Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Do I answer Pierre's latest comment? Do I fisk Molly Ivins? Sorry. Inside my one month window. Can't do it. Or, do I go after Leon Fuerth.
The Atlanta Urinal and Constipation often publishes op-eds in their print edition that they do not put on their website. So, to find online copies I have to do a google search, check the N.Y. Times' site or the Washington Post's site. There was an op-ed by Leon Fuerth in today's AJC. It was originally published in the Washington Post on March 20. The AJC's title is Empire? U.S. now looking the part. To which I respond: Empire? Bullshit!
Leon Fuerth, by the way, was national security advisor to Algore, which I guess is another good reason that Gore the bore didn't win the election. Let's check out what Leon has to say.
The word "empire" has been used fairly often as a metaphor to convey the global scope of American interests and of American military, economic and political influence. After the conquest of Iraq, however, it can be fairly argued that we shall have created not a figure of speech but a concrete reality.
Now let's see. If we were really an empire it seems to me that we would have a lot more possesions than we do. We have told the Puerto Ricans they could have independence any time they want. They keep voting against it. But, Colin Powell stated it best.
And when all those conflicts were over, what did we do? Did we stay and conquer? Did we say, "Okay, we defeated Germany. Now Germany belongs to us? We defeated Japan, so Japan belongs to us"? No. What did we do? We built them up. We gave them democratic systems which they have embraced totally to their soul.
And did we ask for any land? No, the only land we ever asked for was enough land to bury our dead.
And that is the kind of nation we are.
And by the way, I heard that there was an earthquake in France.
March 11, 2003. Today it was reported that severe earthquakes have
occurred in 10 different locations in France. The severity was measured
in excess of 10 on the Richter Scale. The cause was the 56,681 dead
American soldiers buried in French soil rolling over in their graves.
According to the American Battle Monuments Commission there are 26,255
Yankee dead from World War I buried in 4 cemeteries in France. There are
30,426 American dead from World War II buried in 6 cemeteries in France.
These 56,681 brave American heroes died in their youth to liberate a
country which is guilty of shameful unspeakable behavior in the 21st
century. May the United States of America never forget their sacrifice
as we find ways to forcefully deal with the Godforsaken unappreciative,
forgetful country of France!
The above was sent to me by many readers.
We just ain't got the hang of this empire stuff yet.
First of all, we will have made clear that the United States answers to no authority other than itself when it comes to the use of military force. Moreover, the authority of the United States will be mostly indistinguishable from the personal will of its president. The Bush doctrine of preemption becomes a replacement for international law: Any president at any time in the future can decide to attack any country, provided only that he is satisfied that said country might at some point represent a direct threat to the United States.
Hold on there Leon! I seem to remember that Bush went to Congress last year and got the authority. And I really think Iraq presents more of a threat to us than say, Kosovo, which Bill Clinton bombed (not to mention the aspirin factory in the Sudan and the goats in Afghanistan). And you liberals are always citing international law. Do you realize that we are the only country that has ever asked permission from the UN to fight a war? Russia? Nope. China? Nope. France? Nope. The problem with international law is whenever we ask the rest of the world to enforce it like in freeing 52 diplomats held hostage in Iran, in direct violation of inter-fucking-national law the rest of the world essentially tells us, "tough luck".
Second, the United States will have established itself as the dominant force at the geographic core of a region that, in turn, exercises tremendous leverage over the rest of the globe through the oil market. As occupying power, the United States will unilaterally assume responsibility for decisions that will determine the future course of Iraq's oil and gas industries. We become in effect a virtual member of OPEC, and one of the most powerful at that. So immense military power will be united with an equally impressive form of economic power. No, this war is certainly not about oil. But the peace that follows it will be another matter.
I don't have a problem with that. Anyone have a problem with that? Let's see, whom do we want to control the world's oil? A nation of barbarians one generation removed from being wild savage tribes? Or a country that will pack up and go home after there are viable democracies (if possible) in the Middle East. See our previous actions in Japan and Germany.
The fact that we will have acted out of fear of terrorism in an impulse of self-protection does not change the essential nature of this event for much of the rest of the world. What matters is the answer to a single question: Does the United States consider itself bound by any international obligation if that obligation is seen as an impediment to its will?
No.
The Bush administration will have difficulty saying otherwise, in view of its pattern of unilateral action, established well before the present crisis.
I think he is referring to Kyoto, which would have crippled our economy. By the way, Leon, the Senate voted unaminously (that means even Dimocrats) against the treaty. Can't blame that on Bush. I'm sure he's also referring to the ABM treaty, which was with the Soviet Union, which no longer exists. And ABM didn't cover China or North Korea. And we all see how well North Korea honors agreements. And he's probably referring to ICC which is against our Constitution.
If war comes, we may be quickly victorious. (This was written March 20) And perhaps the president's sweeping vision of positive change throughout the Middle East will also come to pass. The more brilliant our success, however, the more deeply we will be feared.
And this is bad because...? The reason we had 9/11 is that bin Laden thought we were a nation of pansies, like that asshole Bill Clinton. We want the terrorists to fear us. If they fear us, maybe they won't fuck with us.
And the reason for that is not just the stunning demonstration of power in bringing it about but the fact that the government of the United States went out of its way to drive home one point: We are dominant, and dominant is as dominance does. That has its price.
Oh?
Americans -- whether they support or oppose war with Iraq -- need to realize the consequences of the status we may shortly assume. The beginning of empire is the end of commonwealth. We have already seen how that works in the failed bidding war the United States engaged in for the sake of support in the Security Council and from Turkey.
To have an empire we need to conquer people and maintain provinces. All of our possesions have been offered independence. I notice we don't have a province of Germany or a province of Japan. Once again, we ain't too good at this empire thing.
The irony is that all along the United States has had every right to resume military operations against Iraq under existing Security Council resolutions, because Saddam Hussein was patently in breach of his commitments. Instead, the administration chose to base its actions on an unlimited assertion of an American right to make war at will.
No, we told the UN that if they didn't enforce their resolutions we would. And if we would have waited for their permission you liberals would be screaming about how much money we were spending keeping all those troops in Iraq.
Whether or not we intend to be an empire,
We don't. It's only you fucking liberals who keep saying that we do.
we now present the aspect of one -- an appearance that has already contributed to the fracturing of our alliances by playing into the ambitions of those, such as the French and their followers, who believe their mission is to contain us.
Uh, Leon, have you not been paying attention? It is their mission. France is trying to resurrect its glory (BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!), by dominating the EU. France has been trying to drive a wedge between us and England even before 9/11. You were Algore's national security advisor? You sure don't have much of a grasp of geopolitics do you?
The administration knows that it is responsible for the reconstruction of Iraq after this war is over. But it does not appear to realize that it also must find a way to reconstruct another collateral casualty: the notion that America is part of a community of nations.
There are over 40 nations that are on our side. Eastern Europe is on our side. England and Australia are on our side. Spain and Portugal are on our side. The Axis of Weasels (France, Germany, and Belgium), Russia and China are against us. A bunch of pissant countries in Africa are against us. Leon, you are witnessing a realignment of power. It occurs regularly in geopolitics. Unfortunately, you probably have not read much world history and you don't understand what's going on.
Put your head back in the sand and shut the fuck up.
The rest of us have work to do.