Georgia & Russia Conflict and Missile Defense In Europe

More on the Georgia - Russia crisis and the Missile Defense Deal with Poland, from PRI. Check Audio Report. The lunacy of U.S. Foreign policy in Europe is unbelievable.

As I have stated on this blog numerous times, the expansion of NATO (the growth of Empire) and the fanatical drive to place missile interceptors in former Warsaw Pact territory makes absolutely no sense.... not militarily, not economically, and not politically.

More from NPR

The Drum Major Instinct

I was going through my archives and ran across one of my favorite MLK Sermons - The Drum Major Instinct. This speech never gets old. With everything going on in the World, it always seems to be on target. Take a listen from one of my previous posts.

Unfortunately Barack Obama just doesn't seem to get it. John McCain? I don't expect him to get it... but I have been disappointed to learn over the last several months just how much Obama doesn't get it. (i'll be posting on that soon).

I wonder what MLK would think of Barack Obama if he were still with us. He would probably be o.k. with many of Obama's domestic policies.... but I am sure that MLK would have problems with Obama's hawkish foreign policy positions.

Fighting Breaks Out In Georgia

The U.S. and the Russians Are Once Again In A Standoff in Europe - Thanks to the Bush Administration

Conflict has erupted in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Georgian troops have attempted to reclaim the breakaway territory of South Ossetia. South Ossetia is a small enclave of about 70,000 people that is culturally & economically connected more with Russia. The breakaway region, backed by Russia, wants independence. Abkhazia is another region that wants to break from the Georgian government.

On the other side is Georgia, backed by the United States. The Georgian government does not want to give up control of the South Ossetia region. The U.S. has been ignoring warning signs of a conflict for months. In fact, the U.S. has been an instigator, escalating tensions. Ironically, this is all taking place as the Olympic Games are starting in Beijing. Leave it up to Bush and the United States to screw up the Olympics. Almost everywhere the U.S. goes, it brings nothing but war, chaos and trouble. This is why the U.S. is a growing pariah in the World. The U.S. couldn't even agree to call an end to the fighting at the UN. And it's ironic that Bush lectures the Chinese and other Countries about Democracy, freedom and allowing self determination, yet at the very moment that the U.S. is giving these lectures, it does not support self determination for the people of South Ossetia. This is despite pushing for Kosovo Independence. It is clear that U.S. political leaders only support freedom and self determination when it is convenient.

I have warned several times before that this was one of the biggest hotspots in the World. It is more volatile than the Korean DMZ in terms its likelihood for conflict...and it could have global consequences. Russian troops patrol the disputed region and thousands of U.S. troops are in Georgia. This could get as ugly as Berlin.... maybe worse. In Berlin, conflict was averted. We seem to be already past that threshold in Georgia. It's amazing how a tiny region of just 70,000 people could have the potential to create a regional conflict that could impact so many others. Remember WWI began over nonsense and it ended up being one of the most costly wars in human history, killing millions upon millions of people. And nations ended up in a stalemate.... gaining very little if anything that was worth the cost.

The Georgian conflict is another example of the U.S. being asleep at the wheel. The incompetence and recklessness of the Bush Administration exacerbates these conflicts, and has wasted so many lives already. Will we survive the next 6 months of this administration? Will we survive the policies of the next President? Who knows. My confidence that we will come out o.k. keeps eroding from one week to the next. But U.S. foreign policy has to change. In the Georgian conflict, the U.S. has allowed the Georgians to dictate policy, potentially at our expense, and even when it is not in our interests. It's another case of U.S. foreign policy decisions being made by foreign Presidents and Prime Ministers...and we simply follow along.

This latest conflict centers around oil and oil transit routes. The U.S. and Russia are competing for defacto control of the region so that they can control the flow of the regions natural resources. Another reason why the U.S. needs to end its dependence on foreign energy. The U.S. has few compelling, overriding interests in Georgia. Yet we sent a few thousand U.S. troops there after 9/11 under the guise of terrorism. The U.S. promised the Russians and other nations that U.S. troops would be out by now, but the Bush Administration did not keep its word. As a result, we have a situation that some analysts had feared...a new Cold War front.

See More Information About Georgia and the Roots of the Current Conflict

War Drums Beating Again For Iran Attack?

Did Israel let the Cat out of the bag about the Bush Administrations plans for Iran?

