Juan, You forgot to mention the US when You talk about bombing of civilian towns, villages and other locations. If You recall, We have a long History of such Policies dating back to Dresden in WW11, Korea, Vietnam, need I go further? As for Torture, Our record speaks for It-Self. This doesn't justify Al-Assad but it does bring whats going on there into perspective. As for supporting Repressive Governments, We're second to none, that's Our Foreign Policy. I also suspect that if We had a rogue State within Our Country, Our Government would use any and all Military means to rein it in, including bombing Cities. We need to clean Our Own house before We criticize Others. Our ongoing Wars are killing many more than Syria and the refugee problem intensified after We sent Military aid and assistance to the Terror groups in Syria.
When You elect Senate Leaders like Shumer, the New York Patron Saint of Bankers and House Leader Polosi, the multi-millionaire from Upper Class California, both strong supporters of the failed Candidate HRC as well as the failed Policies Todays Democratic Party represent, You certainly don't expent change do You? To paraphase Billy Him-self, " It's the Money Stupid". The Clintons got really, really rich off the system and Obama is getting ready to reap His Own rewards for the path He chose. To answer Your question, what the Democrats did was well planned except for the Election Outcome, Ethics and doing for the People is not one of Their Principles.
Sounds a lot like the American 1% and the revolving Door in Our Own Government/ Business cycle of Corruption, just with the Names changing. We like to point out the corruption of Others, especially if Their Our Favorite Enemy of the Week while Our Own Plutocrats and Obedient Clap Traps just keep making Them look like Pikers. Ours steal Trillions while Theirs is petty change in comparison. It was interesting that no American Name appeared even though most of the Havens are in the Western sphere of influence. Never heard of Syria being a place to stash hordes of Ill gotten gains.
We need to clean Our Own House first.
I couldn't agree with You more but this being America, where We never seem to never learn anything from Our errors, it won't happen. Instead, just like We have done on one failed War after another, We double down on the failed Policies, shove more Money out to the Rulers Friends and Benefactors, marching off to full belly up mode. In many ways, Washington reminds Me of the Catholic Church where failure is considered a badge of Honor. For a so called Free Country, We have more Prisoners than China with five times Our Population and Our Prisons We hold in higher esteem than an educated Populace. The Shining City on the Hill is shining only because it is on Fire and the glow in the night is the last of the Buildings burning to the ground. The failed Government can't change because it has no vision and Greed has become It's only reason to exist. Common Sense has no place in Our World of Empire. A terrible waste of Our Talents.
I have got to the point that I'm not sure whether Obama is so stupid He don't see the Forest for the Trees or is just Con Man enough that He Thinks He can pull the wool over Ours eyes once again. The trip Yesterday was purely Political and did nothing to change the downward death spiral US?Obama Policy is in. I am old enough to remember very well the Viet Nam pack of lies and American Government deciet and We are once again in redux. Obama needs to immediately call up Mccain and Grahm while Their in agreement, have the Army dress Him and Them, get a big flag and lead the charge up San Juan Hill ala TR. The clue to failure is that Obama had to sneak into Town under cover of darkness. In other words, His Afghan Partners don't want Him there. Somebody needs to speak for Americans, Obama seems to want to punt. It will not get Him re-elected.
There doesn't seem to be Anybody in Our Political System anymore that has a clue as to what is happening in the real World. I did read Tom's article and it makes You want to cry at what has happened to My Country. To go from the most Admired Nation of can do ism to the pariah status We currently have in 50 years, with Nobody in Our Body Politic seeming to notice Our Own suicide, is just bazaar. I'm a 73 yr. Old Man, Who did serve in the Army in the 50's and vividly remember how Our Country contrasted Our Government with that of Nazi Germany and the USSR and now watch as We Ourselves, with the loss of more and more Rights and the culture of spying on Neighbors by Our Big Brother Security services, embracing Torture at the highest level of Government, ignoring Our Own Constitution, imprisoning without Trial or even scheduling one and then stating if We did and the defendant was found not guilty We would keep Him imprisoned anyway and breaking of any and all International Laws and Treaties We found inconvenient, We have become Them. My Generation will be the first to leave This Country worse than when We started and the deaf Washington Establishment runs on like It's on autopilot. The rest of the World moves forward as We, like Qaddafi, Rant and Rave like the Mad Men We are and shed Rivers of Blood Blood as We try to hang on to the indefensible. Like Qaddafi, We will have to be put out of Our misery, kicking and screaming as the rest of the World moves on.How in God's name could We be so unknowing and allow Ourselves to kill the Golden Goose? As a Young Man I often wondered how the German People could have supported Hitler and His disaster, unfortunately, I now know. Without Moral Leadership, even good People can become very debased.
