An analysis in USA Today (6/23/11) by Richard Wolf claims:
President Obama’s decision to remove 10,000 troops from Afghanistan this year and a total of 33,000 by next September was deemed a step in the right direction Wednesday by a growing, and bipartisan, anti-war movement.
Really? I’m not aware of many people in the “anti-war movement” who have expressed that sentiment. And neither is USA Today, judging by the quotes that are included in the article. The piece notes that “Many Democrats called for a faster drawdown” and “Many liberal Democrats demanded more troops home sooner”—naming Sen. Carl Levin, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Patty Murray as expressing such sentiments.
The paper goes on to note that the “most liberal Democrats’ patience are the least satisfied with Obama’s timetable,” and then quotes Moveon.org and the Campaign for America’s Future. It’s good to see the paper reporting on the dissatisfaction that exists among those to the left of Obama—but there’s no reason to suggest that such folks consider his policies a “step in the right direction.”
Because the President has only a commitment to draw down that number or less than when started in Afghanistan with — and we remain in Iraq — I can say I know of no one who “applauds” the President’s announcement. The Right wants to say that he has given in to the enemy–but they cannot; and they cannot say that he has done anything much differently than Bush with Cheney and Rumsfeld.
i assume many here are familiar with “manufacturing consent”… of course it’s important to keep pointing these things out but unfortunately, it’s hardly surprising.
this also reminded me about something i heard today on democracynow (regarding press coverage of what happened in haiti after the quake):
KIM IVES: […] Hillary Clinton […] was saying, “We have to get the narrative right.”
[…]
if there’s anything, if it’s in Ecuador or if it’s in Doha or if it’s in Thailand, go and fight back against any negative portrayal of the U.S. deployment after the quake. So they want to make sure that they get the narrative right. And you got it wrong, Amy.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/6/24/haiti_leaked_cables_expose_us_suppression
The American people must take to the streets, bring the whole country to a standstill, and demand that President Obama bring to fruition his campaign promises: extricate America from war and kill the tax-cut extension. Republicans continue the Reagan mantra of turning the clock back on the social programs created by Roosevelt and Johnson.
Frank………Obama can do whatever the hell he likes and the left will vote for him.(97 percent of the blacks….Unions…..Big business in his hip pocket……Libs………Dems………He will not loose them.And that is the only power you have over him.And as it turns out that is no power at all.You have no contenders on the left that will match your machines 1 billion pocket change.
He will do now for the most part what is politically in his favor regarding the independents.Trying to sway a percentage of them with phony centrist moves.A ‘step in the right direction” can mean everything…or nothing at all.I think a drawdown is the only action militarily speaking.His motives are another thing.
Even after these two drawdowns (if they happen) we’ll still have 68,000 troops in Afghanistan. Can USAToday find an “anti-war” group remotely happy about that?
After questioning just about everything you write on this site, michael e., I have to say I agree with most of what you write in this instance. Obama’s in a position where he doesn’t have to listen to any liberal voices at all. He can probably count on the liberal vote, no matter how he handles the wars and so forth. I mean, in his campaign he said that he would escalate in Afghanistan, and we still voted for him then.
But that’s why I agree with Frank, that we are running out of channels to work through, and the streets are all we have left to air our complaints… Of course, as FAIR keeps pointing out, if the media doesn’t cover the protest it’s impact will likely to be as negligible as our votes.
But it’s important, I believe, to keep trying to let the powers that be know that we Do Not Consent to what is happening.
The only reason Obama is withdrawing troops from Afghanistan is so that he can redeploy them to Libya when the time comes. And it will come. The Libyan resistance isn’t making enough headway in their quest to depose Qadaffi, and the Washington war mongers and profiteers need to be sated.
That really is the only recourse, Frank. And it will be the Republicans, with their radical anti-worker agenda, who start stirring things up again–witness the working folk of Wisconsin who finally have come to undestand what side of the bread their butter is on. The Right is not going to stop, and it’s going to force Obama to make a decision (actually, many decisions) he’d rather not make. We know what Obama’s about now, don’t we? He’s going to cave on all important ideas, and let the Republicans get away with most of what they want. I’ll vote for him again only because of the Supreme Court, but there are many formerly ardent supporters of his out here who are gravely disappointed with his neo-Republican presidency and his constant capitulating. Isn’t it terribly ironic how it’s the Right, and not Obama, who motivates the Left? (That’s the real, “professional” Left I’m talking about.)