I hope this is just more fluff, designed to get Irans attention. I believe that the window of opportunity for an attack against Iran has passed. The latest optimal time would have been late last year or earlier this year. It just doesn't make sense to launch an attack at this point. We are well into an election year. Such a move would have unclear, but serious consequences, both domestically and internationally. Domestically, it could either harm the Republican candidate, or increase Republican support (which tends to happen for the office holders Party in wartime). But an increase in support for Bush or McCain is very unlikely in this case.

In addition, the U.S., being tied up in Iraq, does not have enough troops on standby to blunt an aggressive Iranian counter-attack, once airstrikes commence. So an attack under these conditions would be a case of outright recklessness and stupidity. But that's nothing new for Bush and the Republicans. The U.S. can't hold ground in Iraq with 150,000 troops, and the neocons want to attack a Country that is three times the size and population of Iraq? The U.S. would need 200,000 to perhaps 250,000 troops just to contain a counter-attack and push the Iranians back (That's on a good day).

Internationally, the consequences could be grave. Iran would almost certainly use Iraq and Lebanon as fronts in any confrontation. It would put U.S. troops and allies at serious risk. Any conflict could also draw in regional powers like Russia, Israel, etc. Such a conflict could spread quickly like a wildfire....with no one being able to control it. This is a very bad environment to fight a war in because there are so many flashpoints.... no clear red lines anywhere....all the red lines are blurred.

This would also be a stupid time for an attack considering that the Iranian government is domestically unpopular right now. Attacking Iran would be a gift for the Iranian leadership because it would rally their people to support them (and they will do so by the millions). It would be a lot better to talk to Iran, re-establish UN monitoring of nuclear facilities, provide a boost to nuclear negotiations (with UN leadership) and quietly work with the people of Iran. The same revolution that brought the Mullahs to power is the same revolution that could remove them. Why anger the Iranian people (many of whom are pro-Western....not so much in terms of politics, but in terms of culture). Ordinary Iranians are this Country's greatest asset.

Lastly, I see no signs of any immediate confrontation. There are no Aircraft Carriers steaming towards the Persian Gulf in unusually large numbers. A serious attack would require at least 3-4 Carrier battle groups, considering that Iran has a considerable military capability (as compared to other countries in the region). Keep in mind that the U.S. used 6 Carrier battle groups against Iraq in 1991...and Iran is a nation 3 times the size of Iraq, in land and in population size...and has a military capability that is larger than what Saddam Hussein had at that time.
It should also be noted that few Countries, if any, will be willing to help the U.S. in any kind of Bush neocon military adventure in Iran.

The problem with the above is that it is a common sense assessment. The Bush administration doesn't operate under any common sense assumptions. Bush & Co. has always done things that simply don't make sense in the real world. We are not dealing with normal people. That's what is scary.

Political Cartoon Roundup

Goldwater Republicrat Billary Clinton Can Count On Support From Ann Coulter

...If McCain Wins the Republican Nomination

Amy Goodman Talks With Author Craig Unger

Amy Goodman interviews Craig Unger about his new book "The Fall of the House of Bush: The Untold Story of How a Band of True Believers Seized the Executive Branch, Started the Iraq War, and Still Imperils America’s Future”.

In the book, Unger goes into detail about the philosophical tensions between those supporting George H.W. Bush and those supporting George W. Bush. Unger's analysis basically supports what other observers have suggested... that the Neo-Conservatives in essence hijacked George W. in order to push the PNAC (Project For a New American Century) and Religious Right agendas. Unger spells out the clear differences between the two camps, and also points out Dick Cheney's flip flopping on Iraq and on how the U.S. should project power in the Middle East.

Read excerpts of the book here.

Watch/Hear Interview

Giuliani's Foreign Policy Approach

Click Image To Enlarge

Neocon Bill Kristol Calls Cutting Child Healthcare A Good Idea

Republican Party Spokesman Bill Kristol: “Heartless Assault On Children” Is “A Good Idea”

Giuliani Advisor Norman Podhoretz Too Scared To Debate

Hear a whacky discussion with pro-war neoconservative Norman Podhoretz. During the program, Podhoretz argues that we are in World War IV. He is under the false assumption that we can fight a war against an ideology using Conventional military power. But this will not work, cannot work and has already proven to be a failure.... yet he repeats the mantra over and over.

He is calling for war with Iran, thinking that Air Strikes will do just fine. He seems oblivious to the fact that the U.S. would need 500,000 troops on stand by just in case the aerial bombing doesn't quite work out as planned, or in case Iran launches a major Counter attack. Where would the U.S. get these 500,000 extra troops? We definitely would not have any significant help from an international coalition. No nation, besides Israel, is foaming at the mouth, eager to go into Iran.

