The history of the post 9/11 actions of the Bush Administration have yet to be written, delayed perhaps until Bush, Cheney, Rice and the other architects have shed this mortal coil. But the reality is well known to many. Bush & Cheney came into office planning to finish what they believed Daddy Bush left unfinished - the establishment of…
The history of the post 9/11 actions of the Bush Administration have yet to be written, delayed perhaps until Bush, Cheney, Rice and the other architects have shed this mortal coil. But the reality is well known to many. Bush & Cheney came into office planning to finish what they believed Daddy Bush left unfinished - the establishment of an American empire in Iraq and Iran. They ignored every warning sign left for them by the Clinton Administration that Al-Queda was a real and growing threat. They ignored repeated warnings from the FBI, the CIA and others. Their focus was on Iraq from the beginning. 9/11 gave them the excuse they needed. Off they went into Afghanistan to get Al-Queda and OBL. And they failed, perhaps out of incompetence, perhaps out of hubris, perhaps because with him still on the loose they could continue with their plan. So off they went into Iraq. They went looking for non-existent WMD. WMD that, had they been found, would still have had the Fedex labels attached from when Reagan shipped them in to fight the Iran-Iraq war. Finding no WMD, they went after Sadaam himself. With no plan? Oh, they had a plan, they would install an American Viceroy to rule Iraq as a pure neo-con, neo-liberal corporate paradise. But Bremmer surrounded himself with toadies and incompetents and the plan went to shit. Incompetence? Hubris? An excuse to throw money at the MIC? Whatever. It took Obama, and later Biden to finally extricate the US from the quagmire. But let's think about the result of that quagmire. Bin Laden got everything he wanted - a weakened and divided United States, morally and economically bankrupt. His 19 terrorists didn't do that. Bush, Cheney and the Republicans did that. And are still doing that today.
And if Netanyahu acts as we know he wants to act, Israel will end up morally and economically bankrupt, and likely abandoned by all of their friends except one - us. And we will be tarred with the Netanyahu brush.
Perfect analysis, Peter. Bush and Cheney's plan ended up being a recruitment program for jihadists throughout the world. Biden's current comments in support of Israel, with no mention of Israel's illegal occupation (and terrific suffering) inflicted on the Palestinians, is equally enraging.
It seems like Biden is beginning to understand that backing Netanyahu without regard to the Palestinians who will be killed in Gaza, and are being killed on the West Bank, may not be the best long term play. I think that's why we are seeing so many public statements cautioning against a ground invasion of Gaza. Given the backlash against anyone who makes public statements in support of Palestinian rights I'm not sure we are going to get much more. I've been saying it for years, being opposed to Netanyahu and his repression of the Palestinians is not antisemitic, it is anti-authoritarian.
Well put, Peter. But I think this has become a Lucha Libre match heading towards catastrophe. I think Biden needs to say basically what you've just said, and point out the dire outcomes that are possible, and get everyone to put their guns down for a talk.
Unless Biden acts fast I think he will lose any hope of being an honest broker as far as the Palestinians and the neighboring Arab countries are concerned. I am also very worried that we will see attacks on US interests both in the region and here at home because of the perception that Biden is backing Bibi unconditionally.
It seems to me that Biden is trying to thread the needle here: to show support for the Israeli people, the victims of this horrible attack, and also the Palestinian people, whom he has taken great pains to differentiate from Hamas. But I've been wrong plenty of times...
Thanks, Peter, for this thoughtful response. A hundred years from now, when the history of our decline is written, it will have been triggered by two dozen men with box cutters. We responded exactly like they wanted us to. I think Biden knows this, and sees the similarity of the situations, and that cooler heads prevail.
The history of the post 9/11 actions of the Bush Administration have yet to be written, delayed perhaps until Bush, Cheney, Rice and the other architects have shed this mortal coil. But the reality is well known to many. Bush & Cheney came into office planning to finish what they believed Daddy Bush left unfinished - the establishment of an American empire in Iraq and Iran. They ignored every warning sign left for them by the Clinton Administration that Al-Queda was a real and growing threat. They ignored repeated warnings from the FBI, the CIA and others. Their focus was on Iraq from the beginning. 9/11 gave them the excuse they needed. Off they went into Afghanistan to get Al-Queda and OBL. And they failed, perhaps out of incompetence, perhaps out of hubris, perhaps because with him still on the loose they could continue with their plan. So off they went into Iraq. They went looking for non-existent WMD. WMD that, had they been found, would still have had the Fedex labels attached from when Reagan shipped them in to fight the Iran-Iraq war. Finding no WMD, they went after Sadaam himself. With no plan? Oh, they had a plan, they would install an American Viceroy to rule Iraq as a pure neo-con, neo-liberal corporate paradise. But Bremmer surrounded himself with toadies and incompetents and the plan went to shit. Incompetence? Hubris? An excuse to throw money at the MIC? Whatever. It took Obama, and later Biden to finally extricate the US from the quagmire. But let's think about the result of that quagmire. Bin Laden got everything he wanted - a weakened and divided United States, morally and economically bankrupt. His 19 terrorists didn't do that. Bush, Cheney and the Republicans did that. And are still doing that today.
And if Netanyahu acts as we know he wants to act, Israel will end up morally and economically bankrupt, and likely abandoned by all of their friends except one - us. And we will be tarred with the Netanyahu brush.
Perfect analysis, Peter. Bush and Cheney's plan ended up being a recruitment program for jihadists throughout the world. Biden's current comments in support of Israel, with no mention of Israel's illegal occupation (and terrific suffering) inflicted on the Palestinians, is equally enraging.
It seems like Biden is beginning to understand that backing Netanyahu without regard to the Palestinians who will be killed in Gaza, and are being killed on the West Bank, may not be the best long term play. I think that's why we are seeing so many public statements cautioning against a ground invasion of Gaza. Given the backlash against anyone who makes public statements in support of Palestinian rights I'm not sure we are going to get much more. I've been saying it for years, being opposed to Netanyahu and his repression of the Palestinians is not antisemitic, it is anti-authoritarian.
Well put, Peter. But I think this has become a Lucha Libre match heading towards catastrophe. I think Biden needs to say basically what you've just said, and point out the dire outcomes that are possible, and get everyone to put their guns down for a talk.
Unless Biden acts fast I think he will lose any hope of being an honest broker as far as the Palestinians and the neighboring Arab countries are concerned. I am also very worried that we will see attacks on US interests both in the region and here at home because of the perception that Biden is backing Bibi unconditionally.
I think he's trying to do that behind the scenes. But we'll know soon enough...
Perfectly put, Peter.
It seems to me that Biden is trying to thread the needle here: to show support for the Israeli people, the victims of this horrible attack, and also the Palestinian people, whom he has taken great pains to differentiate from Hamas. But I've been wrong plenty of times...
Thanks, Peter, for this thoughtful response. A hundred years from now, when the history of our decline is written, it will have been triggered by two dozen men with box cutters. We responded exactly like they wanted us to. I think Biden knows this, and sees the similarity of the situations, and that cooler heads prevail.
Succinct analysis Peter.