War Cost Is the Real Danger to Our Security
The presumptive Republican nominee for president, John McCain, has positions on several issues that would make him a far better president than the current occupant of the White House.
But on the one big issue that continues to tear at this nation’s fabric and turned us into a worldwide pariah, he’s just as bad, if not worse, than George W. Bush.
McCain peddles the same hokum that Bush has espoused since he acquiesced to the demands of the cabal of neocons in his administration. It’s no wonder that the president endorsed him before last Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary.
Remarkably, it will be five years — five long years — next month since Bush ordered the attack on Iraq under the pretense that Saddam Hussein not only harbored terrorists, but posed a threat to the United States because he had weapons of mass destruction.
Both claims, of course, were lies. The result has been thousands of U.S. deaths, tens of thousands of Iraqi deaths, many of them innocent civilians, and hundreds of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars that are so needed in many other places these days — like ensuring that bridges on our interstate highways don’t fall down.
But John McCain not only buys into more of the same, but feels we ought to increase our military numbers in Iraq, plus says that we need to keep our troops there even if it takes 100 years.
And his reason? Because we can’t “lose” the war against al-Qaida. If we leave, like the Democrats want to do, he insists that the message to the rest of the world would be devastating and America’s security would be gravely jeopardized.
Really?
The war in Iraq, unfortunately, hasn’t been against al-Qaida, the sleazy terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Instead of putting a full court press on Osama bin Laden’s bandits as they fled to Pakistan, we decided instead to trump up a war on Iraq.
By attacking and then occupying Iraq and deposing Saddam, we unleashed centuries-old sectarian hatred that quickly devolved into civil war and continues to have our troops caught in the middle. Yes, there are al-Qaida cells there now because they grabbed the opportunity to demonize the United States and help make things as miserable for us as they could.
As long as we stay in Iraq, they will continue fomenting death and violence, using the U.S. occupation as a foil and getting support and sympathy from Iraqis who want us to leave.
There’s every reason to believe that if we leave, the Sunnis, the Shiites and the Kurds will themselves turn against al-Qaida, an organization that has never had much favor in that country. Plus, it’s reasonable to believe that neighboring countries like Syria and Turkey — and even Iran — will help the Iraqis. None of them wants to see al-Qaida gain traction in the region. None of that will happen, though, if we continue to stay.
If John McCain is concerned about America’s security being put in jeopardy if we leave, he’d be better off worrying about what the escalating costs of the Iraq war are doing to the U.S. economy.
This nation cannot continue going deeper and deeper in debt, passing on our obligations to our kids and grandkids, and expect the country to remain strong and ready.
That’s where the real danger to our security lies.
Dave Zweifel is editor emeritus of The Capital Times, where his column regularly appears.
© 2008 Capital Newspapers
Both claims, of course, were lies. The result has been thousands of U.S. deaths, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths, ALL of them innocent
the economic insecurity we face due to future obligations in iraq will cripple us……..and the noecons still aim at their own feet…….
But both Clinton and Obama are in favor of increasing the military madness.
Dems: What about the Military Budget?
William D. Hartung | February 21, 2008
http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/5009
So, with either it will be Coke v. McCain’s Pepsi.
I want the un-cola.
Actually jerrys, the feet the neocon’s are hitting include your own. They don’t seem to be very good shots, perhaps better shots than Dickless; but that ain’t sayin anything good.
The real question is why the neocons want to build a situation in the usa that will lead to a real revolution. There’s no way that the yank’s are going to be happy with the economic devastation that has been unleashed by those bozos, and no revolution goes as planned.
The neocons want a real revolution to finish the fascist takeover and finish the enslaving of the american workforce.
They have their own mercenary armies - trained and paid for by the US and battlehardened in Iraq.
They have rammed thru all kinds of martial law acts along with funding detention camps and increasing SWAT team armed conflict capabilities and funding Infragard-FBI-Homeland Security alliance to also be an armed force to protect infrastructure from the ‘rabble’.
Well, Nader is now an option.
