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Am back after extended absence, at
least for awhile.
I would note that we have not yet
seen the full text of Woflowitz's
remarks. That will matter a lot.
He is a true neocon, once a backer of
JFK, etc. and I think
very focused on the interests of Israel. Iraq was no
threat to US
national security at all, but it certainly was to Israel's or
could have
been if let out of its box. Interestingly Wolfowitz was
booed at some
AIPAC or similar rally when he suggested that Israel would
have to
stop its settlements. I think he saw the bottom line as
"knock off
Saddam" and then Israel can be coaxed into a peace agreement
in
its own long-term self interest. It looks like the play
on that is now
on, but most are not too optimistic. So, Wolfie may be
feeling a bit
frustrated.
Barkley Rosser
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 5:08
PM
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] The truth leaks
out
At 2003-06-04 14:25 -0400, you wrote:
Devine, James wrote:
This isn't a matter of the truth "leaking
out," since it was open and
above-board, coming from a major player in
the administration. Rather,
given this context, it's an _expression_ of
extreme arrogance: "we did it
for the oil, but so what? we've got the
power and resistance is futile."
Yes, you are right.
This is an _expression_ of extreme arrogance.
It also brings to
mind the apparently paradoxical _expression_ "right wing marxists".
I do not
mean liberal reformist marxists, which many of us might be accused of being. I
mean right wingers who analyse the class and other forces as analytically as
any marxist would wish, and use this to fight for a scientific sort of
repression and exploitation.
I noted the explanatory note the Guardian
put at the bottom of the article Louis Proyect quoted and thought I would look
up Paul H Nitze, to see what sort of foundation gave Wolfowitz his
springboard.
This produced the following link to a fascinatingly frank
interview which begins:
INTERVIEW WITH AMBASSADOR PAUL H NITZE -
6/12/95
Q:
1945. How seriously was it thought that there would be a real collapse of the
world economy and Communist take-overs in Italy, France...? Was this seriously
thought likely to happen?
A:
It was very, very seriously thought likely to happen, yes. I myself thought
the danger was high. That was a bad winter all together. It was cold and the
crops were bad, people were unhappy, and the Communists were making strenuous
gains here, there and the other place, particularly in Italy and in France,
but also in Germany. And I think the majority view was that the Communists
would soon be in command of - in Italy; that the - and that France would be
next; then Germany would be third; perhaps England, with a Socialist
government rather than a Communist government, would be fourth; and that that
was enough to kind of swing the balance that the United States might be left
isolated with a Communist Europe and United States a long distance away, busy
taking care of its own interests.
etc http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/coldwar/interviews/episode-2/nitze1.html
Chris
Burford
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