Author Andrew J. Bacevich: Obama intent on continuing DC's policy of permanent war in Afghanistan

[brentspeak]

The Obama admin should care less about WikiLeaks and more about getting us the hell out of this useless war that is draining our entire nation.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/11/23/war.afghan/

Is America on the path to 'permanent war'?
By John Blake, CNN
November 24, 2010 9:21 a.m. EST

snip

The president had pledged to start withdrawing some U.S. troops next July. Obama and NATO allies in Afghanistan recently announced that combat operations will now last until 2014.

Those dates matter little to Bacevich.

"Obama will not make a dent in the American penchant for permanent war," he says. "After he made the 2009 decision to escalate and prolong the war, it indicated quite clearly that he was either unwilling or unable to attempt a large-scale change."

Bacevich says the notion that the U.S. military has to stay in Afghanistan to deny al Qaeda a sanctuary doesn't "pass the laugh test."

[Autumn]

1. K/R. that was an excellent read.

Thank you.

[polichick]

2. k&r - sad state of affairs. nt

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[impik]

4. God, i can't wait for president Palin

Only this time, when you all vote for her, ,make sure that you'll listen to what she say during the campaign - and not like what you did with Obama.

[Autumn]

5. I listened to what he said,

I voted for him anyway. I've gotten used to holding my nose to vote. Lesser of two evils and all that crap.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted sub-thread

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[ProudDad]

9. Is your post

a pale attempt at satire or irony?

[jeanpalmer]

10. We're reaching the point

to ask "will Palin be better than what we have?" No clear answer there. Instead of provoking N. Korea, she might engage an "ally."

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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[ProudDad]

7. Thanks for posting this K&R...

Kind of amazing isn't it, that this is recced up to the top of the list...?

Within the dying Corporate Capitalist system, the "Permanent War Economy(tm)" is the NUMBER ONE DRAIN!

As the dying Corporate Capitalist system of exploitation is on our poor flagellated Earth...

That is a great book!

:hi:

[ProudDad]

8. USAmerica made the decision to embark on the path to "Permanent War"

in 1939...to drag USAmerica out of the Great Depression...

Reinforced in 1944:

The concept of permanent war economy originated in 1944 with an article by Ed Sard (alias Frank Demby, Walter S. Oakes and T.N. Vance, a Third Camp Socialist, who predicted a post-war arms race. He argued at the time that the USA would retain the character of a war economy; even in peacetime, US military expenditure would remain large, reducing the percentage of unemployed compared to the 1930s. He extended this analysis in 1950 and 1951.

"The CEO of General Electric and vice-chairman of the War Production Board, Charles Edward Wilson ("Electric Charlie," not to be confused with "Engine Charlie," Charles Erwin Wilson of General Motors) had already argued for the continuation of large scale military spending in a speech at the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Dinner of the Army Ordnance Association on January 19,1944. Although he did not use the term "Permanent War Economy" he did argue for an institutionalized war economy —ie. a semi-command economy to be directed by corporation executives, based on military industry, and funded by government. Wilson argued for this system for purely military reasons. He did not make any argument for a "military Keynesianism". The term refers to the economic component within the military-industrial complex (MIC) (aka. "the Iron Triangle") whereby the collusion between militarism and war profiteering are manifest as a permanently subsidised industry. Wilson warned at the close of World War II that the US must not return to a civilian economy, but must keep to a "permanent war economy."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_war_economy

[polichick]

12. And Eisenhower later warned us...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bqr5DVx3dw

[hulka38]

11. Bacevich is a Themistocles-like figure except no one

in power wants to listen to him. The man's a visionary because he has a rare mastery of history and he seeks the truth wherever it may lead.

[ProudDad]

14. Kick...(n/t)

[Lucinda]

15. TY!