Rosa Clemente, who ran for Vice President with Cynthia McKinney in 2008, reminds us that Cornel West and many other notable left activists and intellectuals who have given lip-service to the need for an independent left politics in the U.S., dutifully lined-up to give their support to Barack Obama. For many of these leftists, the rationale offered to support the Democrat candidate wasn’t even about the traditional “lesser of two evils,” but a strange belief that somehow this individual, selected and pushed by powerful forces within the liberal Democrat establishment and some defectors from the Clinton DLC wing of the party, represented a significant break with the neoliberal agenda that both parties had committed themselves to since the late 70s.
Brother West, who claimed that Barack Obama was a “good and decent brother” whose “character and judgment” would overcome his lack of experience, endorsed and campaigned incessantly for the freshmen senator from Illinois. In more than sixty appearances, West assured black and progressive audiences that Obama represented the embodiment of democratic hope to reverse a corrupt and moribund politics in the U.S.
Of course, being the pro-capitalist flim-flam man and opportunist pimp that he had always been for most of his adult life, Barack Obama had no intention of breaking with the corporate neoliberal agenda. Obama’s vigorous support for the bank bailout and the role he played lining up skeptical members of the Democrat Party to get behind the Bush bailout in September 2008 should have been a wake-up to his “progressive” supporters that without significant pressure from his “left” all of his “liberal” campaign promises would be jettisoned and he would govern from the right. Surprisingly, after Obama won and it became even more clear with his appointments and advisors that he was in fact going to govern as a neoliberal, many leftists, including West, withheld early criticisms of his policies and even more tragically decided to deploy a strangely passive and disempowering “wait and see” strategy.
Due to his work with Tavis Smiley, I really thought West had awakened and was done with the nonsense of propping up War Hawks.
But I guess he's just unable to let go.
Which is really sad.
Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Thursday, September 10, 2015. Chaos and violence continue, Iraq's
government protests the violation of their national sovereignty, the
State Dept ignores it, Canada's New Democratic Party is attacked for
proposing to do the sensible thing, and much more.
The Canadian Press is attempting to actively smear the country's New Democratic Party. Why?
Because unlike so many -- especially so many in the US -- the NDP can see beyond the bluster and war mania.
CP gets this part right:
The New Democrats would immediately halt Canada's bombing campaign against Islamic State militants and withdraw special forces trainers who have been instructing Kurdish peshmerga fighters, leader Tom Mulcair said Thursday.
The NDP would not wait for the parliamentary mandate — Canada is currently committed to the U.S.-led coalition until the end of March — to expire, he emphasized.
"Canada would put an end to our participation in the combat mission in Iraq and in Syria immediately. We've been clear on that since Day 1."
From there, the CP wants to ridicule and mock the NDP and offer this or that statement by this or that war monger.
Reality -- one that CodeStink and David Swanson and others can't explore because they focus on every damn thing except Iraq -- there is no plan.
US President Barack Obama has bombed Iraq for over a year now and begged other countries -- such as Canada -- to participate as well.
That's the so-called plan.
It's not accomplished one damn thing.
And the ridiculous Medea Benjamin and David Swanson, so busy pretending to Stop The Next War Now!, ignore the plight of the Iraqi people and the ongoing destruction of their country.
They spend their time whoring for a deal the White House wants with Iran.
John Kerry.
John Kerry voted for the war on Iraq and the war on Afghanistan.
He turned against the Vietnam War only after the bulk of Americans did.
John Kerry wants the Iran deal because John Kerry wants war.
Have we forgotten how his sister Peggy treated Cindy Sheehan?
Apparently, we have and we've forgotten that there's not been a war John Kerry hasn't wanted.
The proposed deal is very likely little more than the final negotiation for war with Iran.
Bully Boy Bush wanted war with Iran.
He couldn't get it.
It was too extreme, too horrifying.
Too many wars.
World revulsion to the wars was too high.
But a treaty put in place, one then violated -- or said to be violated -- makes war a lot easier to go down because it's no longer blood thirsty War Hawks screaming for war, it's a document, you understand -- a clearly outlined agreement and, golly, the chance was offered but now the penalties kick in.
There is nothing in a crooked agreement with an imperialist government for so-called members of the peace movement to support.
But that's what they spend their time on -- the David Swansons and the Medea Benjamins.
They don't spend their time helping the Iraqi people.
The NDP is being attacked for noting the obvious, there is no peace from bombing.
The NDP would cut the combat mission and instead focusing on the root causes of the problem -- which was what Barack said, June 19, 2014, he was going to focus on.
