I just heard Obama on a 60 Minutes interview avow that his first executive action would be to call together the Joint Chiefs of Staff and develop a plan to end the war in Iraq. He used plenty of qualifiers like "safely" to describe how the war would be ended. I hope he means to end the war and the qualifiers don't stretch the war out another four or eight years.
I plan to vote for Obama if I'm still above ground in November. The first reason I voted for him in the primary election was that I thought he was the candidate most likely to end the war, at least after it was clear Dennis Kucinich would not be on the ballot.
But I think we must be clear that voting is not a substitute for anti-war organizing, argument, protest or war resistance. There is profit in war and, therefore, almost never can there be a political solution. Public opposition to war can bring a Republican war to an end. Without opposition, the Democrats may well wage war without end. The structural incentives for war are too tempting for any party in power to resist.
If popular opinion really mattered in policy to end war, the 2006 elections should have made a difference, but they didn't.
This is the first time in two years I have thought the Democrats might win the 2008 election. I have dreading, but predicting, a McCain victory since last summer when he was still in the tank in the polls. I thought he would beat Hillary in November. The main factor I misjudged was Obama's internet fund raising. I thought by now a Republican propaganda machine would have dumped a half a billion dollars smearing anyone who had the misfortune to get the Democratic nomination. If Obama ends October spending more money than McCain the smearing is neutralized, or at least equalized. The other factor appears to be the timing of the collapse of capitalism for this September. I am not sure that is what is happening, but whatever is going on, it can't be good for Republicans. Even with McCain now making noises like Paul Sweeney, it seems incredible that anyone would believe him.
Back to Obama and the war. With a McCain presidency the need for an anti-war movement was clear (if the war is ever to end). With an Obama presidency, we should know by the end of January if the war will end. If not, the anti-war community should not give him a break because he is a Democrat.
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1 comment:
Unless you have a personal interest in this war, why protest a government action designed ultimately to protect your right to write stupid shit like this. Did you know last month there were more people killed on the streets of Detroit than were Soldiers killed in the war? Where are the protesters? Oh yea, the Democrat Mayor of Detroit was ridden out of town on a rail, which by the way received no attention, so maybe CNN just hasn’t gotten around to embedding reporters in The Detroit Theatre yet.
If you think Obama is going to do anything more than anyone else would do to cause an early end to this war then I’m an Arab Aviator. He’s an empty suit simply speaking to one of the many limited factions that make up the democrat party, and as always the little ducks fall in line.
Nobody likes war, but to use it as an excuse to try to put this clown in office and to advance party politics while ignoring the bigger picture is just not good enough for someone of your intellect.
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