Oct 24, 2023·edited Oct 24, 2023Liked by Greg Olear
Thank you, Greg. It is well-known AND documented how close the oil families of Saud and Bush were in each other's pockets, and piggy banks. Read more here:
*** House of Bush, House of Saud ***
The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties (back then)
Thank you, Greg. Honestly, the arrogance and ultra-elitism of the super-rich has doomed civilisation.
I read today that no matter what we do now, it's to late to save the West Antarctic ice sheet. This alone will raise sea levels around the world by about 3 feet (1m), not counting Greenland and other ice sheets.
40% of the earth's population lives less than 60 miles from an ocean. When seas rise and that population is displaced, where will they live? Billions are going to die 😢
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.
Greg, Your analysis is absolutely correct both historically and logically. But, how do we appease the innate desire of man for revenge and the blood lust that accompanies this terrible behavior? I wish I knew how to answer that question. Clans, tribes, and nations have been warring and killing each other since they crawled out of their caves and picked up a stick or a stone to avenge something. Mix in greed, lust, machismo, a quest for dominance, and I fear that we are all toast.
Greg, you left out an important part of what Bush said after 9/11: “Why don’t they like us?”
His apparent ignorance of the effects of U.S. foreign policy (or his hubris) brought us the extreme blowback of 20 years of futile wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If I were Islamic, living in a country surrounding Israel, and I heard Biden, with the top leaders of the Western Christian Judaic world, spout “their support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism and also call for all parties to keep within the bounds of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians….” without mention of what Israel has inflicted in their illegal occupation of Palestinian land… that would fill me with rage.
Can somebody please get the message through to him?!
Hey, Jeff, and the rest of the commenters here. Can anyone explain to me how it came to be that the U.S. lends unconditional support to Israel? I ask out of ignorance.
Thank god for President Biden!! Our daughter converted to Judaism while in college, refuses to read any American print or broadcast news about Israel. It’s not reliable mom. Can’t argue with that assessment. I see Putin went to China to do some ass kissing and DFG thinks Orban is Turkey’s leader! Anyway thanks Greg for your work.
One thing not mentioned is that President Obama nabbing bin Laden was not greeted w satisfaction in some quarters. Why? Bc as w Big Brother's eternal enemy Emmanuel Goldstein, to prosecute a forever-war & thus maintain its requisite security state, you need to not ever actually win.
Wow. I needed this review and reminders. It's terrifying to think what could happen in this climate, and with Putin and lesser terrorists with their eye on making havoc.
It's sad to see how the misinformation/disinformation about Biden's response has taken hold of the Arab community here in the Detroit area. Some Democratic local leaders here (luckily not all) are also adding fuel to that fire. The fact that Biden travelled to the war zone was about as strong of a warning statement to Netanyahu as you can get. The situation there is complex and I can't think of anyone else that I'd want as president in this situation.
The problem is that people are hearing what they want to hear and this division is exactly what Russia and Iran (Hamas backers) want.
Thanks for this, Rick. It's a good point...Biden going there was a warning to Bibi not to escalate. I think he has gone out of his way to be inclusive in his remarks, making sure to separate Hamas from Palestinians, etc. He's not going to denounce Israel a few days after that attack. What do people expect?
Two points: 1) The $5.7 trillion we spent on Iraq and Afghan doesn’t take into account the proximate and ongoing monetary and human costs of the deaths and injuries physical and psychological on all sides. Nevertheless, to put such an enormous amount of money in perspective, if one dollar = one mile, the number is the distance light travels through space in one year (1 light year), but only 1/4 of the way to the star—Proxima Centauri—nearest to our solar system. Our fastest rocket ever (394,736 mph) would take 1,640 years to cover the distance of 1 light year.
Imagine if we had spent the $5.7 trillion curing cancer, and making sure every human had access to potable water, among other non-belligerent actions. The long term value of the goodwill would have been far more valuable. 2) I agree 100% with Greg’s analysis. I have thought of one way for Israel to call out Hamas without furthering endanger Israeli soldiers or Palestinian civilians: unconditionally send fuel trucks clearly designated for sole use of the hospitals, especially the main hospital in Gaza. If Hamas allows the trucks go through to the hospitals, it’s a win-win for Israel and the Palestinian civilian population. However, if Hamas commandeers the trucks for their military purposes, the Palestinian people will know who did what, and it wouldn’t derail Israel’s ground incursion if they still decide to proceed.
