Restoring America-Scottie McClellan And The Need For Redemption

by: Paul Rosenberg

Sat May 31, 2008 at 10:36


Big Hearts Vs. Petty Men

I'll have more about Scottie McClellan later on.  But I just want to begin with a simple observation about coming from my own values.  And one of the most basic values that I have is a belief in forgiveness and the possibility of redemption.  This doesn't mean letting folks off scott free.  But it does mean rejecting the notion of vengeance, and focusing on other considerations instead.

So, yes, McClellan was just a wee bit tardy in finding a conscience.  And, yes, he did get paid handsomely for it.  He's not about to earn sainthood for this book, that's for damn sure.

But there's a bigger picture here-as in, it's another chink taken out of the wall of denial.  And the media has to deal with it somehow, Versailles has to deal with it somehow.  It's giving some folks a bit of indigestion, and reminding others of what a pack of liars and fools we have running our country.  So how is that a bad thing?

Forgiveness and redemption are things that need to be earned, and this book is best seen as a downpayment.  It's an encouraging sign that McClellan has said he would testify before Congress if called.  That's just what a further step in the process of redemption ought to look like.

You see, there's an even bigger bigger picture here.  We're talking about the need to bring about a reckoning for a gang of sociopaths that have very nearly destroyed our country.  This is not the first time they've tried it, but every time they had tried it before, we've let them off with a slap on the wrists.  And now things have gotten so bad, they've done so much damage that there are a lot of people out there who think we can't "waste time" trying to bring about a reckoning for their countless misdeeds.  All we have time to do, some say, is devote ourselves to cleaning things up.

Wrong.

Paul Rosenberg :: Restoring America-Scottie McClellan And The Need For Redemption
If there's anything at all to be learned from Bill Clinton's leniency in 1993, it's that we should never treat this crowd with leniency.  They are sociopaths, who interpret mercy as weakness, and leniency as lack of resolve.  And you know what?  Given their past history, they are 100% correct-about the latter, at least.

They have to be held accountable, or else they will be back with a supernatural vengeance faster than you can say "Rumpelstiltskin."

But there's the rub.  If we try to hold them accountable, they will immediate start whining about how mean and unfair all those nasty liberals are.

Here's where Scott McClellan comes in.  He not only helps us begin the process of peeling away the lies at a level that's previously been closed off to us, he does so as a penitent, and he provides us with a chance to demonstrate our concern for truth and justice, above all, but also our commitment to mercy.

Yes, some people have to go to jail.  There have to be consequences. But the purpose of this is not vengeance.  It is rehabilitation and deterrence. We have to let future bad actors know that they will be held accountable.

After the GOP's Clinton witch-hunt, there was a widespread feeling that we could no longer hold executives accountable.  Any attempt at genuine oversight and Congressional restraint would immediately be seen through the lens of the adulterous glass House leadership throwing stones at Clinton.

This was clearly always a false analysis.  Just one more variation on the deluded "balance" myth.  Indeed, it was more than a false analysis, it was the lingering after-effect of a spell of profound madness.  But now we have the opportunity to break that spell, to stop worrying about false perceptions based on false examples of justice.  We are ready to restore the real thing.  We are ready to seek justice, not vengeance.  To seek truth, not spin.  To seek accountability, not self-righteous blame.  And to provide the opportunity for genuine redemption, lapsing neither into heartlessness nor into indulgence.

In short, it is time to restore both the rule of law and the wisdom of mercy.  That is how America is supposed to conduct itself. That is how adults are supposed to conduct themselves.

Eight years ago, when the Republicans took power, they chortled that the grownups were "back in charge."  Nothing could have been further from the truth.  Their rule was that of reckless adolescents drunk on the power of inherited privilege, without the slightest shred of comprehension of the consequences of their actions.

Now is the time for total and complete break with their rule.  Now is the time for true maturity to take the place of cheap imitations, both at home and abroad.  Now is the time to return America to its true path.  Redemption for one leads to redemption for all.


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Restoring America-Scottie McClellan And The Need For Redemption | 41 comments
So true (4.00 / 4)
I always enjoy your posts Paul.  IMO what demonstrates your point even more clearly than 1993 is Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon.  That precedent set the stage for Iran Contra and the subsequent lack of accountability.  The success of that scam in turn emboldened the latest batch of ideological automatons.  Conservatives have been exploring the edges of acceptable behavior, carefully mapping the dark unmonitored corners for future use.  We can't break this endless cycle of deception if we don't hold anyone accountable for it in the first place.
Quite True About Nixon (4.00 / 2)
Though we can push it back even further in time to the failure to fully roll back McCarthyism.