David Swanson and Medea Benjamin have never held Barack accountable for his failure to work on a political solution to the crises in Iraq.
But don't worry, they've enlisted in whoring for him.
The NDP's statements and actions are met with attacks from the Canadian Press precisely because the NDP can see beyond the bluster and offer a way out.
Barack's plan or 'plan' is not working.
So the 'answer' is to give it more time?
To let it continue and continue until shortly after the next President of the United States is sworn in?
Iraq is seeing a record exodus right now.
Iraq which, by 2007, had set the record for the largest refugee crisis in the Middle East since 1947.
And now the country is seeing such destruction that even more Iraqis are fleeing -- those who've stuck it out through the ongoing chaos since 2003.
Iraq Times estimates 400,000 Iraqis have fled the country in just the last two months.
And where's the US peace movement?
Applauding 'reforms' by Haider al-Abadi that aren't reforms.
Al Mada reports activists gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on Wednesday to protest the lack of any real action to address their demands.
Activist Jassim Hilfi outlines the demands as follows: reform the political system, address the corruption and prosecute the corrupt and third address the lack of public services. Hilfi notes that Haider's announced 'reforms' do little to nothing and don't address the demands of the protesters but these actions of Haider's are, yes, unconstitutional.
They're unconstitutional actions which are consolidating power within the office of the prime minister. Of course the White House supports that. They demanded loser Nouri al-Maliki get a second term in 2010 because they wanted a strong-man (despot) in charge of Iraq.
Nouri al-Maliki?
Haider's over-reach is so great that, as Iraq Times reports, even Nouri is saying the moves are unconstitutional and can be overturned by the federal court.
Iraq is suffering.
There is no attempt to heal, there is no attempt to rebuild, there is no attempt at inclusion.
Haider can't even get on the same page with the KRG on oil.
And that's after announcing last year that he'd reached a deal with the KRG.
He never lived up to the deal but Haider's all words and no action.
But grasp how dangerous the NDP's goal is seen as being.
The Canadian Press has never, ever covered the Conservative-controlled government's war actions in Iraq by including criticism of it from outside parties.
But, after the combat has clearly failed, to propose ending it and focusing on building inclusion? That's seen as a threat by the Canadian Press which, all the sudden, has an interest in how Kurdish youths in Canada feel.
Alsumaria reports that the Iraqi Parliament is expected to host Haider al-Abadi next week. Of course, he was due to appear before Parliament today. But didn't. All Iraq News notes that the prime minister issued an apology for his no-show. Alsumaria notes he made it to the Parliament but then cited an emergency for not attending today's session.
Iraq Times reports that Haider was informed, en route to the session, that this was not going to be applause for him but serious questioning and that, once he learned that, he quickly exited the building.
Meanwhile US General Martin Dempsey, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Germany yesterday. The US Defense Dept's Lisa Ferdinando notes some of his comments:
"ISIL is today's manifestation of a much deeper and broader and longer-term issue, which is pervasive instability, disenfranchised groups, ethnic conflict, [and] religious conflict in the Middle East and North Africa that will take a decade or more to resolve."
The underlying issues that allowed ISIL to be created are "not going to be resolved in the near term," Dempsey said.
"We have to look at it over time and achieve a sustainable level of effort that the military instrument can be used and integrated into other lines of effort that relate to diplomacy, economics and information."
Token 'reforms' will not end the crises in Iraq.
Nor will the posing and preening of the US State Dept. From today's press briefing by spokesperson John Kirby.
QUESTION : Okay. So Russia is starting to find another route to Syria. And they probably are going to use Iran, the north of Iran, Iraq into Syria. Would United States, since they are flying missions over there, have any problem with that?
MR KIRBY: What we have a problem with is the continued material support to the Assad regime. We talked about this yesterday. I will let the Russians speak for their air flight logistics. That’s for them to speak to. As far as the air space over Iraq, it’s Iraqi air space and it’s Iraqi sovereign airspace that is up to the Iraqi Government to coordinate. For our part, the airplanes that we fly in support of coalition operations over Iraq, we coordinate all that through the Iraqi Government.
QUESTION: So it’s up to the Iraqi Government to decide?
MR KIRBY: It’s the Iraqi Government’s airspace. I’m going to let – I’ll let the Iraqis speak for how they manage their airspace. Regardless of what air corridor is being used, we’ve been clear about our concerns about continued material support to the Assad regime. And it’s – it doesn’t matter necessarily – I mean, objectively, what particular air corridor it is or whether it’s by sea, the support to the Assad regime is what concerns us.
