The Debate That Made No Difference
By Timothy V. Gatto
08 October,
2008
Countercurrents.org
Tonight’s debate between
the two corporate candidates’ was predictable and superficial.
If I were to judge the by the debates only, I would have a hard time
differentiating between the two. Both Senator’s were very close
to one another on most issues save healthcare which in all reality
is just a “straw-man” issue that probably won’t
be enacted in the next term of either candidate, but it makes good
fodder for political discourse.
No, the debate was a typical boring Q&A session of ubiquitous questions. The questions came from attendees and from the internet, but I believe only the most answerable questions were selected. What were very noticeable were a lack of questions about the bailout and a complete lack of questions about the massive 615 billion dollar defense authorization passed on the same day of the bailout. Apparently the nation as a whole doesn’t mind spending 54% of the world’s total military expenditures’ even though our economy is tanking like The Titanic
There were no questions about the Bill of Rights that has been shredded and sent to the waste bin of history. There was some talk about the founding fathers, but there was certainly nothing said that reflected on the governments’ embracement of their wisdom. One question that had me squirming in my seat was the question of whether we would protect and defend Israel against an attack from Iran. Both candidates were quick to promise their undying devotion to that country and both would do “whatever it takes” to assure there wasn’t a second holocaust. This, even though Israel is know to have over 200 nuclear warheads in it’s arsenal and the delivery systems to use them. Why is it that both corporate parties pander to the Jewish-right lobby AIPAC when 80% of American Jews detest their policies? What’s the story here, campaign donations?
Another bone of contention I have with the corporate duopoly is the way they portray Russia. This is a nation that has pretty well minded its business for a long time now. The Amertican people are quite aware of what happened in Georgian and South Ossetia and Abkhazian. Here is an excerpt from “Break the Matrix”:
“On that night Georgian peacekeepers turned on their Russian comrades killing 10 and wounding dozens as Georgian president Saakashvili’s army invaded South Ossetia. According to the international news network Russia Today, the Georgian army began perpetrating a campaign of ethnic cleansing by assassinating clergy, shooting women and children in the streets and throwing grenades into random houses. These reports came complete with televised pictures of the carnage. As the Russians reacted to the aggression of the Georgians by coming to the aid of the defenseless South Ossetia’s, President Bush and his media cronies stirred up old Cold War sentiments in the U.S. by blasting the Russians for disproportionate use of force and imperialistic actions toward Georgia. In particular, Bush criticized Russian bombing of strategic locations inside Georgia even though this was precisely the same strategy his father pursued against Iraq to extract its army from Kuwait 17 years ago.”
Meanwhile Obama and McCain cling to the idea that Russia is “flexing its military muscles ounce again. This keeps the voter looking for decisive leaders and “take charge mentalities to keep them safe, Another “Straw Man” argument, one that can truly re-ignite the old war that may son become hot. Take this statement from Ralph Nader:
Afghanistan:
Bush burned down haystack to find needle
Taking issue with the war in Afghanistan, Nader said, "Bush burned
down a haystack to try to find a couple of needles. He didn't find
the needles, but there have been 1000s of innocent deaths." Nader
says he would have organized a modest multinational force and sent
them into Afghanistan to arrest Osama bin Laden, a kind of police
raid. Then he would have tried him at The Hague. "Sept. 11 was
an international crime, a massacre," Nader said in 2002. "We
should have gone forward with international law."
Source: Nader: Crusader, Spoiler, Icon, by Justin Martin, p.278 Sep 1, 2002
Both mainstream media candidates don’t want to talk about civil liberties, or the escess if the Bush Administration. I believe that they aren’t talking for a reason. Both Presidential candidates do not wish to upset the applecart when it comes to executive power. It seems to me that “the Unitary Executive” will live on in both parties, while Congress goes along with it like the sheep they are.
The cold hard facts are that Russia did not start the war in Georgia; the South Ossetia’s did, as their “peacekeepers” launched an attack on the Russia peacekeepers and the Georgina Army started shelling civilian targets. This was a war propagated by Georgia with the backing of the US. Why both candidates’ constantly bring up the specter of Russia with imperial aims is patently ridiculous.
Is this just another way of keeping Americans fearful as we encircle Russia militarily? McCain stated that he saw the letters KGB in Putin’s eyes. Did he also see in President’s George H.W. Bush the letters CIA?
All in
all the debate was disheartening. Obama came our solidly against lobbyists,
corporate interests in government and “Special interests”
that are ruining our republic (even though he is the largest recipient
of corporate donations). He also espoused a larger war in Afghanistan.
McCain said just about the same things. What I want to know is why
they continually take their money while they continually let the wealthiest
business owners off the hook? The corporations have sold our industrial
base offshore, and the jobs that went with them. Obama talks a good
game about getting our industrial base moving again, but never tells
us how. Why is war always something that is waiting in the wings?
If what happened last night is any indication of what is in the future
for America, we may as well brace for it. There was no mention of
civil liberties being returned to Americans, no lessoning of the military
budget that brought us into this debt, along with the declining housing
market. The truth is that we cannot continue to spend the kind of
money on our military as we have done. We cannot continue to be the
pre-eminent military power on Earth until we fix our economy. The
truth is, we would be much better of if we for once, minded our own
business. As both candidates signed onto use taxpayer money to try
and shore up banks and investment houses, who are watching out for
the people? The answer is Kucinich, Feingold and Bernie Sanders and
Kith Schuler from NC that all voted against the law. Whydah you think
they did that?
Since this will never happen we should consider the third party candidates that have real ideas and are not “carbon copies” of each other. It’s too bad for this country when we have two “birds of a Feather” mincing word at a national presidential debate. This don’t bode well for the future.
timgatto@ hotmail.com
http://liberalpro.blogspot.com
