Political Whispers: A Look Into Today's World of Dark Politics

NEW BOSS; SAME OLD SCHOOL RHETORIC

By Schuyler Thorpe
Author and Political Activist

Happy days are here once again! Rumsfeld’s out, the new guy is in!

And by new guy, I mean Robert Gates.

Gates was sworn in on Dec. 18th as the new head of the Department of Defense–having served under President Bush’s father as CIA director from 1991-1993.

And he served as Texas A and M University’s president until being asked by the current Bush to serve as Secretary of Defense.

And while considered a pragmatist, Gates (like so many other administration officials these days), is a Cold War hawk.

He favors talks with Syria and Iran, but still reiterates the old fears that if we were to leave such and such a nation, misery would follow.

Case in point:

In the weeks leading up to the US’s withdrawal from Vietnam, many of the war’s staunchest supporters steadfastly cried out that if we were to leave that country, the Vietcong would follow and attack this nation without warning–while many others said that the world would fall to the ravages of Communism if the United States were to withdraw.

Oddly how neither of that happened.

Fast forward about 32 years, and here we go again. Gates is on record saying that “failure in Iraq would lead to a calamity that would haunt the US for years.”

Curiously enough, no one has told Gates that the United States has already failed in many of its objectives to bring peace and stability to the Middle East.

Iraq is no longer democratic in the sense of the word. There is no real functioning government, no stability, no peace, no nothing which would give American taxpayers (and hopefully Congress) any more reason to continue funding this boondoggle.

And what’s worse, the veritable explosion of violence is threatening to engulf the region in such a way that it would make all the wars since Vietnam look like a picnic compared to what may already be taking place in the here and now.

And while we can see it unfolding before our eyes, why hasn’t none of the Bush officials? Are they still blind to the reality on the ground?

They must be, because apparently Gates is now too afflicted in the same manner as the rest: Eager to dismiss what he said as the truth; more eager to embrace all the old school rhetoric of the past six years regarding this dismal conflict.

And the result of such actions (or should I say inactions) may be as disastrous for the US than anything cooked up by the Republican fear machine.

Schuyler Thorpe is an author, a political activist, and a frequent letter writer to The Everett Herald of Snohomish County. He can be reached at: starchildalpha1@yahoo.com

posted by Schuyler Thorpe @ 12:27 AM