== Why would BushCo want to cancel the elections?

Think Bush wants to give up all that power, all those wars, all those illegal programs he's got going? I'm sure he doesn't, and I believe his calling off the elections is something to at least think about.

luminosso
--"by the way watch the silence of the Muslim community around the world,"

Thats right. How can they remain silent while we enable the slaughter of thousands of muslims ? Beats me. Either you are incredibly stupid or incredibly ignorant to believe that the 'silent' muslim majority should speak up and we will end the killing !! We are responsible for most of these situations in the middle-east and south asia. No amount of deflection can remove the stains from our bloody hands. Get used to it.

Why would BushCo want to cancel the elections? The two major parties front runners (Hillary and Rudi) are all part of the same cabal as Bush and Cheney and will continue his policies into their presidencies.

Anyone who thinks there's a difference really isn't paying close enough attention.

The only way Bush would cancel elections is if someone outside the circle (a Kucinich, Gravel or Paul) were to be in a position to win the presidency; however that is highly unlikely as the media and voting machines are all controlled by the same wealthy families that run America today.

Bush has issued more presidential signing statements/exceptions than all past presidents combined, the American Bar Association has been speaking dismally about this whole issue. We've got razor-wire protest cages at political conventions of both the corporate parties, warrantless eavesdropping, rumors of large lists of people, rollback of habeas corpus, extraordinary rendition, secret prisons, torture and mercenaries.

The logical next step for Bush and his opposition enablers indeed appears to be jailing of lawyers and progressives.

I disagree about the cancelling of elections, though. As I've written elsewhere, that would be a great risk -- and it would take more power to cancel elections than it would to set up a sham opposition. That would pacify (through placebo) probably as much as 25-75% of the country and keep the business engine turning, whereas cancelling elections outright would be bad for business and might send the country into civil war.

Unsure how the Second Amendment figures into it, though. Americans own more guns per capita than our friends in Scandinavia. But it doesn't seem to impress our politicians. Until the majority can pull its head out of its own backside, they'll only shoot themselves in their own foot if push comes to shove.

TheLorax

I have to agree with part of what RSJ says for several reasons. I don't think Bush-Cheney can overwhelm America with force, though they certainly might try to "suspend" the 2008 elections. I really think Americans would riot if they tried since so many people are placing their hopes in the the elections, and the Bush administration would come out the loser.

American citizens have more guns per capita than any other nation on earth. Where would the administration find enough troops to be able to overcome THIS many weapons? I think many Americans would use them if push came to shove.

Second, there's a strong spirit of "don't tread on me" aimed at the national government in many states, primarily the South and Western states. Local law enforcement in small towns in many areas wouldn't attack their own friends and families at the behest of Washington.

And last, a Bush "coup" is hardly likely to further the aims and objectives of American "big business", which is a powerful if somewhat hidden political entity with strongarm forces of their own if needed.

Don't fool yourself. Pakistan is a dry run for America. bush is letting Musharraf 'test the waters'.
A few lessons will be learned, changes will be made, and the USA will get the same treatment.

I don't doubt BushCo would like to 'pull a Musarraf' here in America but, what with the majority of Americans and a good portion of the military now against them, I don't think it's feasible. A few hundred thousand Blackwater-style mercenaries wouldn't be enough to contain a US population of 300 million; they can't even control the 24 million in Iraq, with the help of US troops.

BTW, I also heard the same dire predictions before the 2004 election.

Bush would like to do here exactly what Musharraf has done in Pakistan, and well may do it before the 2008 so-called election.

How ironic that Bush's puppet does exactly what Bush himself is dying to do.

"Obviously we are going to have to review the situation with aid, in part because we have to see what may be triggered by certain statutes," Ms Rice told reporters in Jerusalem."

LOL, Condi, no one with an IQ over 70 takes you seriously anymore.

Musharraf's takeover has "made in USA/Israel" written all over it. But the tighter Bush/Olmert tighten the lid on the Muslim pressure cooker, the more the temperature rises. When the lid finally blows, there may be casualties in the millions, not hundreds of thousands, and a fair number of them may be Americans/Israelis. A real wet dream for all Christian Zionists.

I think RSJ summed it up perfectly.

Also, AlexLawyer said it -- this is what Bush/Cheney plans to do right around USA election times. . .

I'm sure the White House is taking notes for future reference--"lessons learned."

