It takes stunning arrogance for a president to invade
an oil-rich politically strategic country on the
basis of demonstrable lies, put his favorite companies
in control of its economic future, create a puppet
regime to do his bidding and then claim, as George
Bush did last week in a speech, that this is all
a bold exercise in spreading democracy.

"Iraqi democracy will succeed, and that success will
send forth the news from Damascus to Tehran that
freedom can be the future of every nation," the
president said.  "The establishment of a free Iraq
at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed
event in global democratic revolution."

Bush even invoked the blessing of a divine power,
the "author of freedom," suggesting that he is not
merely an overambitious imperial president but rather
a modern Moses armed with smart bombs and Black
Hawk helicopters come to liberate an enslaved people.

Bush presents his vision as bold and new when it
is nothing of the sort.

His predecessors in the White House similarly claimed
the mantle of democracy as justification for
establishing American dominance in the Mideast over
the last half a century.  They used lies and secrecy
and the lives of young Americans to create, nurture,
and protect dictatorships that served narrow
U.S. interests above the needs and rights of their
own people.

His buddies at Bechtel, Halliburton, and the giant
oil companies have been ripping off the profits
of Mideast oil for decades while seeking and gaining
protection from the CIA and whatever other parts
of the U.S. military-industrial complex were needed
to prop up "our guy"--the dictator of the moment.

Despotism in the Mideast flowered on our watch,
often succeeded by fundamentalist or nationalist
regimes of great violence.  Every Mideast despot
exists only because his power has proved tolerable
to the economic interests that former Halliburton
Chief Executive Dick Cheney and his defense-industry-
friendly counterparts in previous Republican and
Democratic administrations have placed at the top of
the American agenda.

Democracy is the most wonderful notion ever conceived,
but Washington considers it a dangerous threat when
people in fledgling democracies vote against U.S.
interests.  That's when the CIA steps in, as it did in
Iran in 1953, overthrowing democratic secularist
Mohammed Mossadegh and launching Iran into decades of
madness.

Or how about the cynical support under Presidents
Carter and Reagan of the fundamentalist moujahedeen
in Afghanistan, which morphed into the Taliban and
Al Qaeda.  The CIA gave these "freedom fighters"
shoulder-fired rockets, perfect for terrorism, and
Ronald Reagan declared a day of national support
for them in the U.S.  Unfortunately, as the quarter
of a century since has proved, we have neither the
means nor the will to bring democracy to Afghanistan.

Bush is not really interested in meaningful democracy
in Iraq--just as the U.S. wasn't in Afghanistan
or earlier in Iran.  In Iraq, the U.S. will not
tolerate any opposition to the U.S. occupation.
That excludes democracy, which will not cater to the
whims of U.S. foreign policy.

Meanwhile, the chaos and bitterness of postwar Iraq
continues without break, all the more tragic for
its predictability.  In fact, we would not be in
such a mess today if the president had listened
to his own father.

"Trying to eliminate Saddam extending the ground
war into an occupation of Iraq ... would have incurred
incalculable human and political costs," co-wrote
the senior George Bush in the 1998 book "A world
Transformed."

"Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally
exceeding the United Nations' mandate," he continued,
"would have destroyed the precedent of international
response to aggression that we hoped to establish.
Had we gone the invasion route, the United States
could conceivably still be an occupying power in
a bitterly hostile land."

Unfortunately, because of George W. Bush, we must
now confront this problem.

(Per Robert Scheer, publicate in le "Los Angeles
Times", 11 novembre 2003, p. B13)

---

Un arrogantia stupende es essential pro un presidente
qui invade un pais e ric in petroleo e con un grande
importantia strategic como ha facite George Bush
sur un base de mentitas demonstrabile.

Ille ha premiate su interprisas predilecte con le
controlo del futuro economic de Iraq.  Ille ha create
un regime cliente que face lo que ille vole.  E
con un arrogantia specialmente grotesc in un discurso
national le septimana passate, ille ha insistite
que omne iste activitates es un exercitio coragiose
in diffunder le democratia.