The censuring of McCarthy left a great deal of the supporting apparatus untouched.  Nixon himself was McCarthy's progenitor.  McCarthy's first anti-Communist speech was prepared based on notes provided by Nixon's office.  But Nixon was entirely untouched by the downfall of McCarthy.  What's more his House counterpart, HUAC, remained completely intact.  And, of course, Hoover's FBI never skipped a beat.

Moral: If we'd only learn our lessons, history wouldn't have to keep repeating itself.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Interesting (4.00 / 2)
As a thirty-something I always thought recorded history began with Nixon's inauguration.  Who knew!
[ Parent ]
Well said ... (4.00 / 1)
with any luck, we're heading towards a time where there'll be a big role for "truth and reconciliation"
Paul ... (4.00 / 2)
I am sure you know this .. but I didn't see it mentioned ... the one thing that makes McClellan's truth telling impressive .. is that he's basically dead now to the right wingers ... how much easier would it have been for him to stay quiet and live on wingnut welfare the rest of his life? .. Now .. he'll never get a sniff of wingnut welfare
Quite Right (4.00 / 3)
He's relegated to life in Conservatives Anonymous, eating donuts instead of scones, drinking non-Starbucks coffee, and standing up in front of a roomful of strangers and saying...
    "My name is Scottie, and I'm a conservative."


"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3
[ Parent ]
Non-Dunkin donuts, mind you (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
In Fact... (4.00 / 1)
they crumble on contact with the coffee.  Though it's unclear at this date whether it's the coffee, the donuts, or the combination of the two that's responsible.

Big Brother and the Holding Company, of course, insist that it's the Combination of the Two.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
He'll be OK. (0.00 / 0)
I'm guessing  they'll still plenty of people who'll throw cash around just to have a former White House spokesperson on staff, even one that's spilled the beans. We're just that lamely status-obsessed in this country, especially in DC or NYC.

  Scotty's no hero, even if he's suddenly serving a purpose.
 

[ Parent ]
Even John Dean Was No Hero (4.00 / 3)
until much, much later, when his subsequent work showed that he truly had been humbled, was sincere in trying to make amends, and even more than that wanted to help fight against the resurgence of the evil that he once served.

So, there's still hope for Scottie, just as there's hope for us all.

But right now, you're absolutely right.  He's got a long way to go.  But he's finaly headed in the right direction.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
I don't think John Dean is a hero on the right though .. (0.00 / 0)
it's telling that the only person that has Dean on(and pretty regularly) is KO
[ Parent ]
Who IS A Hero On The Right??? (0.00 / 0)
Mind you, I'm not talking about ordinary grassroots individuals.  But so far as the movement infrastructure types, the only heros they have are none too heroic, or else they've been stolen--like they'd like to steal Martin Luther King.

The idea that John Locke was a libertarian!  

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Or Adam Smith (4.00 / 1)
he was the first to intuit the labor theory of value for chrissakes.

Montani semper liberi
[ Parent ]
But, realistically . . . (0.00 / 0)
From your lips to God's ears, Paul.  

But, realistically, what chance is there that a incoming administration which was elected on its commitment to bipartisanship will act on anything of the kind?

I certainly enjoy reading utopian fantasies, and I hope you enjoy writing them. And there is a role for them in helping us to "keep hope alive."

That an Obama administration offers very little hope for "a total and complete break" seems to be so obvious that it would not even merit discussion were it not for the delusions entertained by so many who should know better.

That's why those such as yourself who have been able to maintain a grasp of reality shouldn't be perpetuating Obamaite fantasies among the left.

In fact, maintaining these fantasies will serve to dissipate the pressure on Obama from the left.  This pressure needs to be exerted from day one if there are to be even modest concessions to the progressive agenda.

If this happens, it will involve Obama not following through on his campaign rhetoric (in this instance and in others) but rather repudiating it.

Like FDR, we will need to make him into a decent, good, or maybe even great president.  

He won't do it by himself.

You do remember .. (0.00 / 0)
FDR's comment .. right ... about having the people make him do what they want? .. I wish I could remember the right words .. I believe that is what Obama will be like as well
[ Parent ]
Artificial goalposts (4.00 / 1)
That an Obama administration offers very little hope for "a total and complete break" seems to be so obvious that it would not even merit discussion were it not for the delusions entertained by so many who should know better.