One difference, it seems to me, between 9-11 and the Hamas attack on Israel is how far back in time, and how entrenched in the respective societies, is the mutual hatred between the Palestines and the Jews. America has its share of bigotry and xenophobia, of course, but we don’t have a country whose citizens all Americans hate. The Japanese, for example, bombed us, we nuked them, and we became strong allies and trading partners, all in my lifetime. I’ve heard it said that there will never be peace in the Israeli region until the whole area is reduced to nuclear glass. I don’t necessarily agree, and I hope that’s not true, but Israel could easily make the same mistakes we did and be at war for a long time.
One thing I've noticed, in all the stuff I've read after the attacks, is how much support the Israeli people are showing to Palestinian people and vice versa. Not the governments; the actual people. Maybe brand new leadership on both sides would help? The current regimes are more prone to escalate, unfortunately. Part of what makes Bibi so manifestly unfit to serve now.
Failed military intelligence is always regrettable. So is invading countries, and granting the Bin Laden family safe passage out of the US after 9/11, resulting in not catching Osama for ten years.
I will say, having read Steve Coll's book, the Bin Ladens who left were not fans of Osama's. Not that we shouldn't have at least questioned them, but I don't think it's quite as bad as it appears.
Thank you, Greg. It is well-known AND documented how close the oil families of Saud and Bush were in each other's pockets, and piggy banks. Read more here:
*** House of Bush, House of Saud ***
The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties (back then)
https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780743253376
Thanks, WIlliam. Also recommend Steve Coll's excellent book on the Bin Laden family.
Thank you, Greg. Honestly, the arrogance and ultra-elitism of the super-rich has doomed civilisation.
I read today that no matter what we do now, it's to late to save the West Antarctic ice sheet. This alone will raise sea levels around the world by about 3 feet (1m), not counting Greenland and other ice sheets.
40% of the earth's population lives less than 60 miles from an ocean. When seas rise and that population is displaced, where will they live? Billions are going to die 😢
And don’t forget wildlife. 🐧
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.
Excellent, Peter
Remember: Since Reagan, the primary tool of the GOP has been: FEAR
In 100 different ways, especially war and racism, Republicans respond to fear and run for apparent safety to the GOP.
But the cruelest part of this is that once bound to the GOP, the fear is only increased every single day.
It's the primary way the GOP holds power.
#GOPtraitors
Greg, Your analysis is absolutely correct both historically and logically. But, how do we appease the innate desire of man for revenge and the blood lust that accompanies this terrible behavior? I wish I knew how to answer that question. Clans, tribes, and nations have been warring and killing each other since they crawled out of their caves and picked up a stick or a stone to avenge something. Mix in greed, lust, machismo, a quest for dominance, and I fear that we are all toast.
If I could figure THAT out, we'd be getting somewhere. I wish I knew.
Greg, you left out an important part of what Bush said after 9/11: “Why don’t they like us?”
His apparent ignorance of the effects of U.S. foreign policy (or his hubris) brought us the extreme blowback of 20 years of futile wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If I were Islamic, living in a country surrounding Israel, and I heard Biden, with the top leaders of the Western Christian Judaic world, spout “their support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism and also call for all parties to keep within the bounds of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians….” without mention of what Israel has inflicted in their illegal occupation of Palestinian land… that would fill me with rage.
Can somebody please get the message through to him?!
Hey, Jeff, and the rest of the commenters here. Can anyone explain to me how it came to be that the U.S. lends unconditional support to Israel? I ask out of ignorance.
Israel is the only democracy in the region, and we have pledged our support since its founding in 1948.
Duh...thank you, Greg!
Excellent point, Jeff. It will be interesting to see how, and if, he speaks to that more as this continues.
I hated, back then, when people would say "The hate us for our freedoms." That was so patronizing and wrong.
If only things could go differently this time...
Thank god for President Biden!! Our daughter converted to Judaism while in college, refuses to read any American print or broadcast news about Israel. It’s not reliable mom. Can’t argue with that assessment. I see Putin went to China to do some ass kissing and DFG thinks Orban is Turkey’s leader! Anyway thanks Greg for your work.
Thanks, Christine. She's on to something...certainly Haaretz has been very useful, especially now.
One thing not mentioned is that President Obama nabbing bin Laden was not greeted w satisfaction in some quarters. Why? Bc as w Big Brother's eternal enemy Emmanuel Goldstein, to prosecute a forever-war & thus maintain its requisite security state, you need to not ever actually win.
Excellent point, Andrew. It did seem to throw some people off.
If memory serves, we were killing Bin Laden while Obama was roasting Trump at that White House Correspondents Dinner...
Wow. I needed this review and reminders. It's terrifying to think what could happen in this climate, and with Putin and lesser terrorists with their eye on making havoc.
