1992 was a difficult year for the Neoconservatives who thought that whatever Reagan was doing would last for eternity. At the end of a single term, George H.W. Bush, Reagan’s successor, got beaten by Bill Clinton. They never got over it, still haven’t. I’m not sure what it was about Reagan that was so compelling to them. This graph is what a lot of us saw, and it was terrifying. He cut taxes, and it shows how:
He tripled the national debt is how. But for the eight years Clinton was in office, the Neoconservative group sulked, many of them at the American Enterprise Institute at 1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. In 1997, a big bunch of them got together and formed the Project for the New American Century, also at 1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. In order for this post to make sense, you’ll need to read their Statement of Principles and read who signed it. In that document, they lay out a basic framework for a foreign policy that returns to whatever it was that Reagan did that struck them as so great.
Comes now 2000, and George W. Bush got [sort of] elected running on a platform that opposed nation building and mainly appealed to the religious right. Then he imported the A.E.I. and P.N.A.C. Reaganite Neoconservatives en masse into his Administration. Not too long after he was elected, we were attacked by Al Qaeda on September 11, 2001. Somehow in the mayhem thereafter, we were pushed by the Administration to go to war with Iraq, and that’s what we did. The reasons presented were to shut down Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction program – a program they didn’t have, and cut off their ties with Al Qaeda, ties that didn’t exist.
In 2002, George Bush signed The National Security Strategy of the United States of America. Read it carefully, and compare it to the Principles of the Project for the New American Century. What you’ll find is that the Neoconservatives’ document was lifted lock stock and barrel, into a national policy. The National Security Strategy of the United States of America sits there on the White House Internet Site for all of us to read, though I doubt it gets that many hits in a routine day. Here’s how it starts:
| The great struggles of the twentieth century between liberty and totalitarianism ended with a decisive victory for the forces of freedom—and a single sustainable model for national success: freedom, democracy, and free enterprise. In the twenty-first century, only nations that share a commitment to protecting basic human rights and guaranteeing political and economic freedom will be able to unleash the potential of their people and assure their future prosperity. People everywhere want to be able to speak freely; choose who will govern them; worship as they please; educate their children—male and female; own property; and enjoy the benefits of their labor. These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society—and the duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common calling of freedom-loving people across the globe and across the ages. |
Moving right along:
| Today, the United States enjoys a position of unparalleled military strength and great economic and political influence. In keeping with our heritage and principles, we do not use our strength to press for unilateral advantage.We seek instead to create a balance of power that favors human freedom: conditions in which all nations and all societies can choose for themselves the rewards and challenges of political and economic liberty. In a world that is safe, people will be able to make their own lives better.We will defend the peace by fighting terrorists and tyrants.We will preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers. We will extend the peace by encouraging free and open societies on every continent. |
This is the table of contents for the whole document:
| Table of Contents i. Overview of America’s International Strategy ii. Champion Aspirations for Human Dignity iii. Strengthen Alliances to Defeat Global Terrorism and Work to Prevent Attacks Against Us and Our Friends iv.Work with others to Defuse Regional Conflicts v. Prevent Our Enemies from Threatening Us, Our Allies, and Our Friends with Weapons of Mass Destruction vi. Ignite a New Era of Global Economic Growth through Free Markets and Free Trade vii. Expand the Circle of Development by Opening Societies and Building the Infrastructure of Democracy viii. Develop Agendas for Cooperative Action with the Other Main Centers of Global Power ix. Transform America’s National Security Institutions to Meet the Challenges and Opportunities of the Twenty-First Century |
We didn’t go to war with Iraq because they harbored Terrorists. In fact, they didn’t harbor Terrorists. We didn’t go to war with Iraq because of their program of weapons of mass destruction. Their program of weapons of mass destruction was defunct already. We didn’t go to war with Iraq because our leaders really believed that either of these things were true. We went to war with Iraq because of a megalomaniacal policy cooked up by a bunch on disgruntled Neoconservatives at 1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036 who thought we ought to control the world – unseating governments that weren’t like ours – American Dominion over the world – a utopia of American Democracy spreading joy over the planet.
In the process, they’ve destroyed our reputation in the world and made us into a target of world hatred. They’ve tromped on the very Democracy they proposed to spread. They’ve killed countless thousands of soldiers and civilians. They’ve made torture and surveillance of private citizens part of our policy. They’ve radically escalated our debt. They’ve betrayed the people who elected them. Their glossy brochure called the The National Security Strategy of the United States of America is nothing but Imperialism that has nothing to do with what this country is or should be. It is no more than a recipe for tragedy. The world is not asking for us to take over, nor is it our right, nor, by the way, is it anyone’s right.
Just some food for thought:
“As America moves through the second Bush term, few aspects of life in this country have not been affected by Karl Rove, and his profound influence on the president and his policies. He is the political mastermind of an administration that has preached compassionate conservatism, but has practiced something considerably different. If Karl Rove were not sitting in his office in the White House, there might not have been no war in Iraq; there would be underprivileged children still attending Head Start programs, which have been reduced or eliminated; there would be low income families getting health care from the Childeren’s Health Insurance Program, instead of going without because of federal cutbacks in funding; there would be competitive bidding contracs to rebuild Iraq instead of delivery of deals to Halliburton and other companies that are GOP fund-raisers; there would have been no California recall; there would be congressional districts with lines drawn to help elect minorities; there would be a complete and honest report from the 9/11 Commission; there would be real accounting of Saudi Arabia’s involvement in acts of terrorism; there would be real funding for Homeland Security’s First Responders; there would even be more people with jobs; half of $87 billion requested for rebuilding Iraq might be used to implement full coverage health care for every man, woman, and child in America. And sadly, none of this is overstatement.” (Source: Rove Exposed: How Bush’s Brain Fooled America)
evil poet…just back from a one-click Amazon purchase. I guess I already know the painful truth the book will make explicit, but for some reason, the details help. Thanx for the tip…
Fitz, Fitz, Are you out there?
You’re very welcome. The book is a good read imo, I think you will find it very imformative. It’s been my experience that you can’t outrun the truth, eventually it catches up with you. Take care – see you on the flipside. 🙂