Who are these "so many" that believe in a "total and complete break"?  I know a lot of people that are voting for Obama because he represents a much greater likelihood of righting wrongs, but I don't know anyone who thinks that a complete break is even possible, much less probable.  Obama's recent pledge to review all of Bush's executive orders for constitutionality indicates we're right on target.  I agree that we all need to make sure he follows through on these pledges, but that's a far cry from expecting him to singlehandedly disavow 100% of the current political atmosphere.

[ Parent ]
total and complete break (4.00 / 1)
"Total and complete break" is from Paul's post, and he's right.  An incoming Democratic administration prosecuting a previous Republican administration would amount to just that.  Remember that the Iran-Contra prosecutions were initiated Lawrence Walsh, a life long Republican.  The mantra of the Democrats for the past three generations and one which Obama has adopted without alteration is "Move on."

Another instance of a similar kind of delusional thinking can be found in Chris's post from last Wednesday:

http://www.openleft.com/showDi...

where an Obama administration is predicted to move on legislation comparable to "the progressive reforms of the New Deal era."

Please.  Not only has the Obama explicitly repudiated almost all aspects of the contemporary progressive agenda (e.g. single payer, reductions in defense expenditures, reinitiating progressive taxation, repealing Taft Hartley etc.) there is also the almost total absence of an independent left with the capacity to compel the system to move against the interests of corporate and economic elites.

And as delusional as the original posting is, the comments are even worse.

Those with realistic expectations are in the minority.  They need to be the majority.

[ Parent ]
...... doh. (4.00 / 1)
I completely skipped the last few paragraphs of the post in my zeal to read the comments below it.  Please excuse my dumbassery.  I actually agree with you, and I believe it's naive to abandon healthy skepticism about anyone running for office.  The media's done exactly that with McCain and we all see how that's enabled the maverick myth.
[ Parent ]
Middle ground? (4.00 / 2)
Of course, I think it would be fantastic if these cowboy lawbreakers (well, not literally cowboys in the non-all-hat sense) went to prison.  

However, I do take your point about Obama and unity and all this.  

I think there's a way to spin it though, as a "new direction" -- in having a law- and constitution-abiding executive branch, clearing out the cobwebs of corruption, etc etc etc ...

To this end, perhaps some kind of a fact-finding commission could be established, the purpose of which would not be explicitly prosecutorial, but rather, to provide more clear guidelines for future executive/legislative oversight, blah blah blah, I'm not sure of the wording of it because I'm thinking on my feet here.

... but in essence, we need something documented about how incredibly awful and UNAMURICUN the Bush administration was.  This needs to be on the public record, even if these clowns don't end up going to jail.  I think it's quite crucial for the development of our nation and our cultural psyche for there to be a thorough -- and official, and nonpartisan -- accounting of 1.  What went wrong, and 2. WHY and HOW, exactly, it was wrong and UNAMURICUN.

Republicans can't fix our country; they're too busy saddlebacking.

[ Parent ]
I really wasn't surprised by Scottie's book (0.00 / 0)
He never actually seemed to be evil unlike his predecessor (Ari 'I believe I answered the question when I said Up Is Down' Fleischer). More frustrating than banging your head against a brick wall...most definitely. And there were times when he made me extremely angry. But you could also see some times when he was really really uncomfortable up there with the crap he was having to spew out.

That's not to write-off what he did and say all is well. But I do think there were some chinks evident in the armor. Kind of like the first time you notice Darth Vador has some qualms about doing the emperor's bidding.

Remember too his mom is a much more moderate figure than the Bushies. Didn't she run for governor in '06 as an independent? Maybe she talked some sense into him once he came home to mamma.  

And just how do we make sure this happens? (0.00 / 0)
That's the rub for me. I have little faith in either candidate to deliver this up to the American People. Edwards said he would fight these bastards, and the media disappeared him.

It is why most Edwards and Hillary supporters didn't buy the kumbaya story from Obama early on, as many wanted to know a little more than "hope" and Yes We Can, and most of us have a very strong desire to see what you describe happen.

But Paul, what makes you believe Barack Obama will do this? It is going to unleash a shitstorm from the media, and big business that owns all of these politicians won't sit on the sidelines and watch their power slip away. He hasn't really articulated what you have in this post, (which I really like, by the way)

If any of the candidates had made this as a promise, would have surpassed 2025, or whatever "magic" number of the delegates needed to win a long time ago.

This is the root of beginning the "healing" process in this country.  

It's Up To Us (4.00 / 4)
We have to make it perfectly clear that this is not a partisan thing.  It's an American thing.  It's a duty thing.

And dereliction of duty is punishable by death.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
I hope you are right, Paul, that we can do it. (0.00 / 0)
But we do not have the levers of power, and even those democrats that do have to "show me" they have the guts do something as "right" as what you are suggesting. (and yes, I am from Missouri, and sorry for the obstinance, as I really like what you wrote, and will be one of the first in line to help bring it about) I am pretty un-impressed with our new Senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, who immediately voted with Harry Reid for telecom immunity. Why will these people go against the people who have them bought and paid for, and hold Republican miscreants responsible for the mess they made? Do you really think Obama will do this if we hold his feet to the fire? Our current Senate leader set us up to lose on FISA with the way he brought up the bill to require 60 votes rather than 51. They are owned by corporate interests, even when we have the majority, they do what they are paid for, not what voters want.

I mean isn't what you are suggesting actually standing up to the military-industrialist cabal?

Man, we are not even able to rid the congress of Blue Dogs in big numbers, (although Donna Edwards was a big win IMHO), why are you so optimistic about pulling this kind of a thing off? After seven years of Bush, we cannot even get the DOJ to support congress in bringing these guys to committee's to testify, much less holding those responsible for war crimes.

But I do want to believe. But boy, I think our candidate will do really well if they run on your suggestion. And I still think it ain't gonna happen.

[ Parent ]
Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will (4.00 / 1)
Subject line from Gramsci.  I have no illusions about it being easy.  I see all sorts of opposition.

But I also see that it's worth fighting for.  Even if we lose, advancing this view of things is a good in itself.

The history of the fight against slavery is the history of centuries of failure.

Failure is not the worst thing that can happen.  It's actually only second best.  Not fighting is far, far worse.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
We Are Powerful (4.00 / 2)
We have to believe that we have power, that we can make things happen no matter what the media, the Republicans, or the "moderate" Democrats say or do. It is tough because we are not rich, we do not hold the levers of power, and we can't get on TV every night. But collectively we do have a lot of power. Our small donations can add up to more than those of the fat cats. Our voices can be heard by talking to our friends, canvassing door-to-door, writing in blogs, writing books, lecturing to church groups, speaking on smaller radio stations, etc. And in some ways it is easier for us to be heard since we are speaking truth, justice, and compassion and our opponents are speaking lies, injustice, and viciousness -- our message is much more palatable and reality-based.

If we wait for "leaders" to lead us in good directions, we will be repeatedly disappointed. We'll discover our leaders are flawed, they are corrupted by power, money, and sexual enticements, or they will be trashed or killed by opponents. We have to lead and carve out a trail for our "leaders" to walk. We have to make it easy for our leaders to do right,  hard for them to do wrong, and irrelevant if they don't lead us properly. We have to provide the structure and support so that the progressive movement stays true to its ideals and doesn't become the caricature that the Right tries to paint us.

It is tough, but we are powerful. If we work hard, we can succeed. This is the lesson we should have learned from successful progressive movements like the American Revolution, the anti-slavery movement, the populist movement, the progressive movement, the labor movement, the suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, the anti-Vietnam war movement, the environmental movement, the anti-nuclear power and weapons movement, the gay liberation movement, etc., etc., etc. Movements of ordinary people are powerful when they stay true to their ideals and lots of people work together for the common good.

[ Parent ]
There you go n/t (0.00 / 0)
[ Parent ]
n/t = what? (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
No Text (0.00 / 0)
Like, if you're looking in some form of compressed mode--such as someone's comment list--you know there's no need to expand to see the comment.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3
[ Parent ]
What I think is that (0.00 / 0)
mercy is for the guilty, like Scott McClellan. It's the innocent who need justice.

We can afford mercy because we are committed to justice, unlike our opponents the conservatives, who believe in neither are therefore have nothing but vengeance to guide them.  

Montani semper liberi

Sorry, but I forgot to add (4.00 / 1)
that frankly, the guys who are writing these books years later like this, (rather than doing as Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill did, and Richard Clarke did, and say something while it was able to have an effect), have a lot to do to get me to forgiveness. I also cannot bring myself to ever look up to Colin Powell after his trip to the UN to LIE us into the war.