It does now look like Obama has again capitulated or as it more and more appears, never had control in the first place. His Own Secretary of State as well as His special Diplomat sent to convince Mabarak to hang tight tells Me Who really is in charge. Glen Greenwald, in His column Yesterday should have given You a clue that the Mubarak supporters are running the show. Obama's Envoy is on Mubarak's payroll and We have Shades of Torture supporter, Dick Cheney' still expressing His disdain of Democracy. Once again We take a win out of the possible and vote for a sure loser. How dumb is that?
The Facade of Us being the Good Guys has crumbled like shattered Ice. Our Government is no better than any other Torturer and Murdering Regime and in fact the case could easily be made that We have enslaved and Killed more People than Any Country since WWII's Germany. Our commitment to Human Rights is only for Political consumption. If We Americans don't soon redirect Our Nation back to a path of Law and Human Dignity, We're sunk. As a Young Man I used to wonder how the German People, smart and well educated, allowed the excesses of Hitler to overwhelm Them and as I watch Our Own Nation Today, I finally understand the evil at work. I too voted for Obama believing that He would redirect Us back to a Principled Government but He sold Us out and in fact has increased Our Lawless behavior. He cannot be held Blameless concerning Manning. He is the CIC and one word from Him could end this Torture. He elects not to do so. He is right Their with Bush , Cheney and John Yoo.
I wonder where All the American Christian Leaders are that were drumming up War against Saddam? No-where to be found. The reallity is that it never was about Religion but pure Politics. As far as I remember, Jesus never suggested War as a Christian function, it has always been the Faux Christians of Wealth that put words in His Name to bless the Killing of Our Fellow Man. These Charlatans are off drumming up another War by the name of Iran.
Juan, You know that what You and I both desire concerning both Israel and Iran is not going to happen in the USA. Empires like Ours seem to follow the same path to Self destruction and what finally happens is We collapse from inside. Every single Empire in History has went through the same process. It's like We just read History for fun, never learning a single thing. In many ways, Empire Builders are like Teenagers that believe They will never die and that somehow Their Smarter than Those Who came before and have therefore mastered what Their Elders failed at. The term "Super Power" is highly intoxicating and it has lead Us to Our current decline. It is inevitable that We will fall for the same reason that all Empire's before fell, We can't help Ourselves. Russia, the latest Super Power Empire, collapsed over night and stunned even Our incompetent CIA. The reality is that They didn't collapse over night but followed the same pattern of failure that We're on. Our fall from Super Power failure will be similar. Obama, Whom I foolishly believed was the change We needed, has fallen into the same trap as His predecessors. I wonder how He will explain His part in the great catastrify(sp) to His Daughters when They ask, What happened Dad? The sad part is that those of Us Who tried to stop it will be caught in the fall.
As a former strong supporter of Obama, He has turned out to be even worse than Bush. At least with Bush, We knew what We we're getting. Obama sold Us on the idea that He was a Man of peace, He even fooled the Nobel Committee, but He turned out to be every bit as deceptive as Bush. My Mother had an old saying that said that " Lying is a greater Crime than thievery, a Thief only steals Your replacable goods, a Liar steals Your trust." We peace supporters hung Our hopes on Obama and He rammed it down Our throats. What is it with American Presidents that They can't ever tell the People the truth, committ crimes with Impunity and feel the only way for America to make an impression is never ending War even as it leads to Our Own Bankruptcy? What the Hell is wrong with Us?
Juan, I am an avid reader of Yours and for the most part agree with Your views but I don't understand how even You spout this nonsense about about a complete removal of American Forces from Iraq. We have and are continuing to build Hard Facilities in Iraq and We aren't leaving regardless of all Our pronouncements or the wishes of most Iraqi's. We just simply intend to stay till the oil runs out and when You have the most powerfull Nation in the World in Your Country with Our Military might, We continue to be an Occupier. Ask the People of Japan how much control They have over Our Military presence on Okinawa.