"Le democratia iraqi habera successo", diceva le
presidente.  "E ille successo notificara omnes desde
Damascus a Tehran que le libertate pote esser le
futuro de omne nation.  Le establimento de un Iraq
libere in le corde del medie oriente essera un puncto
de transition essential in le exercitio hardite
de promover un revolution democratic mundial."

Bush mesmo invocava le benediction de un potentia
divin, le "autor del libertate", suggerente que
ille es non solmente un presidente imperial con
ambitiones illimitate ma etiam un Moses moderne
armate con bombas intelligente e helicopteros Black
Hawk que ha venite pro liberar un population de
sclavos.

Bush falsemente presenta su vision como alique
coragiose e nove.  E resimilante le famose imperator
de Hans Christen Andersen, su antecessores in le
Casa Blanc anque se vestiva in le mantello del
democratia quando illes justificava le establimento
de dominantia american in le medie oriente durante
le medie seculo passate.

Illes usava mentitas e secretessa e le vitas de
americanos juvene pro crear, alimentar, e proteger
dictatores qui incoragiava le depredationes de nostre
corporationes durante que illes negligeva le derectos
e necessitates de lor proprie populationes.

Le amicos de Bush in Bechtel, Halliburton, e le
interprisas gigantic del petroleo ha robate le
profitos
del petroleo del medio oriente e ha usate le servicios
del CIA e le fortias militar american pro assecurar
le dominantia continue del dictatores qui les serviva.

Le despotismo in le medie oriente floresceva sub
nostre controlo.  Illo provocava le establimento
de regimes fundamentaliste o nationaliste de grande
violentia.  Cata despota del medie oriente existe
solmente proque su politicas ha essite tolerabile
al interesses economic del ancian presidente de
Halliburton (nunc nostre vicepresidente) Dick Cheney
e altere simile personas e lor corporationes in
previe administrationes republican e democratic.

Le democratia es le idea le plus belle del humanitate,
ma le governamento de Washington lo trova un menacia
periculose quando le citatanos de democratias nove
vota contra le interesses del Statos Unite.  In
tal casos, le CIA interveni, secundo le patrono
establite in Iran in 1953, quando illo destrueva
le governamento del secularista democrate Mohammed
Mossadegh e inaugurava in Iran un periodo de decadas
de follia.

Postea veniva le appoio cynic sub le presidentes
Carter e Reagan del mujahedin fundamentaliste in
Afghanistan, qui qradualmente deveniva Talibanes
e membros de Al Qaeda.  Le CIA dava a iste "luctatores
pro le libertate" parve missiles portabile, perfecte
pro terrorismo, e Ronald Reagan declarava in le Statos
Unite un die de appoio national pro illes.
Infelicemente, como le 25 annos passate ha probate,
nos ha ni le ressources ni le voluntate pro apportar
le democratia a Afghanistan.

Bush vermente non vole un governamento democratic
in Iraq, e le Statos Unite anque non voleva le
democratia in Afghanistan e Iran.  In Iraq, le Statos
Unite non tollerara ulle opposition al occupation
american.  Iste politica exclude le democratia in
ille pais proque un governamento vermente democratic
in Iraq nunquam se subordinarea al capricios del
politica externe del Statos Unite.

Intertanto, le chaos e le amaritude del iraqis post
nostre invasion continua de un maniera predicibile
e tragic.  Vermente, nos poterea haber evitate iste
tragedia si George W. Bush habeva ponderate le parolas
de su proprie patre.

"Essayar eliminar Saddam per le conversion de un
guerra terrestre a un occupation de Iraq ... haberea
apportate costos human e politic incalculabile",
scribeva su patre in un libro publicate in 1998,
"A World Transformed" (Un mundo transformate).

"Invadente e occupante Iraq contra le mandato del
Nationes Unite haberea destruite le precedente de
un responsa international al aggression que nos
sperava establir.  Si nos habeva invadite Iraq,
le Statos Unite probabilemente esserea etiam nunc
un fortia de occupation in un pais amar e hostile."

Infelicemente, a causa de George W. Bush, nos nunc
debe confrontar iste problema.

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