Unfortunately, skippyagogo41, the neocons or (whomever may be behind them)might already have their ducks in a row and any revolution because of the economic devastation would be quelled before it ever got off the ground.
I’ve been thinking a lot about McCain (he was my choice in ‘00, but not now), and wonder if he made a deal with the devil, and has made a 180% turn, or if he’s going along like he really has made that turn, and if elected, will go back to the way he was in ‘00. It isn’t anything I’d bet on though.
This is THE critical issue of the era, put into its proper perspective. ARE YOU LISTENING, Mr. Obama?
Curmudgeon99 is right on. We know about all that, but what have they put in place that remains secret?
Anybody see the demonstration of the LIGHT “weapon” that’s been developed? Not only does it blind you, it causes you to become disoriented, and can cause severe brain disfunction if it’s kept on you long enough. My imagination sees all kinds of uses for it in the future.
Are you suggesting that we should stop borrowing money to guarantee that we can continue our (unconscious) effort to destroy civilization with our climate destabilization plan?
Isn’t it obvious to every Common Dreams reader that the invasion and occupation of Iraq were never about WMDs?
It’s about the oil, and Exxon’s about to get it. Plus, look at our giant bases in the Middle East, allowing US to project its imperialist power more easily.
And you think you can reason the US ruling class into leaving?
Yeah, right.
“The war in Iraq, unfortunately, hasn’t been against al-Qaida, the sleazy terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Instead of putting a full court press on Osama bin Laden’s bandits as they fled to Pakistan, we decided instead to trump up a war on Iraq.”
Oh, wow. I missed that at first. Look. The line that al-Qaida attacked the US on 9-11 and that we should stick to attacking them has been changed! The line used to say that we needed to attack Afghanistan, not Iraq. Now it’s subtly changed to Pakistan, not Iraq. This must be preparation for a new war.
9-11 was an inside job, and it did it’s job. Now we are engaged in a great civil war against our own freedoms and to further the neocons dream of ruling the earth. We here are the opposition in America, fighting the neocons in their own country. The future of the world depends on us.
If it was al-Qaida that attacked the World Trade Center and the Petagon–IF–they had a whole lot of inside help. Let’s use a bit of logic here…the greatest military power in the world can’t defend it’s own capital city and premier international city in the world’s busiest, most closely monitored air corridor with the most advanced air warning and protection systems in place? Right…
Let’s see, who’s profiting off of 9/11 and its bastard child the Afghanistan/Iraq War? (1) The Texas-American Petroleum Mafia, (2) the Military/Industrial War Machine, and various war profiteers with known ties to the Bush* Family Evil Empire.
And HELLO, is anyone keeping track of all the *amazing* cheney*/bush* coincidences, or how about the “suspicious” suicides and other convenient, coincidental deaths? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to overlook all the disinformation and reach logical conclusions. Granted, the American corporate-shill media has done everything in their power to focus America’s attention AWAY from any meaningful examination. Not to mention the cheney*/bush* mis-administration has done everything possible to curtail 9/11 investigation. One would think the Executive Branch of the American government would be falling all over itself to investigate 9/11. No so! The only thing cheney*/bush* is falling all over is PREVENTING anyone from investigating 9/11. If not for the courage of people like The Jersey Girls, THERE WOULD BE NO INVESTIGATION.
Forgive me, I rant. John McCain is just another tool of the Military/Industrial Complex. Like bush* but older. The last thing this country needs is another warmonger in the White House.
If some of you posters are right about the present dictatorship setting us up for a fascist takeover, which I agree, looks possible, then we better get in gear to get them out and keep them out.
That means no one should vote for any Repub, and forget throwing away votes for Nader, no matter how wonderful he is. That leaves only one option to stop the wrecking of our country, which is pick your choice of Dem candidates and support them. They will at least try to cut down the occupation and get some troops home, and stick some taxes back where they were before Dubya, on the rich and the corporations.