Extremely terrifying.
It's sad to see how the misinformation/disinformation about Biden's response has taken hold of the Arab community here in the Detroit area. Some Democratic local leaders here (luckily not all) are also adding fuel to that fire. The fact that Biden travelled to the war zone was about as strong of a warning statement to Netanyahu as you can get. The situation there is complex and I can't think of anyone else that I'd want as president in this situation.
The problem is that people are hearing what they want to hear and this division is exactly what Russia and Iran (Hamas backers) want.
Thanks for this, Rick. It's a good point...Biden going there was a warning to Bibi not to escalate. I think he has gone out of his way to be inclusive in his remarks, making sure to separate Hamas from Palestinians, etc. He's not going to denounce Israel a few days after that attack. What do people expect?
Greg thanks for the good column today. And good comments. Particularly the historical comments.
However not much
NEW INFO.
As 5000 years of killing continues. Mostly in the name of some mythical thing, like Gods. Pick one.
And
I posted on Truscotts blog a few times, "no ground invasion of Gaza."
And agree with such strategy as posted here.
Meanwhile Wasabbism continues to buy up hay fields in the name of their mythical dude to install Mohammedism.
Fearful China is attempting to stifle such.
Putin is trying to save his butt by snuggling up to XI. The short story is the human world is at war. Meanwhile nature is taking its revenge.
The future appears bleak.
Survivors may end up being a few folks in caves in Afghanistan and Elon Musk and families on Mars.
If any, right Elizabeth?
"Blessed are the poor
For they shall inherit the earth.
Better to be poor than be a fat man in the eye of the needle."
And as these words were spoken, I swear
I hear the old man laughing.
"What good is a used-up world and how can it be worth having?"
-Sting, "All This Time"
Thanks, Cal!
Two points: 1) The $5.7 trillion we spent on Iraq and Afghan doesn’t take into account the proximate and ongoing monetary and human costs of the deaths and injuries physical and psychological on all sides. Nevertheless, to put such an enormous amount of money in perspective, if one dollar = one mile, the number is the distance light travels through space in one year (1 light year), but only 1/4 of the way to the star—Proxima Centauri—nearest to our solar system. Our fastest rocket ever (394,736 mph) would take 1,640 years to cover the distance of 1 light year.
Imagine if we had spent the $5.7 trillion curing cancer, and making sure every human had access to potable water, among other non-belligerent actions. The long term value of the goodwill would have been far more valuable. 2) I agree 100% with Greg’s analysis. I have thought of one way for Israel to call out Hamas without furthering endanger Israeli soldiers or Palestinian civilians: unconditionally send fuel trucks clearly designated for sole use of the hospitals, especially the main hospital in Gaza. If Hamas allows the trucks go through to the hospitals, it’s a win-win for Israel and the Palestinian civilian population. However, if Hamas commandeers the trucks for their military purposes, the Palestinian people will know who did what, and it wouldn’t derail Israel’s ground incursion if they still decide to proceed.
Thanks, John. I wish Bush had used the moment to pivot to get us off fossil fuel. He didn't, and humanity may not survive. Whoops.
That's a great idea about the oil trucks.
One difference, it seems to me, between 9-11 and the Hamas attack on Israel is how far back in time, and how entrenched in the respective societies, is the mutual hatred between the Palestines and the Jews. America has its share of bigotry and xenophobia, of course, but we don’t have a country whose citizens all Americans hate. The Japanese, for example, bombed us, we nuked them, and we became strong allies and trading partners, all in my lifetime. I’ve heard it said that there will never be peace in the Israeli region until the whole area is reduced to nuclear glass. I don’t necessarily agree, and I hope that’s not true, but Israel could easily make the same mistakes we did and be at war for a long time.
Good point, Earl.
One thing I've noticed, in all the stuff I've read after the attacks, is how much support the Israeli people are showing to Palestinian people and vice versa. Not the governments; the actual people. Maybe brand new leadership on both sides would help? The current regimes are more prone to escalate, unfortunately. Part of what makes Bibi so manifestly unfit to serve now.
Failed military intelligence is always regrettable. So is invading countries, and granting the Bin Laden family safe passage out of the US after 9/11, resulting in not catching Osama for ten years.
End #EndlessWars ☮️ #Bring’emHome!
Well put.
I will say, having read Steve Coll's book, the Bin Ladens who left were not fans of Osama's. Not that we shouldn't have at least questioned them, but I don't think it's quite as bad as it appears.
I’m sure they would have been perfect hostages to get us to Osama sooner.
It’s WEDNESDAY🎉⚖️🤪