I appreciate your viewpoint on forgiveness, but there are probably close to at least 750,000 plus dead Iraqis by now, 4000 plus US troops dead, 5 Veterans a day committing suicide due to our unwillingness to treat returning vets with PTSD, but gosh I have trouble with the forgiveness thing. I'll have to work on it, but color me cynical at the moment.

Colin Powell Is Still In Denial (4.00 / 1)
But his aide, Wilkerson has done quite a lot to earn redemption.

I'm not saying to forget the dead.  Not by any stretch.  But there has to be a possibility for redemption, or we can be sure that there will be millions more of them in our future.

This is not a pleasant reality, by any means.  But it's our reality, and if we're more concerned with our own moral purity than we are with the next potetial victims of US imperialism, then we'll have their blood on our hands, too.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
YES, Wilkerson does deserve redemption, and he has (0.00 / 0)
painted Powell in a better light.

I just think that Scotty was in a very important position, and he carried a lot of water for the bushies at critical times.

If he were to do as you say, and help us bring the people responsible to justice, I could see some redemption coming from that. Truth & Reconciliation Commission, American Style.

Boy, I see why you guys endorsed Obama. A fair bit of Hope here. Maybe that is a good thing.

[ Parent ]
Well, I Didn't ENDORSE Obama So Much (0.00 / 0)
as support him by default, eventually,

though I guess I am part of "you guys" simply by virtue of being a front pager here.

But I'm not blindly hoping here.  I am advocating for something that I think will take a good deal of pressure to bring about, and I'm trying to show why it's not just some radical, extreme idea, but rather a very practical, sober, even conservative (in the sense of keeping our country together) one.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
I think .. (0.00 / 0)
We see in Obama .. one who if we stay on him .. will do what we want him to .. he expects people to be involved .. to push him ... remember that great FDR quote about the people pushing him where they want to go? ... basically saying that the people need to be the force for change? .. that is what we have to do .. be the force for change
[ Parent ]
The Essence of Progressive Justice (4.00 / 2)
I loved this section of your post:

We are ready to restore the real thing.  We are ready to seek justice, not vengeance. To seek truth, not spin. To seek accountability, not self-righteous blame. And to provide the opportunity for genuine redemption, lapsing neither into heartlessness nor into indulgence.

In short, it is time to restore both the rule of law and the wisdom of mercy. That is how America is supposed to conduct itself.That is how adults are supposed to conduct themselves.

America is supposed to be based on the rule of law, not be run by powerful rulers. Progressives favor compassion, but not letting people get run over by bullies; progressives favor altruism, but not acting like foolish chumps who get ripped off by scam artists. We need lawful justice, not revenge.

I have little patience with or use for (4.00 / 1)
so-called Democrats (or anyone, really, who claims to believe in democracy and the rule of law) who oppose taking strong and appropriate legal and other action against people who have willfully and egregiously violated our laws in order to advance their noxious agendas, because they think that it's unnecessary, or wasteful of time and resources, or might backfire, etc. Complete and utter horseshit, uttered by people who either don't get ANYTHING, or do, but lack the spine and honor to do what's right. This coalition of the clueless, cowardly and corrupt have done an enormous amount of damage to our party and country, and it's time to just shut them the fuck up. Ooh, I'm angry--damn right I am!

When crimes are committed, they must ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be dealt with--PERIOD. When this doesn't happen, the criminals just come back and commit yet more crimes, and others are encouraged to do the same, realizing that there are no consequences for their actions. I don't care how hard it's going to be. I don't care what the blowback might be. I don't care how loudly these wingfucks are going to protest and cry bloody vindictive murder. I DON'T CARE! They committed crimes and need to be dealt with properly, if if that's done, the public will fully support such an effort, being if anything even more pissed off at them than we are (save those dumbfuck clueless 28%ers, but then I suppose that someone's got to make up the bottom quarter percentile in intelligence and decency).

I simply do not understand this "Do not fight back!" and "Do not hold people accountable" crap. I really don't. Maybe it's because I was brought up on "Never again!".