Phase One: Musharraf cracks down and declares himself a dictator claiming if he doesn't stay in power it's national suicide.

Phase Two: Secretly armed by anti-US factions in Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and China, the radical Islamic tribesmen and Al Qaeda in northern Pakistan overthrow Musharraf's shaky regime. Pakistan becomes the first radical Muslim state with nuclear weapons.

Phase Three: Bush attacks Iran for aiding the coup in Pakistan. Shia Iraqi militias attack US troops in Iraq, slaughtering tens of thousands of Americans. Oil prices soar to $250 a barrel and Bush's oil cronies make enormous profits.

Phase Four: Pakistan attacks Israel with nukes; Israel responds in kind. Hundreds of thousands die; even more die later from radiation poisoning.

Phase Five: Muslim nations from Syria to Pakistan combine to drive out US influence in the region and destroy what's left of Israel. Oil hits over $500 a barrel and Bush's oil cronies get even richer.

Result: Bush nukes every Middle Eastern nation that opposes us, touching off World War III; the American economy collapses due to soaring oil prices, and Bush and his friends move into secret bunkers guarded by Blackwater to avoid the fallout, both the radioactive kind and that from his own citizens. China takes over what's left of America. Mission accomplished!

Burma now pakistan,afgahnistan do not even mention it,iraq in caos,Syria,Jordan,lebanon,Palestine{whatever is left},KSA,and all the arab small kindoms on the gulf coast, none of them is a real democracy, what show of our the results of our foreing policy and what a bunch of good old friends, by the way watch the silence of the Muslim community around the world, it is too bad that no cartoon was made of this new coup on the human rights,to get all the Muslims out on the streets.

With Islamic countries it almost always comes down to corrupt semi-secular dictators or Sharia-purists. Of course, in the case of Saudi Arabia we have both dictatorship and insanely strict Islamic law. Liberal democracy is simply untenable in an Islamic country, barring (so far) syncretic Indonesia. Of course, I'm no longer convinced liberal democracy is tenable in the U.S. either. Too many right-wingers want to give all power to the (Republican) Leader.

The Musharraf dictator had promised to step down two (three?) years ago and reneged because - guess why - the US wanted its tool of empire to remain in place.

Now remember, kids, Pakistan is a member of Baby Bush Duvalier's "Coalition of the Willing" which means they love us for our freedom. They are with "us" and against the "terrorists" (i.e. anyone who is not a member of the armed forces, Blackwater, or PNAC). This is what democracy looks like in a freedom-loving, Bush-family ally's country.

Washington has generously backed the general, sending him more than $10 billion in aid since 2001, mostly for the military.

In June, the Washington Post reported that "Pakistan policy is essentially being run from Cheney's office. The vice president…is close to Musharraf and refuses to brook any U.S. criticism of him."

Looks like Bush/Cheney are having continued trouble picking the best imperially complacent leaders for their foreign territories.

First they wanted to install the Shia in their phony Iraq oil-territorial government, and then they decided maybe to switch to the Sunnis --- which made the Shia nervous.

Second they wanted to have their territorial dictator, Musharraf running their Pakistan territory, then they started to back Bhutto --- which made Musharraf nervous.

God knows who the Bush/Cheney global corporate Empire want to have running the Iran oil-territory --- and they will probably switch back and forth from one hand-picked pawn to another.

For two guys and a dog running the world's only global corporate Empire, Bush and Cheney don't even seem to be able to do a good HR recruitment and commitment job in getting the right pawn in place in the outer territories.

Why the hell would the real ruling-elite of the global corporate Empire want these two putzes even in a phony 'figure-head' executive position at HQ 'Vichy America' ---- since they can't even run an Empire when it is delivered to them on a platter??

The global corporate Empire looks to need a more astute and polished CEO in the oval office.

Now where could the Empire find a really smooth-talking, polished, thoroughly studied and flawlessly prepared CEO to take the phony helm of their 'Vichy American' Empire?

"Well, JB, perhaps it is time to allow the peons the distration of a woman phony CEO for our well hidden global corporate Empire's phony seat of power."

hmmm... perhaps we'd better review our financial aid package...

But Bush calls Musharraf "my buddy", so it's all right. They're only going to "review" those billions the administration has in the pipeline for Pakistan, not cut them off. Don't be silly.