I would imagine Zweifel’s career might mysteriously end if he dared to mention that McCain has major Zionist support. Joe “Iraq War Resolution” Lieberman and others are right there jerking McCain’s chain.
http://pittsburgh.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/24299.php
I would expect McCain to nuke Iran just to please his cronies and the oil industry.
And then there are the issues of McCain’s lack of functional intelligence as well as moral and mental disorders.
ETC.
I am still voting for Ron Paul. He is the only candidate calling for immediate withdraw from Iraq and pulling back our soldiers (I will no longer use the impersonal term troops, ex: tomb of the unknown troop) from places like Korea and Japan. Of all the original candidates both Democrat and Republican, Paul and Kucinich are the only ones not members of the “Council on Foreign Relations”.
Although I do not like many of his domestic policies a strong Democratic Congress will keep those in check. But as commander in chief he will have the power to pull the soldiers out of Iraq. He understands the damage the neocons are doing to this country and if the military/industrial complex is not brought under control the US might not survive economically.
“This nation cannot continue going deeper and deeper in debt, passing on our obligations to our kids and grandkids, and expect the country to remain strong and ready.”
Strong and ready for what ? Except for Pearl Harbour and Bombing of WTC ( I hate the hackneyed “9/11″ ) America has not been threatened by a foreign invasion since 1776 .
As far as obligations , Africa-Americans and Native Americans passed on their “obligations” to their kids and grandkids in the form of slavery and genocide for more than three centuries . That’s what I call real debt .
Holy smokes , I’m a Canadian and I’ve got a more realistic understanding and appreciation for American history than this so-called progressive poster , Dave Zweifel.
If Canadians continue to “buy” the lie of a necessary stay-the-course in Afghanistan then , correspondingly , our descendents deserve to be and will be saddled with the expense .
We do not need to go into debt to finance any war, we just have to issue our own money. The inflation we fear so much is the tax you pay today. Debt is what you leave your children to pay when you leave. We have chosen debt, but may have to live with debt and high inflation, when neither would be required if we controlled our money instead of the international financiers who are part of the Anglo-American globalist elite seeking global domination.
Also, the oil in Iraq and poppy in Afghanistan make the war very profitable, too bad we can not share in the profits, the profits stay in Big Oils and our government drug dealers tax haven accounts.
The biggest threat to our security is Big Brother. Check this out.
http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=403d90d6-7a61-41ac-8cef-902a1d14879d&k=14984
Canada has agreed to help out and send troops to the US should the people get a little, shall I say, riled. What might do that? Depression, Food shortage, both. All the signs are there. The looming economic crisis has been discussed in detail. But there are signs of food shortages of rice and wheat already in Asia. The GM seeds and the agribusiness control of the worlds food which have resulted in reduced food stocks, and are working their magic, right now you see only rising food prices, and perhaps the US will not experience the shortages the rest of the world will see, although we now import more food than we export, and hyperinflation might make the food available unaffordable. This is not an accident of nature.
For the tiny fraction of people who actually pay attention to real events — those, for instance, who know the difference between Narnia and Kandahar — the final hours of 2007 leading into the fog-shrouded abyss of 2008 must induce great racking shudders of nausea. Has there ever been a society so exquisitely rigged for implosion?
Will the US continue to find lenders willing to continue loaning money for the Iraq occupation for the next 100 years?
If not, count on a lot more bridges falling down as the US continues spiraling down into the thierd world with 1% of the population owning everything and 99% of the population paying all the taxes and living in poverty.
War Cost Is the Real Danger to Our Security
Exactly, I think it’s a done deed. The longer the occupation goes on the weaker we will get. The main question is, is this just the result of stupid and evil leadership or are we intentionally being destroyed by either domestic or foreign interests who have usurped the control of our government.
They are destroying us at the same time they are brutalizing and destroying Iraq and Afghanistan. Our [leaders] are insane and our congress and courts have knuckled under. We are just along for the ride.
Go take a look at this series of documentarys.
JFKII to Bush
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=26CaVAy6vxU
You have no idea how ingrained the neocons are or how much damage they can do…have done.