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. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree