Paul Craig Roberts has written another opinion piece, based upon his experience as a Treasury Official under Reagan, and based upon years of experience resulting in some great insight. I enjoy reading his articles, because as a former Assistant Treasury Secretary under Reagan, and an editor at WSJ, he brings a view that sometimes strikes me as feeling like a stranger in his own country when viewing what is going on today in politics. The following are my impressions of the linked piece, plus other writings he's done in the past three months.
Toward the end of an article discussing the bullying tactics of the Republican Party, and the feckless behavior of Democrats when confronted with obvious, admitted, confirmed, notorious, and blatant crimes, under US and international law. He notes the rise of Hitler was facilitated by similar fecklessness in pre-war Germany.
He writes also of the historical progression of the mean streak in Republican politics, resulting today in government run for the 1 percent, supported by Republican 'adjustments' to voting machines (and no challenge to this from Democrats), and the reckless recent positioning of Russian and Putin in the gun sights, an especial danger in the event Romney is elected.
The Republican Party has become the Party of Hate. Decades of frustration have made Republicans mean. [...]
The Republican Party wants power so that it can smash all vestiges of regulation and welfare and all those of whom Republicans disapprove: the poor, the minorities, liberals, the imagined "foreign enemies," war protestors and others who challenge authority, those American weaklings who have compassion for the unfortunate, the US Constitution, that pinko-liberal-commie document that coddles criminals, illegal aliens, and terrorists, and all dissenters from the policy of enriching the one percent at the expense of the 99 percent.[...]
America has declared itself to be "the indispensable nation," justifying its hegemony over the world. Any country that does not submit to Washington is "a foe." The neoconservative propaganda that America is the indispensable nation with a right to world hegemony sounds a lot like "Deutschland uber alles."
The Republicans Have Crossed The Rubicon, from Paul Craig Roberts' site.By declaring itself the 'indispensable' nation, ongoing US hegemony is a certainty. From the recent Pussy Riot kerfuffle, portrayed in the US and British press as political speech against a dictatorial Putin, when in fact it was merely performance art done in a manner disrespectful to the Russian Orthodox Church with lyrics failing to contain any meaningful message at all involving Putin. Added is the notion that the US should be controlling who heads the Syrian state, when there is no discernible impact upon the US for justification.
Back in the Bush administration, the US egged Georgia into a confrontation with Russia that had the expected outcome of a battle lasting moments before Russia overcame any action by Georgia.
Ratcheting up the ante now has Syria declared indispensable to the US, for what known purpose no one is saying, while Syrians and others are dying in the streets. The only good seen immediately is that Iran gets a slight pushback from being on the front burner.
The reason for Republicans pushing constantly for war, while ignoring the needs of the US economy to recover from eight years of credit card wars, revenue reduction and industry fleeing the borders, seems incomprehensible when viewed in this light. Add to that, the new control mentality, whereby the government is not to work cooperatively with the population to increase personal and community achievement, but to merely and simply control the population within the interests of the wealthiest one percent.
The Republican party represents the richest of the rich, giving lip service to the merely rich. The Democrats, in acquiescing to every demand of the Republicans is coming to truly represent no one seeking legality, cooperation in the international and domestic communities, and leaves most of us sitting on the sidelines wondering what fresh hell is in store for us now.
Russia and China are in the way of Republican hegemony. Can the US afford leaders that call large nations with well trained military and nuclear weapons, our enemies? Baselessly?
When Clint Eastwood asked the empty chair why the troops weren't ordered home the next morning, Republicans were loathe to admit he was talking as much about Obama as the reckless warmongering of the Republican presidential nominee.
At the end of the election cycle, one man will be elected. No matter which, the sitting president as of 2013 will have plenty of Executive Orders behind them to allow governing by fiat. This is the true state of government, due largely to the Bush power grab to the Executive was not countered by impeachment, and Obama has continued the power plays of his predecessor.
