The Certainty of War with Iran
President Bush stated yesterday his certainty that "the Quds Force, a part of the Iranian government, has provided these sophisticated I.E.D.'s that have harmed our troops." Now, Mr. President, is this an "Iraq had WMDs" kind of assurance? Or, is it a "Mission Accomplished" kind of assurance? I apologize for asking, but your guesswork is as accurate as an insurgent's mortar round.
For a few weeks now the White House propaganda machine has been experimenting with this new polemic of Iran being responsible for supplying arms to the Iraqi resistance. The more recent twist is this notion of certainty that a "faction" within the Iranian government is interfering in Iraq, but Bush said, "I do not know whether or not the Quds Force was ordered from the top echelons of the government. But my point is, what's worse, them ordering it and it happening, or them not ordering it and its happening?"
In this instance, "it takes one to know one." It should be clear to the American people by now that a "faction" within the U.S. government is steering our foreign policy. The only difference is that in the U.S. it matters little if the orders are coming from the White House. Since John F. Kennedy, no sitting U.S. president has actually wielded any real power. Mr. Bush is not much more than a salesman. His job is to represent the interests of the Military-Industrial Complex by selling war to Congress and the American people. As President Eisenhower made clear, our greatest threat is not a foreign invader, but an enemy from within:
For a few weeks now the White House propaganda machine has been experimenting with this new polemic of Iran being responsible for supplying arms to the Iraqi resistance. The more recent twist is this notion of certainty that a "faction" within the Iranian government is interfering in Iraq, but Bush said, "I do not know whether or not the Quds Force was ordered from the top echelons of the government. But my point is, what's worse, them ordering it and it happening, or them not ordering it and its happening?"
In this instance, "it takes one to know one." It should be clear to the American people by now that a "faction" within the U.S. government is steering our foreign policy. The only difference is that in the U.S. it matters little if the orders are coming from the White House. Since John F. Kennedy, no sitting U.S. president has actually wielded any real power. Mr. Bush is not much more than a salesman. His job is to represent the interests of the Military-Industrial Complex by selling war to Congress and the American people. As President Eisenhower made clear, our greatest threat is not a foreign invader, but an enemy from within:
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence – economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.As you can see, the monologue streaming from Washington sounds like a push for war with Iran. It's the same rhetoric we heard prior to the invasion of Iraq. And, remember, this was once about finding Bin Laden. It then became about Iraq's involvement in 9/11. It then moved to Saddam harboring WMDs, followed by "regime change" and the spreading of democracy. It's now about Iran's nukes and their interference in Iraq. The similarity to the methods of Orwell's "Ministry of Truth" in the dystopic 1984 are almost mirrored as the reasons for war change by the day. After a while, the population gives up. Big Brother will have his war.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
