Fathers and sons
- 8 Nov 06, 08:36 PM
, the new Secretary of Defence, is a friend of President Bush's father.
Coming on the heels of the appointment of to head the Iraq Study Group, think of it as the friends of Bush the father coming in to save the White House of the son.
A sort of Shakespearean family drama but with global repercussions.
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At least Pa Bush knew that invading Iraq was an entirely a no-win campaign.
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The best analogy I've heard likens Gates to a business manager brought in by trustees to oversee a bankruptcy re-organization. Bush 41 aide Jim Baker, and the other Iraqi Study Group members with some real-world success in managing a Middle-East SNAFU, probably are the best near-term hope the U.S. has to salvage something from the wreckage. As with bankruptcy, look for re-deploying valuable assets, cutting loose obvious losers, reducing expense and risk, and lowering stakeholder expectations. Unfortunately, the CEO (GW) can't be fired, only persuaded. For the world as a whole, I hope they succeed.
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Glad someone understands this. In the Bush clan "Little George" was (and probably still is) the childhood nickname for Big George's namesake. (The "W" nonsense is just that -- a p.r. gimmick.)
Not for the first time Big George is having to try and fix one of Little George's screw-ups. Except this time it's a little more serious than a drunk driving charge or a military AWOL, and a lot more obvious -- and fatal -- to the world at large.
The next two years are no longer the property of son, but of the patriarch of a wounded dynasty.
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And let's not neglect trigger- happy "little richard," W's "Big Brother".
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Here鈥檚 an excellent discussion programme with former CIA analyst Mel Goodman on Robert Gates, Iran-Contra, Saddam Hussein and Israel.
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The Bush family has grown into a dynasty. After Bush Sr came Bush Jr. The son hasn鈥檛 inherited from his father just the presidency after a lapse by Pt Clinton, but also key staff like vice president Dick Cheney and the former secretary of states Collin Powel who also served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when Bush Sr declared war on Saddam after his invasion of Kuwait.
The Bush dynasty has ramified itself into US policy, not forgetting Jeb Bush, the other son of Bush Sr, who has been re-elected the governor of Florida.
In the US the Kennedy dynasty seems to have gone under shadow. Maybe the same fate is awaiting the Bush dynasty unless Jeb Bush creates the surprise by becoming a presidential candidate in 2008, which will make presidency in the US a near monarchy with power passing from father to son and from son to another son.
If Roosevelt stayed in power for four terms as an exception to the constitution as drafted by the Founding Father not to allow power to be perpetuated in the hands of the few, it won鈥檛 be surprising if the succession to the presidency by another Bush will make him the third Bush president of the US 鈥 provided the Republicans make convincing campaigns to make him ascend the presidential throne.
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I think it was Senator George McGovern that said George Bush did not pursue the Iraqi forces once Kuwait had been regained as he new then that to occupy Iraq would be unwise and against the UNSC resolution.
I believe that there is a general consensus that thinks that George Bush Senior, being a war hero, knew the horror of war and was therefore keen to avoid it.
Greg Palast says that real reason for the war with Iraq was because energy interests could control the price of oil by limiting the production of oil in Iraq thus 鈥渆nhancing鈥 the relationship with OPEC. Oil prices have increased to $73 per barrel from $20 during Bill Clinton.
Last year $253 billion petro-dollars flowed out to OPEC from the US and $311 billion petro-dollars came back.
Since the war began the value of Exxon鈥檚 reserves have grown by aprox $670 billion.
At least war with Iran may well now be prevented regardless of any decision for them to start trading in euros instead of dollars.
Apparently the so called 鈥渆xistential treat鈥 to Israel of an Iranian nuclear bomb is unlikely as the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already passed an edict that such weapons are against the teachings of Islam.
Links:
Senator George McGovern on Democracy Now
The Greg Palast lecture starts 27min 50 sec into the show and finishes at 1hr 27min
Scott Ritter on "Target Iran: The Truth About the White House鈥檚 Plans for Regime Change鈥
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