Those who vote for Obama in the next election cannot call themselves “liberal” (whatever definition you chose for that) and keep a straight face.
For a long time the only reason to vote for a Democrat in the presidential election has been because he’s not a Republican. Or because he’s less Republican than the other guy. It seems a thin reason, but it’s a powerful motivator. It’s the “lesser of two evils,” of course, and I haven’t been able to talk about it with a straight face for years.
Here opens a wide gap between Robert Parry and Chris Hedges. Mr. Parry seems satisfied with the wishbones tossed with contempt at the progressives who actually believed what Obama said in his campaign and actually agreed with him. Why is a withdrawal of 5,000 troops a token, while 10,000 is a significant withdrawal? Why are the 90,000 mercenaries and 70,000 other troops ignored as if they are not a grossly expensive government jobs program maintaining the occupation of a foreign country? Why will Obama not tell us why such a force is necessary? Do we really have to tame Pakistan? Are we going to push the Muslims until war breaks out between them and India? Are we in this for the interest of Americans or for global corporations? It seems to me that this slight reduction is a very thin reed to support the proposition that Obama is more concerned about the common good for America than he is the continued and expanded control of the planet by international corporations.
(intended for ConsortiumNews- undelivered)
Greg….One thing you said rings in my ears.Why wont they tell us?Why wont they tell us what their geopolitical goals are?Short term and long term.Are we too dumb to understand the dangers to our national interests?I somehow see Hilary and Obama and his intel and military advisors setting policy for us as if we are handi capped children.
These troops Oblah Blah is withdrawing will be used in a ground force attack on Lybia. In short, we are witnessing a march toward World War III. As the U.S. forcibly extracts the old dictators and installs new puppet regimes a false coalition will arise against Iran. This false coalition will be used as justification for a military attack on Iran and could usher in WWIII. This time it will be different because wide spread use of nuclear weapons is posssible.
I wonder if the antiwar movement will continue to remain silent where we find ourselves in the midst of WWIII without a wimper from the establishements oppostion.
Regards,
Rob
Immediate action must be taken to remove Barack Obama from the office of the presidency. All those who plan to wait until elections are mistaken on the real political climate which is being created by Obama and you are a traitor to our republic and constitution if you are not intending to have him removed through impeachment or article 4 of the 25th Amendment. The elections have officially been ruled out of any true patriots frame of reference, not simply because all of the candidates are completely incompetent almost more so than Obama, but because Obama is the spitting image of an emperor Nero who now wishes to see the world engulfed in flames as he watches basketball. The President is making quite clear to the nations of the world that he has no regard for international law and to the people of the United States that he has no intention to abide by the law of the constitution, if we are willing to accept this than we deserve the destruction which he will bring us in this coming year. This man has proven his most significant thrill is unlawful execution and he dances on the graves of his victims on national television, this is an extremely dangerous form of criminal insanity.
His stationing of US troops in Australia show the true intention of his provocations of Iran and Syria is to engage the major Asian Nations in combat as they undoubtedly can not isolate the middle east any longer without turning their backs on treaty agreements which have been long standing. If you wish not to see a nuclear holocaust, remove Obama. The stated intention of Obama’s most favorite lady in all the world, Queen Elizabeth, is to reduce the worlds population down to 1 billion people, this is undoubtedly the purpose behind this drive for war. The nuclear option is the only option, should this escalate to where Obama is intending it to. We must remove him immediately.
There is a highly regarded lawyer, Prof. Francis Boyle, who has offered his services free of charge to any government official who wishes to save this planet by raising articles of impeachment in the congress or senate for president Obama. He is asking every man woman and child to call their representatives and request this action be taken. This is an interview with him, please listen to it and share it with your contact base and call your reps as often as possible on this subject.http://larouchepac.com/node/20307