[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] Iraq War: conf. call with Sen. Durbin *this afternoon*

[C. G. Estabrook]

I think maybe "disappointed" is too generous to Durbin, who wants to 
garner the anti-war cachet for the Democrats (given that more than 2/3 
of Americans are opposed to the war) without actually doing much to end 
it.

The Democrats have no more intention of withdrawing militarily from the 
Middle East (including Iraq, newly determined to have the world's second 
largest oil deposits) than the Republicans.  Both mean to continue the 
long-standing US control of ME energy resources, and they even basically 
agree on strategy in Iraq: withdraw to the huge permanent bases and the 
billion-dollar embassy, fight "al-Qaida" and "terrorism," control the 
oil flows, hunker down and don't worry about a viable government.

Sen. Hagel, one of the sponsors of the bill that the Democrats got 
oh-so-close last night, candidly admitted on the Senate floor that the 
bill wouldn't end the war or withdraw the troops.  The Democrats don't 
really want to end it: they just want to pin it on the Republicans.

There is a parallel to Vietnam here, although in most ways the wars were 
different.  In 1969, after having being elected because he said he had 
"a secret plan to end the war,"  Nixon "was intent on withdrawing all 
American ground combat troops, while leaving behind tens of thousands of 
American advisors [sound familiar?], who were to continue training the 
South Vietnamese military, as well as sizable numbers of troops to guard 
our enormous bases in that country. Not surprisingly, that period saw an 
unprecedented escalation of the air war over South Vietnam. It was a 
time of unparalleled (but under-reported) brutality, destruction, and 
carnage in the Vietnamese countryside" (Tom Englehardt).

That's the Democratic and the Republican strategy now.  Under these 
conditions, the Democrats want to continue the war, just so long as they 
get credit with the US populace for opposing it.  --CGE

Jan & Durl Kruse wrote:
> Conference call just ended at 4:50 PM.......in a word......... 
> DISAPPOINTED ............
> NO impeachment or holding Bush/Cheney accountable
> NO end of funding for war
> NO real engagement in the will of the people
> It seemed like just more politics.......
> DISAPPOINTED!
> Anyone else hear something I missed?
> JAN Kruse
> 
> On Jul 18, 2007, at 3:56 PM,
> 
>> Hello all,
>>
>> Passing along word from Randall Cotton and Durl Kruse that
>> Sen. Durbin is interested in speaking with peace groups in Illinois --
>> including AWARE -- on thoughts about the Iraq war, how we should
>> proceed, etc.
>>
>> There will be a conference call *this afternoon*, starting in about
>> half an hour, at 4:30 PM Wednesday July 18th.  Sorry for the short 
>> notice!
>>
>> Sen. Durbin will speak for the first ten minutes or so, giving
>> his view of the situation, and then invite comments from
>> people on the conference call.
>>
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