In March 2007, Andy described George W. Bush's endorsement of such "preventive wars" as "immoral, illicit, and imprudent." --- I tend to agree. But let's not forget who pushed the agenda through every since GH Bush ... Paul Wolfowitz and Scooter Libby (aka I.Lewis Liebowitz)
Wolfowitz Doctrine is an unofficial name given to the initial version of the Defense Planning Guidance for the 1994–99 fiscal years (dated February 18, 1992) authored by U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Paul Wolfowitz and his deputy Scooter Libby. Not intended for public release, it was leaked to The New York Times on March 7, 1992, and sparked a public controversy about U.S. foreign and defense policy. The document was widely criticized as imperialist as the document outlined a policy of unilateralism and pre-emptive military action to suppress potential threats from other nations and prevent any other nation from rising to superpower status. they're agenda was a veiled attempt to protect israel ... it must be abolished On Jun 3, 1:23 pm, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: > How America Screws Its SoldiersbyAndrew J. BacevichEveryone claims to > “Support Our Troops.” But as Andrew J. Bacevich explains, telling the > military it can do whatever it wants works for everyoneexcept for the > soldiers themselves.Riders on Boston subways and trolleys are accustomed to > seeing placards that advertise research being conducted at the city’s many > teaching hospitals. One that recently caught my eye, announcing an > experimental “behavioral treatment,” posed this question to potential > subjects: “Are you in the U.S. military or a veteran disturbed by terrible > things you have experienced?” > Just below the question, someone had scrawled this riposte in blue ink: > “Thank God for these Men and Women. USA all the way.” > Here on a 30 x 36 inch piece of cardboard was the distilled essence of the > present-day relationship between the American people and their military. In > the eyes of citizens, the American soldier has a dual identity: as hero but > also as victim. As victimsWounded Warriors soldiers deserve the best care > money can buy; hence, the emphasis beingpaid to issues like PTSD. As heroes, > those who serve and sacrifice embody the virtues that underwrite American > greatness. They therefore merit unstinting admiration. > Whatever practical meaning the slogan “support the troops” may possess, it > lays here: in praise expressed for those choosing to wear the uniform, and in > assistance made available to those who suffer as a consequence of that choice. > As the 10th anniversary of what we used to call the Global War on Terror > approaches, a plausible, realistic blueprint for bringing that enterprise to > a conclusion does not exist. > From the perspective of the American people, the principal attribute of this > relationship is that it entails no real obligations or responsibilities. Face > it: It costs us nothing yet enables us to feel good about ourselves. In an > unmerited act of self-forgiveness, we thereby expunge the sin of the Vietnam > era when opposition to an unpopular war found at least some Americans venting > their unhappiness on the soldiers sent to fight it. The homeward-bound G.I. > spat upon by spoiled and impudent student activists may be an urban legend, > but the fiction persists and has long since trumped reality. > Today such egregious misbehavior has become unimaginable. Even if the wars in > Afghanistan and Iraq are not especiallypopular or successful, no one blames > the troops. Instead we cheer them, pray for them, and let them go to the > front of the line when passing through airport security. And we take > considerable satisfaction in doing so. > From the perspective of those who engineer America’s wars, the principal > attribute of this relationship is that it obviates any need for > accountability. For nearly a decade now, popular willingness to “support the > troops” has provided unlimited drawing rights on the United States Treasury. > Since 9/11, in waging its various campaigns, overt and covert, the United > States military has expendedhundreds of billions of (mostly borrowed) > dollars. By the time the last invoice gets paid, the total will be in the > trillions. Is the money being well spent? Are we getting good value? Is it > possible that some of the largesse showered on U.S. forces trying to pacify > Kandahar could be better put to use in helping to rebuild Cleveland? Given > the existing terms of the civil-military relationship, even to pose such > questions is unseemly. For politicians sending soldiers into battle, generals > presiding over long, drawn-out, inconclusive campaigns, and contractors > reaping large profits as a consequence, this war-comes-first mentality is > exceedingly agreeable. > One wonders how many of those serving in the ranks are taken in by this > fraud. The relationship between American people and their militarywe love > you; do whatever you wantseems to work for everyone. Everyone, that is, > except soldiers themselves. They face the prospect of war without foreseeable > end. > Americans once believed war to be a great evil. Whenever possible, war was to > be avoided. When circumstances made war unavoidable, Americans wanted peace > swiftly restored. > Present-day Americans, few of them directly affected by events in Iraq or > Afghanistan, find war tolerable. They accept it. Since 9/11, war has become > normalcy. Peace has become an entirely theoretical construct. A report of > G.I.s getting shot at, maimed, or killed is no longer something the average > American gets exercised about. Rest assured that no such reports will > interfere with plans for the long weekend that Memorial Day makes possible. > Members of the civil-military-corporate elite find war more than tolerable. > Within its ranks, as Chris Hedges has noted, war imparts meaning and > excitement to life. It serves as a medium through which ambitions are > fulfilled and power is accrued and exercised. In Washington, the benefits > offered by war’s continuation easily outweigh any benefits to be gained by > ending war. So why bother to try? > As the 10th anniversary of what Americans once called their Global War on > Terror approaches, a plausible, realistic blueprint for bringing that > enterprise to a conclusion does not exist. Those who might once have felt > some responsibility for articulating such a planthe president, his chief > lieutenants, senior military leadersno longer feel any obligation to do so. > As a practical matter, they devote themselves to war’s perpetuation, closing > one front while opening another. More strikingly still, we the people allow > our leaders to evade this basic responsibility to articulate a plan for > peace. By implication, we endorse the unspoken assumption that peace has > become implausible. > Here at last we come to the dirty little secret that underlines all the > chatter about “supporting the troops.” The people in charge don’t really > believe that the burdens borne by our soldiers will ever end and they are not > really looking for ways to do so. As for the rest of us, well, we’re OK with > that.Andrew J. Bacevich is professor of history and international relations > at Boston > University.http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-28/memorial-day-how-america-screws-its-soldiers/# -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
