[Peace-discuss] No change

[Stuart Levy]

On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 10:41:10AM -0600, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
> I think it's a sort of valedictory chortle on Rice's part, pleased that her 
> crimes will be continued by her successors.  She wouldn't have said it if 
> she didn't think it was so, not wanting to look any more foolish than she 
> already does.  She just trumpets what's become obvious -- the Obama 
> administration will probably be at least as belligerent as the (late) Bush 
> administration.

Do you think so?  It's hard to take her words seriously.  Rice was on Tavis
Smiley's show just this weekend, invited on to give a retrospective of her
Bush Adm. career, and repeated past claims that The US Does Not Torture, etc.

Given that she might yet be indicted for abetting war crimes, it's natural
that she'd say things like this -- why admit culpability? -- but she'd
hardly be expected to say that the next Administration wouldn't continue
with crimes that the present one has committed, no matter whether she
believes it might be true.

It doesn't mean I'm not worried, but it's not what Condoleeza Rice says that
should worry us.

> The situation may be even worse.  The last year or so saw the eclipse of 
> the neocons, notably in re Iran; the permanent government -- the "realists" 
> -- put aside plans for attacking Iran in favor of killing people in AfPak 
> -- but not vigorously enough for the Obamites, who called these murders 
> "baby steps" and promised more.
>
> But now in the Obama administration, the neocon enthusiasm for war against 
> Iran is creeping back, as Robert Dreyfuss points out below. The neocons are 
> not wedded to Republicans -- they began by thinking their best shot was 
> with the Clinton administration -- and their project for war with Iran 
> looks like having a better chance under Obama than under Bush, however mad 
> (and vicious) it seems.
>
> "...Organizations like WINEP, AIPAC, AEI, BPC, and UANI see it as their 
> mission to push the United States toward a showdown with Iran. Don't sell 
> them short. Those who believe that such a confrontation would be 
> inconceivable under President Obama ought to ask Tony Lake, Susan Rice, 
> Dennis Ross, Tom Daschle, and Richard Holbrooke whether they agree -- and, 
> if so, why they're still palling around with neoconservative hardliners."
>
> http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/19837
>
> When the Democrat Kennedy succeeded the Republican Eisenhower in 1961, US 
> foreign military adventures became significantly more extensive and brutal. 
> Obama/Bush may repeat the experience.  --CGE
>
>
> Ricky Baldwin wrote:
>> Well, I'm not sure that what Condoleezza Rice says the Obama 
>> Administration will do is necessarily that definitive.  What Obama himself 
>> has said about Iran is bad enough, anyway.  And with Hillary Clinton in 
>> charge of the State Dept., well ...
>>  Another thing that isn't likely to change is this.  We need to 
>> concentrate on raising hell - um, and raising awareness on the issues 
>> around Iran, e.g. their nuclear program so far is perfectly legal, while 
>> US warmongering, torture, etc. is not.
>> Ricky
>> "Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> *From:* C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu>
>> *To:* peace-discuss <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
>> *Sent:* Sunday, December 21, 2008 8:43:03 PM
>> *Subject:* [Peace-discuss] No change
>>     Rice says Obama likely to follow Bush on foreign policy
>>     By Daniel Dombey in Washington
>>     Published: December 21 2008
>> Barack Obama might have little option but to follow George W. Bush’s 
>> approach on a range of foreign policy issues, including Iran, said 
>> Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state.
>> Ms Rice told the Financial Times the new administration was likely to 
>> follow Mr Bush’s lead in the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. 
>> During the president’s second term, the US has co-ordinated its approach 
>> with the European Union, Russia and China.
>> “When I talk to our allies they believe that that is the structure with 
>> which this is ultimately going to be resolved,” Ms Rice said, while 
>> acknowledging that the Obama administration would generally “do things 
>> in their own way”.
>> She said: “The reason why there might be some elements of continuity is 
>> that what we’ve tried to do is to arrange or organise international 
>> groupings that can first manage and then resolve these very difficult 
>> problems in a multilateral way.” She was referring not just to the 
>> administration’s efforts over Iran but also its approach to North Korea 
>> and the Israel-Palestinian issue.
>> Ms Rice’s words could damp expectations that the incoming administration 
>> will represent a complete break with its predecessor on foreign policy.
>> They also highlight the obstacles facing the new team as it seeks 
>> breakthroughs for problems the Bush administration has failed to resolve. 
>> In an echo of the current administration’s rhetoric, Mr Obama promises 
>> to use carrots and sticks to push Iran to rein in its nuclear programme.
>> But in spite of a sustained sanctions drive by the US and its allies and 
>> an offer of talks, Iran has stepped up uranium enrichment and is widely 
>> reckoned to be moving closer to nuclear weapons capability.
>> While Mr Obama has promised a radically different approach to the outgoing 
>> administration on issues such as climate change, and Guantanamo Bay, many 
>> of his cabinet picks are centrists who have won praise from Republicans.
>> Although Ms Rice has described herself as “especially proud” of Mr 
>> Obama’s election as the first African American president, she 
>> consistently declines to say for whom she voted.
>> Ms Rice expressed concern over the expected appointment of a series of 
>> special envoys for world hotspots, saying it was important not to cut 
>> ambassadors and diplomats out of the loop.
>> Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
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