He's so good at pretending to care about Iraq's sovereignty -- and poses and preens while avoiding the topic of Turkey violating Iraq's sovereignty.
All Iraq News reports today:
We all realize, right, that John Kirby has never acknowledged the Iraqi government calling out Turkey for violating its sovereignty?
Not this time.
Not a month ago.
At what point does the lazy press covering the State Dept ask why Kirby and company never back up the Iraqi government when it calls Turkey out?
The Canadian Press is attempting to actively smear the country's New Democratic Party. Why?
Because unlike so many -- especially so many in the US -- the NDP can see beyond the bluster and war mania.
CP gets this part right:
The New Democrats would immediately halt Canada's bombing campaign against Islamic State militants and withdraw special forces trainers who have been instructing Kurdish peshmerga fighters, leader Tom Mulcair said Thursday.
The NDP would not wait for the parliamentary mandate — Canada is currently committed to the U.S.-led coalition until the end of March — to expire, he emphasized.
"Canada would put an end to our participation in the combat mission in Iraq and in Syria immediately. We've been clear on that since Day 1."
From there, the CP wants to ridicule and mock the NDP and offer this or that statement by this or that war monger.
Reality -- one that CodeStink and David Swanson and others can't explore because they focus on every damn thing except Iraq -- there is no plan.
US President Barack Obama has bombed Iraq for over a year now and begged other countries -- such as Canada -- to participate as well.
That's the so-called plan.
It's not accomplished one damn thing.
And the ridiculous Medea Benjamin and David Swanson, so busy pretending to Stop The Next War Now!, ignore the plight of the Iraqi people and the ongoing destruction of their country.
They spend their time whoring for a deal the White House wants with Iran.
John Kerry.
John Kerry voted for the war on Iraq and the war on Afghanistan.
He turned against the Vietnam War only after the bulk of Americans did.
John Kerry wants the Iran deal because John Kerry wants war.
Have we forgotten how his sister Peggy treated Cindy Sheehan?
Apparently, we have and we've forgotten that there's not been a war John Kerry hasn't wanted.
The proposed deal is very likely little more than the final negotiation for war with Iran.
Bully Boy Bush wanted war with Iran.
He couldn't get it.
It was too extreme, too horrifying.
Too many wars.
World revulsion to the wars was too high.
But a treaty put in place, one then violated -- or said to be violated -- makes war a lot easier to go down because it's no longer blood thirsty War Hawks screaming for war, it's a document, you understand -- a clearly outlined agreement and, golly, the chance was offered but now the penalties kick in.
There is nothing in a crooked agreement with an imperialist government for so-called members of the peace movement to support.
But that's what they spend their time on -- the David Swansons and the Medea Benjamins.
They don't spend their time helping the Iraqi people.
The NDP is being attacked for noting the obvious, there is no peace from bombing.
The NDP would cut the combat mission and instead focusing on the root causes of the problem -- which was what Barack said, June 19, 2014, he was going to focus on.
David Swanson and Medea Benjamin have never held Barack accountable for his failure to work on a political solution to the crises in Iraq.
But don't worry, they've enlisted in whoring for him.
The NDP's statements and actions are met with attacks from the Canadian Press precisely because the NDP can see beyond the bluster and offer a way out.
Barack's plan or 'plan' is not working.
So the 'answer' is to give it more time?
To let it continue and continue until shortly after the next President of the United States is sworn in?
Iraq is seeing a record exodus right now.
Iraq which, by 2007, had set the record for the largest refugee crisis in the Middle East since 1947.
And now the country is seeing such destruction that even more Iraqis are fleeing -- those who've stuck it out through the ongoing chaos since 2003.
Iraq Times estimates 400,000 Iraqis have fled the country in just the last two months.
And where's the US peace movement?
Applauding 'reforms' by Haider al-Abadi that aren't reforms.
Al Mada reports activists gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on Wednesday to protest the lack of any real action to address their demands.
Activist Jassim Hilfi outlines the demands as follows: reform the political system, address the corruption and prosecute the corrupt and third address the lack of public services. Hilfi notes that Haider's announced 'reforms' do little to nothing and don't address the demands of the protesters but these actions of Haider's are, yes, unconstitutional.
They're unconstitutional actions which are consolidating power within the office of the prime minister. Of course the White House supports that. They demanded loser Nouri al-Maliki get a second term in 2010 because they wanted a strong-man (despot) in charge of Iraq.
Nouri al-Maliki?
Haider's over-reach is so great that, as Iraq Times reports, even Nouri is saying the moves are unconstitutional and can be overturned by the federal court.
Iraq is suffering.
There is no attempt to heal, there is no attempt to rebuild, there is no attempt at inclusion.
Haider can't even get on the same page with the KRG on oil.
And that's after announcing last year that he'd reached a deal with the KRG.
He never lived up to the deal but Haider's all words and no action.
But grasp how dangerous the NDP's goal is seen as being.
The Canadian Press has never, ever covered the Conservative-controlled government's war actions in Iraq by including criticism of it from outside parties.
But, after the combat has clearly failed, to propose ending it and focusing on building inclusion? That's seen as a threat by the Canadian Press which, all the sudden, has an interest in how Kurdish youths in Canada feel.
Alsumaria reports that the Iraqi Parliament is expected to host Haider al-Abadi next week. Of course, he was due to appear before Parliament today. But didn't. All Iraq News notes that the prime minister issued an apology for his no-show. Alsumaria notes he made it to the Parliament but then cited an emergency for not attending today's session.
Iraq Times reports that Haider was informed, en route to the session, that this was not going to be applause for him but serious questioning and that, once he learned that, he quickly exited the building.
Meanwhile US General Martin Dempsey, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Germany yesterday. The US Defense Dept's Lisa Ferdinando notes some of his comments:
"ISIL is today's manifestation of a much deeper and broader and longer-term issue, which is pervasive instability, disenfranchised groups, ethnic conflict, [and] religious conflict in the Middle East and North Africa that will take a decade or more to resolve."
The underlying issues that allowed ISIL to be created are "not going to be resolved in the near term," Dempsey said.
"We have to look at it over time and achieve a sustainable level of effort that the military instrument can be used and integrated into other lines of effort that relate to diplomacy, economics and information."
Token 'reforms' will not end the crises in Iraq.
Nor will the posing and preening of the US State Dept. From today's press briefing by spokesperson John Kirby.
QUESTION : Okay. So Russia is starting to find another route to Syria. And they probably are going to use Iran, the north of Iran, Iraq into Syria. Would United States, since they are flying missions over there, have any problem with that?
MR KIRBY: What we have a problem with is the continued material support to the Assad regime. We talked about this yesterday. I will let the Russians speak for their air flight logistics. That’s for them to speak to. As far as the air space over Iraq, it’s Iraqi air space and it’s Iraqi sovereign airspace that is up to the Iraqi Government to coordinate. For our part, the airplanes that we fly in support of coalition operations over Iraq, we coordinate all that through the Iraqi Government.
QUESTION: So it’s up to the Iraqi Government to decide?
MR KIRBY: It’s the Iraqi Government’s airspace. I’m going to let – I’ll let the Iraqis speak for how they manage their airspace. Regardless of what air corridor is being used, we’ve been clear about our concerns about continued material support to the Assad regime. And it’s – it doesn’t matter necessarily – I mean, objectively, what particular air corridor it is or whether it’s by sea, the support to the Assad regime is what concerns us.
He's so good at pretending to care about Iraq's sovereignty -- and poses and preens while avoiding the topic of Turkey violating Iraq's sovereignty.
All Iraq News reports today:
Iraq has condemned Turkey for dispatching special
forces into its soil in reported pursuit of Kurdish militants, calling
it a "clear violation" of its territory.
The Iraqi "foreign ministry expresses its
condemnation of the incursion of a number of Turkish military units
inside Iraqi territory," spokesman Ahmed Jamal said in a statement on
Thursday.
"It represents a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a clear offense to bilateral relations between the two countries," he said.
Two units of the special forces crossed into northern Iraq on Tuesday after at least 14 Turkish police officers were killed in a roadside bomb attack in the eastern Igdir Province the same day and 16 Turkish soldiers died in twin roadside bombings in the southeastern Hakkari region last Sunday.
"It represents a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a clear offense to bilateral relations between the two countries," he said.
Two units of the special forces crossed into northern Iraq on Tuesday after at least 14 Turkish police officers were killed in a roadside bomb attack in the eastern Igdir Province the same day and 16 Turkish soldiers died in twin roadside bombings in the southeastern Hakkari region last Sunday.
We all realize, right, that John Kirby has never acknowledged the Iraqi government calling out Turkey for violating its sovereignty?
Not this time.
Not a month ago.
At what point does the lazy press covering the State Dept ask why Kirby and company never back up the Iraqi government when it calls Turkey out?