Juan, You forgot to mention the US when You talk about bombing of civilian towns, villages and other locations. If You recall, We have a long History of such Policies dating back to Dresden in WW11, Korea, Vietnam, need I go further? As for Torture, Our record speaks for It-Self. This doesn't justify Al-Assad but it does bring whats going on there into perspective. As for supporting Repressive Governments, We're second to none, that's Our Foreign Policy. I also suspect that if We had a rogue State within Our Country, Our Government would use any and all Military means to rein it in, including bombing Cities. We need to clean Our Own house before We criticize Others. Our ongoing Wars are killing many more than Syria and the refugee problem intensified after We sent Military aid and assistance to the Terror groups in Syria.
When You elect Senate Leaders like Shumer, the New York Patron Saint of Bankers and House Leader Polosi, the multi-millionaire from Upper Class California, both strong supporters of the failed Candidate HRC as well as the failed Policies Todays Democratic Party represent, You certainly don't expent change do You? To paraphase Billy Him-self, " It's the Money Stupid". The Clintons got really, really rich off the system and Obama is getting ready to reap His Own rewards for the path He chose. To answer Your question, what the Democrats did was well planned except for the Election Outcome, Ethics and doing for the People is not one of Their Principles.
Sounds a lot like the American 1% and the revolving Door in Our Own Government/ Business cycle of Corruption, just with the Names changing. We like to point out the corruption of Others, especially if Their Our Favorite Enemy of the Week while Our Own Plutocrats and Obedient Clap Traps just keep making Them look like Pikers. Ours steal Trillions while Theirs is petty change in comparison. It was interesting that no American Name appeared even though most of the Havens are in the Western sphere of influence. Never heard of Syria being a place to stash hordes of Ill gotten gains.
We need to clean Our Own House first.
I couldn't agree with You more but this being America, where We never seem to never learn anything from Our errors, it won't happen. Instead, just like We have done on one failed War after another, We double down on the failed Policies, shove more Money out to the Rulers Friends and Benefactors, marching off to full belly up mode. In many ways, Washington reminds Me of the Catholic Church where failure is considered a badge of Honor. For a so called Free Country, We have more Prisoners than China with five times Our Population and Our Prisons We hold in higher esteem than an educated Populace. The Shining City on the Hill is shining only because it is on Fire and the glow in the night is the last of the Buildings burning to the ground. The failed Government can't change because it has no vision and Greed has become It's only reason to exist. Common Sense has no place in Our World of Empire. A terrible waste of Our Talents.
I have got to the point that I'm not sure whether Obama is so stupid He don't see the Forest for the Trees or is just Con Man enough that He Thinks He can pull the wool over Ours eyes once again. The trip Yesterday was purely Political and did nothing to change the downward death spiral US?Obama Policy is in. I am old enough to remember very well the Viet Nam pack of lies and American Government deciet and We are once again in redux. Obama needs to immediately call up Mccain and Grahm while Their in agreement, have the Army dress Him and Them, get a big flag and lead the charge up San Juan Hill ala TR. The clue to failure is that Obama had to sneak into Town under cover of darkness. In other words, His Afghan Partners don't want Him there. Somebody needs to speak for Americans, Obama seems to want to punt. It will not get Him re-elected.
There doesn't seem to be Anybody in Our Political System anymore that has a clue as to what is happening in the real World. I did read Tom's article and it makes You want to cry at what has happened to My Country. To go from the most Admired Nation of can do ism to the pariah status We currently have in 50 years, with Nobody in Our Body Politic seeming to notice Our Own suicide, is just bazaar. I'm a 73 yr. Old Man, Who did serve in the Army in the 50's and vividly remember how Our Country contrasted Our Government with that of Nazi Germany and the USSR and now watch as We Ourselves, with the loss of more and more Rights and the culture of spying on Neighbors by Our Big Brother Security services, embracing Torture at the highest level of Government, ignoring Our Own Constitution, imprisoning without Trial or even scheduling one and then stating if We did and the defendant was found not guilty We would keep Him imprisoned anyway and breaking of any and all International Laws and Treaties We found inconvenient, We have become Them. My Generation will be the first to leave This Country worse than when We started and the deaf Washington Establishment runs on like It's on autopilot. The rest of the World moves forward as We, like Qaddafi, Rant and Rave like the Mad Men We are and shed Rivers of Blood Blood as We try to hang on to the indefensible. Like Qaddafi, We will have to be put out of Our misery, kicking and screaming as the rest of the World moves on.How in God's name could We be so unknowing and allow Ourselves to kill the Golden Goose? As a Young Man I often wondered how the German People could have supported Hitler and His disaster, unfortunately, I now know. Without Moral Leadership, even good People can become very debased.
