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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (20198)	6/10/2003 9:22:49 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

The Cheney Administration. The following is presented only to be provocative. <g> There are many ways to judge a political administration. One of my favorites has always been by the quality of the appointments. It’s not just that the appointments are (in large part) the administration, rather, it’s that “reading” the appointments, gives a quick early read on what to expect from a particular administration. Many modern administrations arrive almost intact and are just “fleshed out” - consider Carter’s Georgia Mafia or Regan’s California Clique. In the first Bush administration, the first appointment was Dan Quayle – no more need be said. The Clinton administration, serving two terms, pulled from a national constituency, but still had a strong Arkansan flavor in a number of its appointments. Dubya’s administration does, as you would expect, have some Texas bias. Much of Dubya’s administration is exactly what you would expect from a couple of oil and gas boyz. But Cheney isn’t just an oil and gas boy. Cheney is better described as a MIC (Military Industrial Complex) boy. Stories exist that Cheney was selected as Halliburton’s honcho because Halliburton wanted to increase its DOD business. When Eisenhower warned of the MIC, it was less than two decades old - even if you included the businesses that WWII started (or gave great impetus to). But the cold war left the MIC deeply embedded in the very warp and woof of our society. While both political parties have ties with the MIC, the big business orientation of the Republican party has made it the natural ally. Moreover, the anti-war wing of the Democratic party has since ’68, been an anathema to the MIC. Under the first Bush administration, the MIC received shocking news. Its multidecade raison d'être ceased to exist; the Soviet Union was no more. Not to fear. Under Cheney’s name, a report soon appeared that justified not only the then current level of military spending, but future increases. The American Hegemony that this report proposed was considered preposterous by many and the proposal was rapidly withdrawn. Then Clinton was victorious and most forgot about the Hegemony proposal. But the MIC didn’t forget. Throughout the Clinton years, the economy may have boomed, but most of the MIC was on hard times. As successive military budgets were cut, unprecedented mergers were occurring in the MIC. You would think that of all of the out-of-power groups, the MIC would be one of the most vigorous in trying to regain power after Clinton. The natural candidate of this group is none other than Richard Cheney. But there is a problem. Given his health history, Cheney is unelectable. Unelectable as president, but suppose Cheney could get a front man. You would want someone not too bright, but with just enough “polish” (like you could get by going to the best schools) to get elected (with the help of enough money). Then with Cheney as VP (because he just couldn’t find anyone else with the “right qualifications”) and in charge of all appointments, the same neo-cons (read intellectuals that see the world through a MIC lens) are reappointed. In fact, since almost all of the appointments are Cheney appointments, Cheney’s views and perspective permeate this administration. Other than Powell, it would currently be difficult for Bush to receive Cheney free advice. So is Cheney the puppeteer? The MIC, after many lean years, is certainly enjoying “fat years”. Food for thought. lurqer