[Peace-discuss] Black Agenda Report on Obama

[C. G. Estabrook]

	Obama, the Phony Anti-War Candidate: Kucinich is the Real Deal
   	Wednesday, 25 April 2007

Through his own statements, Barack Obama relentlessly destroys his 
former anti-war credentials. In an effort to establish himself as a 
"statesman" in the eyes of the power structure, Obama now advocates a 
much larger Army and Marine Corps to allow the U.S. to "lead the world 
in battling immediate evils and promoting the ultimate good." Do not 
expect a "peace dividend" under a President Barack Obama. The only 
genuine peace candidate is Rep. Dennis Kucinich, of Ohio - which is why 
the corporate media pretend Kucinich doesn't exist.

Obama, Phony Anti-War Candidate: Kucinich, the Real Deal

A Black Agenda Radio Commentary by BAR Executive Editor Glen Ford

"Obama strongly supports the expansion of American ground forces by 
adding 65,000 new soldiers to the Army and 27,000 Marines."

Barack Obama has delivered the third of his long national security 
speeches, and has once again revealed that he is an imperialist at 
heart. Speaking at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Obama 
envisioned a century in which the U.S. would "lead the world in battling 
immediate evils and promoting the ultimate good." Battling 
"evil"..."promoting the ultimate good" - sounds very much like George 
Bush's rationale for doing whatever the United States pleases in the 
world, under the assumption that the Americans know what the "ultimate 
good" is.

Of course, Obama also called for more respect for the United Nations and 
other international institutions, and for increased efforts to forge 
alliances whenever the U.S. finds it necessary to go to war. But that's 
all empty talk, a cover for his real intention to increase U.S. capacity 
to meddle in other people's affairs. The U.S., he says, "must maintain 
the strongest, best-equipped military in the world in order to defeat 
and deter conventional threats." The United States already spends more 
on war-fighting capacity than all the other nations on the planet, 
combined! The U.S. maintains 730 military installations in 50 countries 
around the globe!. But that's not enough for Barack Obama, who calls for 
an enhanced "ability to put boots on the ground." He told the Chicago 
foreign policy crowd he strongly supports the expansion of American 
ground forces by adding 65,000 new soldiers to the Army and 27,000 
Marines. In other words, while Obama gives lip service to disentangling 
most - although by no means all - U.S. troops from Iraq, as president he 
would send them elsewhere and add nearly one hundred thousand more to 
the mix.

"All Obama really promises is to be a better, smarter imperialist."

This is not a man of peace: this is an imperialist bent on further U.S. 
expansionism. Obama pratters on about the need to avoid "bullying" other 
countries - but bullying is precisely what armies, navies and air forces 
are all about. Obama talks sweetly but wants to carry an even bigger 
stick than George Bush. All he promises is that he will be more 
judicious and thoughtful in using that bigger stick. History shows such 
promises are never sincerely made, and are never, ever kept.

There is only one peace candidate in the Democratic primary race: Ohio 
Congressman Dennis Kucinich. He's the only one that actually voted 
against giving Bush War Powers in 2002, the only one to vote against 
providing another nearly $100 billion for the war, this year, and the 
only one who categorically rejects going to war with Iran. Only Kucinich 
would withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq and withdraw the more than 
100,000 U.S. "contractors" - a euphemism for American mercenaries paid 
for with U.S. tax dollars. Obama and the other candidates say nothing 
about these soldiers of fortune, although they are an integral part of 
the U.S. war machine.

Barack Obama is busy trying to prove that he is a statesman. There is no 
reason to doubt that he wants to run the American state, and for the 
Americans to run the world. All Obama really promises is to be a better, 
smarter imperialist - one with a much bigger military, if anybody 
decides to disagree. That's the definition of an imperial statesman.

For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.

BAR Executive Editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford (at) 
BlackAgendaReport.com.