[Marxism] The failure and possible ramifications of Bush's finesse of September 6, 2006

[Brian Shannon <Brian_Shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I saw part of a Charlie Rose interview with Ted Koppel today. The  
polished Koppel has become more and more unhinged--truth is I never  
paid attention to him; I am sure that others have long ago come to  
this conclusion.

Koppel said that at the time he fully believed that there were  
Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. He trained for his embedding of  
March 2003 with the Third Infantry which aggressively, he says,  
searched for WMD. And, of course, Koppel says that despite the  
mistake of invading Iraq, we must now stay there to create a stable  
ally. Why in the interests even of U.S. imperialism, a more stable  
ally couldn't be created by getting out, paying for the damage, and  
granting aid under the control of the Iraq people, he doesn't say.

Below is a useful analysis on the events that led to Bush's speech of  
September 6.

Despite the administration's attempt to wrap this all up and come out  
with a positive spin, the shift in the media has been dramatic.  
Almost all of the statements by national and world leaders and the  
emphasis in the media articles have been on the admission that there  
were secret torture centers in other countries. There is a push to  
reveal more about them. And so far the proffered administration  
resolution for Military Tribunals in order to trim the Hamdan decison  
has not been seen -- could they be adjusting this even further,  
wanting to avoid another fight and defeat?

And no one seems to care whether the "more aggressive" interrogations  
stopped some plots or not as Bush asserted. I am reminded of The Boy  
Who Cried Wolf. What did the townspeople think after the wolf finally  
appeared?

> At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't returned  
> to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the  
> boy. They found him weeping.
>
> "There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried  
> out, "Wolf!" Why didn't you come?"
>
> An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the  
> village.
>
> "We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said,  
> putting his arm around the youth, "Nobody believes a liar...even  
> when he is telling the truth!"
>
> http://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/boy.html

More severe versions have the sheep eaten by the wolf at leisure, but  
with the same moral lesson. Nobody believes a liar. Perhaps the  
earlier losses, emotional and productive, of running around for the  
boy and his sheep were not worth it. Terrorism, terrorism all the  
time. What about poverty, car accidents, pollution, global warming,  
and more?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out for the Democratic  
Party in the coming elections and in 2008. If the Republicans pull  
back and everyone basically ends up agreeing with Koppel, it may not  
help the DP as much as they expect. Many Republicans are on the same  
plate as the Democrats now. We can expect an emphasis on the culture  
wars instead of the war wars. With both parties holding similar  
positions on the Iraq war, there is a small opening for a determined  
Left. Of course, no significant organized Left exists. But some  
grouplets and perhaps the Green Party can take a marginal advantage.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/07/ 
AR2006090701582.html?sub=AR
OR http://makeashorterlink.com/?A1E826ABD

Brian Shannon



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