etc.
simple ? yes...but i truly believe this....

this article seems to lump all politicians from the US together...and i don't think obama is anything like most conservative leaders.

when i read his article...the US is just another country going to war for the sake of taking over a country...i don't think it's about that.

mike

ps...i only really get to read this stuff 1st thing in the am or before bed so i don't get enough time to post alot....and i can't type so my posts are generally short and i think to the point.

06-16-2008, 05:45 AM	#1
Frenchy XDTalk 10K Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Mid-Missouri Posts: 13,169	Obama Is A Hawk The more things change, the more they stay the same. I like his take! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In The Great Tradition Obama Is A Hawk In his latest column for the New Statesman, John Pilger reaches back into the history of the Democratic Party and describes the tradition of war-making and expansionism that Barack Obama has now left little doubt he will honour. By John Pilger 14/06/08 "ICH" -- -In 1941, the editor Edward Dowling wrote: "The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it." What has changed? The terror of the rich is greater than ever, and the poor have passed on their delusion to those who believe that when George W Bush finally steps down next January, his numerous threats to the rest of humanity will diminish. The foregone nomination of Barack Obama, which, according to one breathless commentator, "marks a truly exciting and historic moment in US history", is a product of the new delusion. Actually, it just seems new. Truly exciting and historic moments have been fabricated around US presidential campaigns for as long as I can recall, generating what can only be described as bull** on a grand scale. Race, gender, appearance, body language, rictal spouses and offspring, even bursts of tragic grandeur, are all subsumed by marketing and "image-making", now magnified by "virtual" technology. Thanks to an undemocratic electoral college system (or, in Bush's case, tampered voting machines) only those who both control and obey the system can win. This has been the case since the truly historic and exciting victory of Harry Truman, the liberal Democrat said to be a humble man of the people, who went on to show how tough he was by obliterating two cities with the atomic bomb. Understanding Obama as a likely president of the United States is not possible without understanding the demands of an essentially unchanged system of power: in effect a great media game. For example, since I compared Obama with Robert Kennedy in these pages, he has made two important statements, the implications of which have not been allowed to intrude on the celebrations. The first was at the conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), the Zionist lobby, which, as Ian Williams has pointed out, "will get you accused of anti-Semitism if you quote its own website about its power". Obama had already offered his genuflection, but on 4 June went further. He promised to support an "undivided Jerusalem" as Israel's capital. Not a single government on earth supports the Israeli annexation of all of Jerusalem, including the Bush regime, which recognises the UN resolution designating Jerusalem an international city. His second statement, largely ignored, was made in Miami on 23 May. Speaking to the expatriate Cuban community – which over the years has faithfully produced terrorists, assassins and drug runners for US administrations – Obama promised to continue a 47-year crippling embargo on Cuba that has been declared illegal by the UN year after year. Again, Obama went further than Bush. He said the United States had "lost Latin America". He described the democratically elected governments in Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua as a "vacuum" to be filled. He raised the nonsense of Iranian influence in Latin America, and he endorsed Colombia's "right to strike terrorists who seek safe-havens across its borders". Translated, this means the "right" of a regime, whose president and leading politicians are linked to death squads, to invade its neighbours on behalf of Washington. He also endorsed the so-called Merida Initiative, which Amnesty International and others have condemned as the US bringing the "Colombian solution" to Mexico. He did not stop there. "We must press further south as well," he said. Not even Bush has said that. It is time the wishful-thinkers grew up politically and debated the world of great power as it is, not as they hope it will be. Like all serious presidential candidates, past and present, Obama is a hawk and an expansionist. He comes from an unbroken Democratic tradition, as the war-making of presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter and Clinton demonstrates. Obama's difference may be that he feels an even greater need to show how tough he is. However much the colour of his skin draws out both racists and supporters, it is otherwise irrelevant to the great power game. The "truly exciting and historic moment in US history" will only occur when the game itself is challenged. ITV - John Pilger - Home http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20095.htm __________________ ~SC Harvey~ 2008 Election..."Embrace your ignorance, and vote your preference". It's quite simple, really... If you vote for Obama, you are a fuking idiot.* *If you vote for McCain, you are a fuking idiot. If your vote is for the lessor of two evils, then you can be comforted knowing that you're less of a fuking idiot than the other guy!* Because Fritz says so! RON PAUL IN 2008

06-16-2008, 08:21 AM	#2
Ishpeck XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Earth Posts: 4,036	Heh. Cute. __________________ When given a chance to issue letters of marque and reprisal against Bin Laden, Congress voted against it and instead, voted the Patriot Act into law. Tells you who they think their real enemies are. http://www.ishpeck.net/

06-16-2008, 07:36 PM	#3
Etta Place XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Southern California Posts: 6,689	Wise article, Frenchy. I don't know John Pilger, but I will find out. __________________ "No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." (– James Madison)

06-17-2008, 03:37 AM	#7
Frenchy XDTalk 10K Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Mid-Missouri Posts: 13,169	Top o' the morning to you, Mike! With that being said and your critique of the author duly noted, what do you think of the article. __________________ ~SC Harvey~ 2008 Election..."Embrace your ignorance, and vote your preference". It's quite simple, really... *If you vote for Obama, you are a fuking idiot. If you vote for McCain, you are a fuking idiot.* *If your vote is for the lessor of two evils, then you can be comforted knowing that you're less of a fuking idiot than the other guy! Because Fritz says so! RON PAUL IN 2008**

06-17-2008, 03:50 AM	#8
MikeA XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: SW, PA Posts: 323	call me naive, but i essentially think of the USA as a good country, and the only free country willing to put the lives of it's young men and women in harms way for the good of freedom, liberty, etc. simple ? yes...but i truly believe this.... this article seems to lump all politicians from the US together...and i don't think obama is anything like most conservative leaders. when i read his article...the US is just another country going to war for the sake of taking over a country...i don't think it's about that. mike ps...i only really get to read this stuff 1st thing in the am or before bed so i don't get enough time to post alot....and i can't type so my posts are generally short and i think to the point. __________________ "The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." -- Alexander Hamilton "Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock." --Will Rogers (1879 - 1935)

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