No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear. Edmund Burke (1729-1797).
As Zbigniew Brzezinski points out in "Terrorized by 'War on Terror' - How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America," (WaPo) the Bush administration's "war on terror" drumbeat has created monster-under-the-bed paranoia that has left the country tilting at all the wrong threats, in all the wrong places.
Combined with The Decider's strutting "Bring it on" rhetoric, his administration's echo-chamber fear-mongering has intensified unreasoning fearful emotions and stampeded the country to a much deadlier place than before 9/11.... going it alone through the minefields of the Middle East while neglecting what Bush 'a la Nazi Germany refers to as our "homeland." A fascist-resonating label I hope will be retired with the Bushistas in 2009.
Where is the leader, of either party, who will restore our national dignity.... stop our cowering and blind lashing-out at every mouse squeak. In a truly dangerous world, who will restore our courage and reason? That is the leader we must seek in this campaign season.
Showing posts with label Brzezinski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brzezinski. Show all posts
Monday, March 26, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Step Up Congress
Four years after the invasion of Iraq, our nation is much more at risk than before 9/11.... our military reduced to the debris left from Bush's war of choice .
"Military is Ill-Prepared For Other Conflicts," is the chilling headline. Military officials say that "it will take years for the Army and Marine Corps to recover" from the over-rotation that has consumed 40 percent of the total gear, "wearied troops and left no time to train to fight anything other than the insurgencies now at hand."
In other words, our military has been gutted. Our treasury has been gutted. Our troops have been used like fodder for the ambitions of our careless and arrogant Demander-In-Chief.
The longer our troops are in Iraq, the more at risk they are. As Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker testified last week, sustaining the troop increase in Iraq beyond August would be "a challenge."
Equipment is also lacking among Army units in the United States, the vast majority of which are rated "not ready."
Our nation is at the crossroads. The White House and Congress have a choice.... put our nation first by starting to end our active military involvement in Iraq.... or, continue risking all on what has been termed our "death spiral" in Iraq.
As Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Adviser, told Tim Russert today on MSNBC, he's afraid nothing will change with the current administration because it is "too committed to its vast errors."
It's up to Congress.... the time for debate is over. Our national security is hanging by a thread.
"Military is Ill-Prepared For Other Conflicts," is the chilling headline. Military officials say that "it will take years for the Army and Marine Corps to recover" from the over-rotation that has consumed 40 percent of the total gear, "wearied troops and left no time to train to fight anything other than the insurgencies now at hand."
In other words, our military has been gutted. Our treasury has been gutted. Our troops have been used like fodder for the ambitions of our careless and arrogant Demander-In-Chief.
The longer our troops are in Iraq, the more at risk they are. As Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker testified last week, sustaining the troop increase in Iraq beyond August would be "a challenge."
Equipment is also lacking among Army units in the United States, the vast majority of which are rated "not ready."
Our nation is at the crossroads. The White House and Congress have a choice.... put our nation first by starting to end our active military involvement in Iraq.... or, continue risking all on what has been termed our "death spiral" in Iraq.
As Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Adviser, told Tim Russert today on MSNBC, he's afraid nothing will change with the current administration because it is "too committed to its vast errors."
It's up to Congress.... the time for debate is over. Our national security is hanging by a thread.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Fatal Flaws
His name may be a tongue twister, but his clear analysis cuts like a laser.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to President Carter, found "Five Flaws in the President's Plan" to increase our troop footprint in Iraq by 21,500 as presented in Bush's Wednesday-night-massacre speech. The flaws:
ONE - While acknowledging failures, The Decider "dodged accountability" and engaged in "demagogic oversimplification" of the immense challenge the U.S. faces in Iraq.
TWO - The name for the "surge" of 21,500 troops is "political gimmick," of "limited tactical significance and of no strategic benefit." U.S. forces will be thrust into bloody street fighting.
THREE - While escalating the U.S. involvement in Iraq, and imposing benchmarks on the Iraqi regime, The Decider's new direction in Iraq leaves only two options when the benchmarks aren't met.... "blame and run".... or, the moth-eaten "falling dominoes" scenario of the horrific consequences of U.S. withdrawal, The Decider's favorite bedtime story for his shell-shocked electorate.
FOUR - No mention of "even the possibility of developing a framework for an eventual politicial solution." This stonewall approach "fits well into the administration's diplomatic style of relying on sloganeering as a substitute for strategizing."
FIVE - Scariest of all, the "speech reflects a profound misunderstanding of our era." King George doesn't realize the "age of colonialism is over.... a fatal flaw."
The Decider's apologists and supporters say he listened to many people before deciding on his "surge" sugarcoated horse pill.
Yes, but he listened only to people who would meekly further his "vision," not to experienced and clear-eyed statesmen like Brzezinski.
The Decider's Iraq flaws are now our national destiny and his indelible legacy.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to President Carter, found "Five Flaws in the President's Plan" to increase our troop footprint in Iraq by 21,500 as presented in Bush's Wednesday-night-massacre speech. The flaws:
ONE - While acknowledging failures, The Decider "dodged accountability" and engaged in "demagogic oversimplification" of the immense challenge the U.S. faces in Iraq.
TWO - The name for the "surge" of 21,500 troops is "political gimmick," of "limited tactical significance and of no strategic benefit." U.S. forces will be thrust into bloody street fighting.
THREE - While escalating the U.S. involvement in Iraq, and imposing benchmarks on the Iraqi regime, The Decider's new direction in Iraq leaves only two options when the benchmarks aren't met.... "blame and run".... or, the moth-eaten "falling dominoes" scenario of the horrific consequences of U.S. withdrawal, The Decider's favorite bedtime story for his shell-shocked electorate.
FOUR - No mention of "even the possibility of developing a framework for an eventual politicial solution." This stonewall approach "fits well into the administration's diplomatic style of relying on sloganeering as a substitute for strategizing."
FIVE - Scariest of all, the "speech reflects a profound misunderstanding of our era." King George doesn't realize the "age of colonialism is over.... a fatal flaw."
The Decider's apologists and supporters say he listened to many people before deciding on his "surge" sugarcoated horse pill.
Yes, but he listened only to people who would meekly further his "vision," not to experienced and clear-eyed statesmen like Brzezinski.
The Decider's Iraq flaws are now our national destiny and his indelible legacy.
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