[Marxism] The lesser evil--Help [for U.S. imperialism] Is on the Way

[Brian Shannon <Brian_Shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

[Forty thousand more troops; double the number of special forces; he
fought for "Old Glory"; and he will continue to occupy Iraq "because we
have to" (and to build permanent military bases)]
_______

Now I know that there are those who criticize me for seeing
complexities, and I do, because some issues just aren't all that
simple. Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn't
make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn't make it so.
And proclaiming mission accomplished certainly doesn't make it so.

As president, I will ask the hard questions and demand hard evidence. I
will immediately reform the intelligence system so policy is guided by
facts, and facts are never distorted by politics. And as president, I
will bring back this nation's time-honored tradition: The United States
of America never goes to war because we want to, we only go to war
because we have to. That is the standard of our nation.

I know what kids go through when they are carrying an M-16 in a
dangerous place and they can't tell friend from foe. I know what they
go through when they're out on patrol at night and they don't know
what's coming around the next bend. I know what it's like to write
letters home telling your family that everything's all right when
you're just not sure that that's true.

As president, I will wage this war with the lessons I learned in war.
Before you go to battle, you have to be able to look a parent in the
eye and truthfully say: "I tried everything possible to avoid sending
your son or daughter into harm's way. But we had no choice. We had to
protect the American people, fundamental American values against a
threat that was real and imminent." So lesson number one, this is the
only justification for going to war.

And on my first day in office, I will send a message to every man and
woman in our armed forces: You will never be asked to fight a war
without a plan to win the peace.

I know what we have to do in Iraq. I know what we have to do in Iraq.
We need a president who has the credibility to bring our allies to our
side and share the burden, reduce the cost to American taxpayers,
reduce the risk to American soldiers. That's the right way to get the
job done and bring our troops home.

Here is the reality: That won't happen until we have a president who
restores America's respect and leadership so we don't have to go it
alone in the world.

And we need to rebuild our alliances, so we can get the terrorists
before they get us.

I defended this country as a young man and I will defend it as
president. Let there be no mistake: I will never hesitate to use force
when it is required. Any attack will be met with a swift and a certain
response. I will never give any nation or any institution a veto over
our national security. And I will build a stronger military. We will
add 40,000 active duty troops - not in Iraq, but to strengthen American
forces that are now overstretched, overextended and under pressure. We
will double our special forces to conduct terrorist [antiterrorist]
operations. And we will provide our troops with the newest weapons and
technology to save their lives and win the battle. And we will end the
backdoor draft of the National Guard and reservists.

To all who serve in our armed forces today I say help is on the way.

As president I will fight a smarter, more effective war on terror. We
will deploy every tool in our arsenal - our economic as well as our
military might; our principles as well as our firepower.
...

We need to make America once again a beacon in the world. We need to be
looked up to, not just feared.

We need to lead a global effort against nuclear proliferation, to keep
the most dangerous weapons in the world out of the most dangerous hands
in the world.

We need a strong military. And we need to lead strong alliances. And
then, with confidence and determination, we will be able to tell the
terrorists: You will lose and we will win. The future doesn't belong to
fear; it belongs to freedom.
...

You see that flag up there. We call her Old Glory. The Stars and
Stripes forever. I fought under that flag, as did so many of those
people who are here tonight and all across the country. That flag flew
from the gun turret right behind my head. And it was shot through and
through and tattered, but it never ceased to wave in the wind. It
draped the caskets of men that I served with and friends I grew up
with. For us that flag is the most powerful symbol of who we are and
what we believe in. Our strength. Our diversity. Our love of country.
All that makes America both great and good.
...

I learned a lot about these values on that gunboat patrolling the
Mekong Delta with Americans, you saw them, who come from places as
different as Iowa and Oregon, Arkansas, Florida, California. No one
cared where we went to school. No one cared about our race or our
backgrounds. We were literally all in the same boat. We looked out, one
for the other. And we still do.

extracts from John Kerry's Democratic Party Acceptance Speech, 7/29/04

from Brian Shannon


_______________________________________________
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism