From
The American Left History Blog Archives
(2007) - On American Political Discourse
Markin comment:
In 2007-2008 I, in vain,
attempted to put some energy into analyzing the blossoming American
presidential campaign since it was to be, as advertised at least, a watershed
election, for women, blacks, old white anglos, latinos, youth, etc. In the
event I had to abandon the efforts in about May of 2008 when it became obvious,
in my face obvious, that the election would be a watershed only for those who really
believed that it would be a watershed election. The four years of the Obama
presidency, the 2012 American presidential election campaign, and world
politics have only confirmed in my eyes that that abandonment was essentially
the right decision at the right time. In short, let the well- paid bourgeois
commentators go on and on with their twitter. I, we, had (have) better things
to do like fighting against the permanent wars, the permanent war economies,
the struggle for more and better jobs, and for a workers party that fights for
a workers government . More than enough to do, right? Still a look back at some
of the stuff I wrote then does not a bad feel to it. Read on.
************
RUMBLINGS IN THE EMPIRE
COMMENTARY
THE MILITARY STRATEGY IN IRAQ IS WORKING?
FORGET DONKEYS, ELEPHANTS AND GREENS- BUILD A WORKERS
PARTY THAT FIGHTS FOR SOCIALISM!
Can we all, please, take time
out from the new growth sport of bashing the singularly unattractive Don Imus and
return to the central issue of the day-the bloody war in Iraq. While there has
been much gnashing of teeth over Imus as the media falls all over itself on one
side or the other for one of its fallen comrades some genuinely weird things
have happened on the Iraq front here in
America and there. Here’s some commentary in a nutshell about the week of April
9th 2007.
·
Secretary of War
Robert Gates announces an immediate, all-inclusive extension of tours of duty
in Iraq. The rationale given is that now the troops will know for sure how long
they really have to stay rather than the old policy of surprise extensions.
That policy naturally will go over well with the troops and their families,
especially those close to coming home. I would think that it would also be a
lovely recruitment tool to drum up a few inductees knowing that if deployed
they will have to spend 15 months in that hellhole. Moreover, the real upshot
of all this news is that the Pentagon, at least, is planning for a very, very
long stay in Iraq, win or lose. If there
was ever a time when we should be pushing hard for those anti-war soldier and
sailor solidarity committees that I have been propagandizing for over the last
year it is now. Let us do it.
·
After several
weeks in operation now it is clear that the much-touted Bush Administration
military strategy to secure Baghdad is working. No, this is not a typo. It is
working for the insurgents, sectarians and others who one way or another oppose
the United States presence in Iraq. How? While the military strategy is to tamp
down the situation in Baghdad those oppositional forces have stood down or
moved out of Baghdad. The sectarian civil war has been moved, at least
temporarily, to the suburbs. Speaking from a strictly military viewpoint it is
obvious that many, many thousands of more troops would be needed for the current military strategy to even
get to square one. If I recall a member of the Army General Staff was booted
into oblivion for even attempting to make such an evaluation before the war
started. What is more important, however, is the
arrogance behind the strategy. That is a belief that the various oppositionists
would stay in place to be wiped out by the American forces. As demonstrated in
Vietnam and is again apparent here the military has vastly underestimated the
enemy. And is reaping the windfall for its errors. I guess the millions of
dollars that it takes to educate each West Point graduate do not buy what they
use to. Oh, well.
·
In something out
of Catch-22, the satirical book by Joseph Heller about the misadventures of
some soldiers and the inanities of the military bureaucracy in World War II, a military
spokesperson this week used an anti-American demonstration led by Al-Sadr and
his Madhi Army in civilian guise calling for an end to the American presence as
apparently the latest rationale for the Iraq War. With no sense of irony he
pointed out that four years ago such a demonstration under the Saddam regime
would not have been permitted. So, in
the final analysis, the reason for the war is to allow potential insurgents
against the American presence to yell their lungs out for the U.S. to get the
hell of their country.
·
While on the
subject of Al-Sadr it is apparent that he is starting to feel his oats with
this successful mobilization mentioned above. From this geographical and
political distance I make no presence to predict what the radical Shiite cleric
is up to. But Sadr has powerful Shiite friends in Iran. He seems to be tiring
of being the water boy for the current puppet government. He has what is
seemingly a reasonably disciplined force and he has been bloodied by the
Americans when he was in a weaker military position. Most importantly, he has a
mass base in Sadr City and its environs that will soon tire of having their
doors kicked down by every ugly American who passes by. This situation bears
watching.
·
I have on more
than one occasion mentioned that politics many times is a matter of timing. With
a look in the direction of American presidential electoral politics I note
that, beyond any rational calculation, Arizona Senator John McCain this week
went out of his way in a speech at the Virginia Military Institute to not only
support the Bush doctrine in Iraq but take credit for initiating it. Has anyone else noticed that when ANYONE,
including President Bush, defends the war it is done in some isolated military
outpost or other pro-military gathering like the VFW? I would hope they are afraid to go any other
place. But I digress. Why any candidate, even a war supporter, in the year 2007
would go out of his or her way to claim credit for this disaster is beyond me. Perhaps,
there is some truth to that ‘Manchurian Candidate’ charge due to McClain’s
years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. But wait, maybe McCain is just a sincere patriot
for the American Way? On a recent trip to a Baghdad market he stated that he
saw some real progress there toward the secure democratic solution that he
fervently desires. Of course, he was escorted by half the American troop
‘surge’ on his journey. Obama the “Charma” had some well earned fun commenting
on that one. Let me just say this. I recently went down to my local farmers’
market and I found no need for a military escort. That is a democratic norm in
my book. McCain, however, is presumably privy to more inside ‘dope’ than I am
so I will just let Obama have the day on that one.
·
Finally, I cannot
resist saying a little something about one Don Imus. I cannot say that I have
every listened to his radio show although I have heard plenty of others that are
as bilious as his appears to have been. I cannot say that I have any interest
in basketball, collegiate or professional, except to note that the Rutgers
women’s basketball team was something of a rag to riches story that everyone
can appreciate. I, however, can make a couple of observations. If the words
used by Imus on the public airwaves are indicative then you can imagine how
deeply racist and sexist the talk is around the water cooler. That itself would
come as no surprise. However, reportedly, his audience of an estimated two
million listeners is at its core composed of young and affluence listeners. An advertiser's
dream, to be sure. A nightmare for those of us trying to reach the youth in our
fight for socialism. Every time one of these ‘incidents’ occurs there is much
discussion about the aberrant behavior of the individual involved. True enough.
But, underneath that commonplace is a hard fact. This is a deeply racially
segregated society with enough sexism to drive the sane crazy. The hard truth is
that until we change the material social basis for every day existence these
‘incidents’ will continue unabated. I, moreover, as very comfortable with my
participation in the fight for socialism to insure that future. That fight
continues. In the meantime-Rutgers women’s basketball team well done, on and
off the court.
No comments:
Post a Comment