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

I Hear THAT! (4.00 / 1)
Especially your last line.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3
[ Parent ]
Truth and reconcilation commissions (4.00 / 1)
Other countries have had experience with dealing with  this kind of situation. Rather than focusing on prosecution, they have established truth and reconcilation commissions (South Africa, Latin American countries that had been ruled by military juntas). Under these commissions, people who came forward voluntarily to testify about their crimes (or their knowledge of crimes) were not prosecuted. (One of the limitations of a prosecution approach, frankly, is that much of the evidence has been, or will be, destroyed.) Scott McClellan testifying to Congress would illustrate in a sense how such a process might work.

It would help to have a bipartisan group advocating such a process (off the top of my head, I can think of Jimmy Carter, Wilkerson, John Dean, Glenn Greenwald, military defense attorneys who have stood up to the Guantanamo prosecutions), and especially major religious figures. One person who has studied such commissions is Helena Cobban, who can be reached at her excellent blog, Just World News.

We need a multifaceted approach to this problem: congressional hearings, bipartisan commissions such as the Church Commission in the mid-1970s that investigated the CIA, Justice Department prosecutions, reviewing Bush administration executive orders, and removing tainted Bush officials from power.

What's important is that this not be about revenge, as Paul says--this is about restoring the laws and values and ideals of this country. This is a fight about what it means to be an American, and to be a member of the human community. And in doing so, it helps to understand deeply that the Bush administration is also one expression of what it means to be an American.

A progressive blogwide discussion of what to do about the Bush administration's crimes is something that Open Left could take the lead in proposing and organizing. As Paul says, the buggest mistake would be not to engage this issue at all.  

Hobson's choice (0.00 / 0)
In principle, this is a great idea and I'm sure most folks here would sign on.  

But, and this is a big but, as discussed above, an Obama administration will not move on this willingly but only under pressure from us and there is only a small number of issues which we can effectively organize and exert pressure on.

That means we will have to choose and that could mean, for example, choosing between this and pressuring the Obama administration to withdraw troops from Iraq which it has vowed to maintain at around 80,000 or more.  Or it may mean choosing between moving on this and pressuring an Obama administration not to invade Iran or Venezuela, both of which he has made more or less direct threats against.

In an ideal world, and, to be honest, with an actual progressive candidate, we would not have to consider this kind of Hobson's choice, or at least not so many of them.  

I know I'm not making many friends here by pressing this point, but the more we buy into in the self-delusional hype about Obama and a Democratic congress being sympathetic with our goal of achieving "transformational politics" the less the chance that anything of the kind will occur.
 

[ Parent ]
What's Strategically Central? (0.00 / 0)
It's certainly possible that the threats you cite are more salient than I believe they are.  I tend to think that Obama's rhetoric is more for show, and that he realizes they would be counterproductive at best.  But even if I'm wrong, it seems to me that the sort of organizing needed for a peace and reconciliation process would inherently send a very powerful message against such adventurism, whereas the reverse would not necessarily be so.

Furthermore, I know from doing Central American Solidarity work in the 1980s that it is much more difficult to organize people over foreign policy issues than it is for issues right at home.  There are numerous reasons for this, we need not go into.  But the bottom line is that if you can organize around issues that are easier to organize around, and yet still have a spill-over effect, then that makes a great deal of sense.  And that would seem to be the situation we would be finding ourselves in.

My perspective is that pushing our values is the most important thing we can do, because this strengthens the foundation for everything else.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Values (0.00 / 0)
I certainly agree that direct military intervention in Latin America and/or Iran may not on the table, at least immediately, as it is for the current administration.  But when it comes to Iraq, I don't think there's much doubt that O will maintain a substantial presence there, though the level of violence and U.S. casualties may diminish somewhat. Again, one of those uncomfortable truths that doesn't intrude into the imaginary world of the Obama fantasists.

Even at a reduced level, continuing the occupation in Iraq constitutes, I would suggest, just as much of an assault on our values as allowing Bush administration war criminals to get off scott free.  

Also, I agree that it is difficult to organize around foreign policy, but Iraq is now widely perceived as a domestic policy issue:  the hundreds of billions of dollars required to maintain force levels is now, I think, increasingly understood to connect to, e.g. bridges collapsing in Minnesota, maimed veterans requiring 24 hour care, and maybe even an effective double digit inflation rate due to running enormous war related budget deficits.

Organizing around withdrawing troops from Iraq is already in the works (e.g. http://natassembly.org/) and in any case strikes me as an easier sell than the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission, though lord knows, something of the sort is desperately needed.  

Let me know where to sign on.

[ Parent ]
Restoring America-Scottie McClellan And The Need For Redemption | 41 comments
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