It does now look like Obama has again capitulated or as it more and more appears, never had control in the first place. His Own Secretary of State as well as His special Diplomat sent to convince Mabarak to hang tight tells Me Who really is in charge. Glen Greenwald, in His column Yesterday should have given You a clue that the Mubarak supporters are running the show. Obama's Envoy is on Mubarak's payroll and We have Shades of Torture supporter, Dick Cheney' still expressing His disdain of Democracy. Once again We take a win out of the possible and vote for a sure loser. How dumb is that?
The Facade of Us being the Good Guys has crumbled like shattered Ice. Our Government is no better than any other Torturer and Murdering Regime and in fact the case could easily be made that We have enslaved and Killed more People than Any Country since WWII's Germany. Our commitment to Human Rights is only for Political consumption. If We Americans don't soon redirect Our Nation back to a path of Law and Human Dignity, We're sunk. As a Young Man I used to wonder how the German People, smart and well educated, allowed the excesses of Hitler to overwhelm Them and as I watch Our Own Nation Today, I finally understand the evil at work. I too voted for Obama believing that He would redirect Us back to a Principled Government but He sold Us out and in fact has increased Our Lawless behavior. He cannot be held Blameless concerning Manning. He is the CIC and one word from Him could end this Torture. He elects not to do so. He is right Their with Bush , Cheney and John Yoo.
I wonder where All the American Christian Leaders are that were drumming up War against Saddam? No-where to be found. The reallity is that it never was about Religion but pure Politics. As far as I remember, Jesus never suggested War as a Christian function, it has always been the Faux Christians of Wealth that put words in His Name to bless the Killing of Our Fellow Man. These Charlatans are off drumming up another War by the name of Iran.
Juan, You know that what You and I both desire concerning both Israel and Iran is not going to happen in the USA. Empires like Ours seem to follow the same path to Self destruction and what finally happens is We collapse from inside. Every single Empire in History has went through the same process. It's like We just read History for fun, never learning a single thing. In many ways, Empire Builders are like Teenagers that believe They will never die and that somehow Their Smarter than Those Who came before and have therefore mastered what Their Elders failed at. The term "Super Power" is highly intoxicating and it has lead Us to Our current decline. It is inevitable that We will fall for the same reason that all Empire's before fell, We can't help Ourselves. Russia, the latest Super Power Empire, collapsed over night and stunned even Our incompetent CIA. The reality is that They didn't collapse over night but followed the same pattern of failure that We're on. Our fall from Super Power failure will be similar. Obama, Whom I foolishly believed was the change We needed, has fallen into the same trap as His predecessors. I wonder how He will explain His part in the great catastrify(sp) to His Daughters when They ask, What happened Dad? The sad part is that those of Us Who tried to stop it will be caught in the fall.
As a former strong supporter of Obama, He has turned out to be even worse than Bush. At least with Bush, We knew what We we're getting. Obama sold Us on the idea that He was a Man of peace, He even fooled the Nobel Committee, but He turned out to be every bit as deceptive as Bush. My Mother had an old saying that said that " Lying is a greater Crime than thievery, a Thief only steals Your replacable goods, a Liar steals Your trust." We peace supporters hung Our hopes on Obama and He rammed it down Our throats. What is it with American Presidents that They can't ever tell the People the truth, committ crimes with Impunity and feel the only way for America to make an impression is never ending War even as it leads to Our Own Bankruptcy? What the Hell is wrong with Us?
al-Maliki Declares Independence
Juan, I am an avid reader of Yours and for the most part agree with Your views but I don't understand how even You spout this nonsense about about a complete removal of American Forces from Iraq. We have and are continuing to build Hard Facilities in Iraq and We aren't leaving regardless of all Our pronouncements or the wishes of most Iraqi's. We just simply intend to stay till the oil runs out and when You have the most powerfull Nation in the World in Your Country with Our Military might, We continue to be an Occupier. Ask the People of Japan how much control They have over Our Military presence on Okinawa.