THE EMPIRE AT BAY
Iraq – high tide of the American Imperium?
By Justin Raimondo
Sunday's headlines on Antiwar.com pretty much summed up the looming defeat of America's imperial ambitions, detailing in descending order the series of setbacks that have stunned the architects of our would-be "benevolent global hegemony" and stopped them in their tracks:
These are lean times for the War Party. Their glorious "victories" have turned to dust. Their lies are the subject of front-page coverage and grand jury indictments. Their mission, far from being "accomplished," is further from success than ever, and the administration is in full retreat. Forced to negotiate with the Iranians over Tehran's nascent nuclear program, the full-bore neocon militarism once dominant in D.C. has been replaced by the centrist sensibility of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose influence is largely credited with the new moderation. Dick Cheney and his cronies are on the outs.
Iraq – high tide of the American Imperium?
By Justin Raimondo
Sunday's headlines on Antiwar.com pretty much summed up the looming defeat of America's imperial ambitions, detailing in descending order the series of setbacks that have stunned the architects of our would-be "benevolent global hegemony" and stopped them in their tracks:
- "A Deadly Week: 16 GIs Killed in Iraq" – Casualties are up, there is no decline (or even a lull) in the insurgency, and it turns out that the death of Zarqawi was just a blip on the screen.
- "PM's Plan Calls For U.S. Pullout Timetable" – Our Iraqi allies are inviting us to leave, proving Richard Armitage's week-old prediction right.
- "Security Chiefs Anxious Over Iraq Amnesty" – Deprived of their "kill at will" rules of engagement, and faced with the prospect of a general amnesty for the insurgents, the occupation authorities are worried that their military position will be further weakened. This signifies a growing rift between the Shi'ite government and the American occupiers, one that can only widen, and must end either in withdrawal or America taking on the sleeping giant of militant Shi'ism – which their invasion so foolishly awakened.
- "Key Insurgents Vow to Reject Iraq Peace Plan" – Lest we be fooled into believing that peace is about to break out.
- "U.S. General Outlines Possible Iraq Troop Cuts" – We're cutting and running.
- "Warnings on WMD Fabricator Were Ignored, Ex-CIA Aide Says" – The lies kept bouncing back into presidential speeches and official pronouncements, says one who knows, as fast as they were debunked.
- "Indictment Reveals Little Evidence of Terrorist Plot" – Never mind that we're losing in Iraq, what about all those glorious "victories" on the home front? Or maybe not…
- "Nearly 150 Afghan Rebels Killed in Two Weeks" – Hey, weren't we supposed to have "won" this one already?
- "Can the U.S. Shoot Down Korea's Taepodong 2?" – Does a Republican administration really care all that much if Kim Jong Il takes out San Francisco?
These are lean times for the War Party. Their glorious "victories" have turned to dust. Their lies are the subject of front-page coverage and grand jury indictments. Their mission, far from being "accomplished," is further from success than ever, and the administration is in full retreat. Forced to negotiate with the Iranians over Tehran's nascent nuclear program, the full-bore neocon militarism once dominant in D.C. has been replaced by the centrist sensibility of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose influence is largely credited with the new moderation. Dick Cheney and his cronies are on the outs.
As the saying goes, "a leopard never changes its spots"... They've only slowed down because of the football World Cup in Germany..
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12:31 am