[Peace-discuss] No change

[C. G. Estabrook]

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

I agree.  It's the new administration -- which promotes Iran hawks and says, 
e.g., that the killings in Pakistan that Rice's responsible for are "baby steps" 
-- that should worry us.  Condoleeza just admits what's obvious.


Stuart Levy wrote:
> 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
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Peace-discuss mailing list
>>> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net <mailto:Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
>>> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Peace-discuss mailing list
>>> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>>> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>> _______________________________________________
>> Peace-discuss mailing list
>> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss