Condosleeza Number Two

Dr Condoleeza Rice, President Bush's nominee to be Secretary of State appearred again today, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This nominee, in her past job as Presidential National Security Advisor distinguished herself by her baldface lying during the buildup to the hostile takeover of the Iraqi National Oil Company.

Yesterday, Senators Barbara Boxer (Democrat/California) and Christopher Dodd (Democrat/Connecticut) gave her something of a hard time on this.  Today they were joined by Senator Edward Kennedy (Democrat/Massachusetts) who asked many searching questions as to when the Iraqi puppet forces would be capable of relieving Imperial troops.  

But the most significant news in all this is how not one of these senators can simply come out with the truth of the matter, saying something like, "Dr Rice, you and your boss are plain liars.  You lied on the weapons of mass destruction supposedly in Iraqi possession.  You lied to this house about how an attack on Iraq would be a 'cakewalk'.  You lied to us as to how much this operation would cost.  And now you are lying about how long our troops will remain exposed in harm's way.  No way I will vote for your confirmation."

This would be the normal way for any normal person to react to a proven liar being promoted to the most senior of American cabinet jobs.  But we are not talking about normal people here.  

Both Republican and Democrat officials thoroughly united with President Bush's aggressive war even before it began.  These people with very rare exceptions represent big money -- a candidate for election to the Senate must demonstrate his ability to raise big funds from big corporate donors above any and all other qualifications -- these persons do not really need to represent the people.

Although, in this case, the need for permanent war, I believe they do.  Most Americans now understand they enjoy the standard of living that they do only by seizure of resources and labour from others.  And most of our voters have reacted to any suggestion of either domestic social progress or decent international conduct with disdain as far back as the election of Richard Nixon in 1968.

In fact they repeated the lesson to their elected officials in 1972, in 1980, in 1984, in 2000 and now in 2004.  And the records of both Carter and Clinton certainly show us very conservative policies at home and aggression abroad.  As a people we do not want a society of equality, for we would have to share with our neighbors of colour.  We do not want national health care, so long as we can get care privately.  Most of all we do not wish to live among other nations except as primus inter pares.  "First among equals."  And come hell or high water we will not give up that 6000 pounds of SUV in the driveway.

The Fascists were able to rule in Germany, totally mobilize her society and wage world war with only about a 35% level of electoral support.  Today's American corporate state, and remember, Mussolini the inventor of Fascism always preferred to call his creation "Corporatism", enjoys the support of just over one-half the electorate.  And most of the remainder do not seriously dispute the right of white middle and upper class Americans to dictate to all others, at home or abroad.

All this said, such political moves as the construction by Venezuela of a mass militia, under their territorial army comes as a very necessary and prudent measure.  Their effort to open trade in oil and other commodities with China and the European Union are also useful and wise moves.  The power of the USA to interfere so egregiously in their internal business must be diluted by measures taken by the Venezolanos themselves.  For US policies will not change so long as the economic and thus military power of the USA remains intact.  

American policy will not change until the dollar suffers the consequences natural to the currency of the world's largest debtor.  One whose statistics on personal debt, public debt and trade deficits now far exceed those of Argentina, for instance when that country's economic bubble collapsed.  What we see in Iraq and many other places too is the erratic and irrational moves of a desperate and corrupt misleadership frantically searching out ways to avoid the immediate consequences of bankruptcy.

In fact budgetary considerations are already the only constraints in Washington on belligerency.    

Naturally the Senators will not be too harsh with Dr Rice or with her boss.  For, no matter how "liberal" they too will share the bitter consequences of defeat.

From the Imperial Capital
Chris Herz
cdherz44@yahoo.com