I have said it a million times, you cannot defeat an ideology with tanks, bomber planes, and Aircraft Carriers. In fact, you may only make the problem worse. The U.S. has strengthened its enemies, via this John Wayne, Cowboy foreign policy. The war in Iraq and the U.S. over-reliance on military power to solve its problems, has been a gift to Al Qaeda and other Jihadi movements around the World. Yet, Podhoretz and his fellow pro-war neocons, either fail to see this fact, or choose to ignore it.
He seems to be oblivious to the fact that terrorism has skyrocketed since 9/11 and since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003.

During the program Podhoretz also runs from any serious debate with the other panelists. In fact, one of the pre-conditions for his appearance on the program was that he would not debate other panelists...and that he would not even appear with the other guests. He had to be brought on separately.

He makes a ton of whacky claims during the discussion.... I could not count all of them. But a few that stand out are- He tries to compare the current "War on Terror" with the Cold War. Of course there is no real comparison. He also goes on to predict that George W. Bush will one day be considered one of the nations greatest Presidents. He also claims that the War on Terror is going pretty good. WHAT?????? lol

Why should you be concerned about this man? Because this is a top foreign policy advisor to the Republican Presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani.... who has a good chance of becoming the next President. A Giuliani Presidency would be worse than what we currently have. I never thought we would be on the brink of something worse than the Bush Administration. But here we are.

The other guests come on later and begin clearing up some of Podhoretz's nonsense.

The other guests were:

--Christopher Dickey, Middle East Regional Editor and Paris Bureau Chief for Newsweek Magazine

--Gen. William Odom, a retired Army Lt-General, Director of the National Security Agency from 1985 to 1988 and Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence for the US Army from 1981 to 1985. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a professor (political science) at Yale University.

This is a must hear interview.

LISTEN

Bush & Co. Pushing For War With Iran

Bush Administration Is Determined to Launch a War With Iran Before Term Ends.

The Effort Appears to Be Led By Neo-Con Dick Cheney. A Man Who Ironically Never Served (avoided service) his Country in Battle is Itching to Send Americas Sons and Daughters To War.


From the Guardian

The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned.

The shift follows an internal review involving the White House, the Pentagon and the state department over the last month. Although the Bush administration is in deep trouble over Iraq, it remains focused on Iran. A well-placed source in Washington said: "Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo."

The White House claims that Iran, whose influence in the Middle East has increased significantly over the last six years, is intent on building a nuclear weapon and is arming insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The recent PR blitz by Bush & Co. to blame Iran for the disaster in Iraq has been part of a campaign to prepare the American Public for a new war. This report appears to confirm that this is the policy of the Bush administration, even amid signs that negotiations are having some positive impact.

More from the report….

The Washington source said Mr Bush and Mr Cheney did not trust any potential successors in the White House, Republican or Democratic, to deal with Iran decisively. They are also reluctant for Israel to carry out any strikes because the US would get the blame in the region anyway.

"The red line is not in Iran. The red line is in Israel. If Israel is adamant it will attack, the US will have to take decisive action," Mr Cronin said. "The choices are: tell Israel no, let Israel do the job, or do the job yourself."

Once again, the White House is putting the interests of Israel above the interests of the American people. One of the driving forces behind the foolish U.S. approach towards Iran appears to be the security of Israel. But are Americans willing to create a disaster with a magnitude several times worse than Iraq just to calm the nerves of Israelis? I don’t think the American public would vote for this if they actually lived in a Democracy and had a choice.

No decision on military action is expected until next year. In the meantime, the state department will continue to pursue the diplomatic route.

I am not so sure that I would buy into the idea that Bush & Co. would start another war in 2008. I have always thought that if we reached 2008 without anything happening that a war with Iran would be less likely during Bush’s term. Unless Iran does something dramatic to provoke a U.S. attack, then I don’t see this changing. It would do more harm than good for the Republicans. Although Bush and Cheney no longer have anything to work for in terms of a legacy and are not running for re-election, I can’t imagine that they would be willing to do such extreme harm to their Party in an election year.

Unless Americans see an imminent threat from Iran, I don’t believe that they would support another war. But then again, Bush & Co. are experts at fooling the American people to support just about anything. If the neo-cons used their influence over Americas corporate media, they would not have much trouble selling a new war, even in the aftermath of the war in Iraq. Telling the American public that Iran is responsible for the disaster in Iraq is a good place for the brainwashing to start…. It remains to be seen if the American public will swallow this PR campaign hook, line and sinker like they did leading up to the war in Iraq.

(Source)

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Democracy Now has more on this story.

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