Maybe its not 'just about oil'....an interesting perspective from an SI poster on another thread...
Message 18486956
<<...I remember last summer when I was trying to make sense out of the sudden Iraq rhetoric. I concluded it was about oil. I later revised that to oil and mid-term elections. But I've since realized, I was only nibbling around the edges.
To obtain power, Bush's technique is don a cloak of moderation. He knows that only by appealing to the center, can a national election be won. Hence, the catch phrase compassionate conservative. Talk to someone from Texas. Same MO. Run as a moderate, but govern by opportunistically implementing a very conservative agenda.
By opportunistic, I mean when events allow an opportunity, he uses that opportunity to implement something already on the agenda. I was struck recently, when I heard Tom Friedman say that Bush had used 9/11 to implement an agenda from 9/10 on 9/12. The more I thought about that, I realized it was his MO. The current economic crisis is to him, merely an opportunity to implement his tax program. When people criticize the current program as not providing sufficient stimulus, they are missing the point. It’s no about providing stimulus. That’s merely the wrapping – like compassionate conservative. With Bush there’s always the wrapping and the agenda. When something doesn’t make sense, discard the wrapping and look for the agenda.
After discarding the wrapping (terrorists getting WMD), I thought I had the agenda - oil. I was wrong. Sure they want the oil, but it’s why do they want the oil. A secure plentiful supply of oil is a necessary first step in the establishment of an American hegemony. Now I hesitate to say that. To any rational individual, that statement seems so preposterous, as to characterize the author as a real fruit cake. I can only suggest that you go to Google and type in Project for the New American Century, and do a little research. When I thought it was oil, I was being a piker.
The overwhelming power of the U.S. military exists because of the US containment policy established by George Kennan in the Truman Administration. The burden of building this power was born by the American citizens as necessary for their defense. It was never intended for offensive purposes. But power corrupts. So imagine yourself as a cold warrior in the DoD of Bush Sr., and the Soviet Union goes poof. Here you are with all that power, and now there is no check on the use of that power. Such a situation is real test of character. And sure enough, many were found wanting. The corrupted response was to formulate a plan to establish a new world wide American hegemony. As soon as the plan was revealed, it was reviled. And the formulators had to “back off”. Soon thereafter with the 1992 election, they were out of power.
But that vision of power was like Sauron’s ring. It possessed them. In 2000, even before the election, the Plan was reformulated as the Project for the new American Century. When Bush was “elected”, it became part of the agenda. Then Bin Luddite provided the wrapping for the Plan - as the new National Security Strategy. Opportunity had knocked...>> |
