[Peace-discuss] Obama and the Democrats are killers

[C. G. Estabrook]

	The Democrats Are The Real Problem
	By Mike Whitney
	20/07/08

Obama's candidacy is over; kaput. He's already stated that he has no intention 
of stopping the war, so he has disqualified himself. That's his prerogative; no 
one put a gun to his head. His op-ed in Monday's New York Times just removes any 
lingering doubt about the matter. What Obama proposes is moving the central 
theater of operation from Iraq to Afghanistan. Big deal. Why is it more 
acceptable to kill a man who is fighting for his country in Afghanistan than in 
Iraq?

It's not; which is why Obama must be defeated and the equivocating Democratic 
Party must be jettisoned altogether. The Democrats are a party of blood just 
like the Republicans, they're just more discreet about it. That's why people who 
are serious about ending the war have to support candidates outside the 
two-party charade. The Democrat/Republican duopoly will not deliver the goods; 
it's as simple as that. The point is to stop the killing, not to provide blind 
support for smooth-talking politicos who try to mask their real intentions. 
Obama made his choice, now he can suffer the consequences.

Nancy Pelosi is a perfect example of what the Democrats are all about. Just look 
at the way she brushed aside the people who got her elected. They mean nothing 
to her. In a matter of months, the "San Francisco liberal" has achieved what 
former-Speaker of the House Hastert could only dream of; she's driven the 
Congress' public approval ratings into single digits for the first time in 
history making her the worst speaker of all time. She rubber-stamped the FISA 
bill, concealed what she knew about the CIA's global torture programs, and vowed 
to stop any public effort to hold the administration accountable for its war 
crimes. (No impeachment) She has betrayed her most ardent supporters and 
singlehandedly transformed an already-emasculated congress into a purely 
ceremonial body incapable of doing the people's work.

At least Bush never betrayed any of his supporters. Never. Pelosi is worse than 
Bush, much worse.

And yet, liberals still insist that we should vote the Democratic ticket. In 
your dreams!

What leftist or progressive is not totally fed-up with the Democrats cagey 
"bait-and-switch" hypocrisy? Voting the Democratic ticket is not a sign of 
"hope"; it's a sign of being a schmuck. The Democrats have done nothing to stop 
the war and will do nothing to stop the war. The Obama candidacy is merely a way 
to replace one group of genocidal maniacs with another. Who needs a charismatic, 
flannel-mouth glamor boy to lead us into battle when a senile fogy with "anger 
management" issues will do just fine.

Voters of conscience should reject that choice altogether. Just as they should 
reject the "lesser of two evils" theory which does not apply when ordinance is 
being dumped daily on innocent civilians. It has to stop.

Obama is not an antiwar candidate, that is merely a fiction maintained by his 
public relations team. In fact, he wants to beef up the military with 65,000 
additional ground forces and 27,000 more marines. He's also stated that he will 
add “two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan” and encourage NATO to make 
“greater contributions—with fewer restrictions”. In his op-ed he boasted, "As 
president, I will make the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban the top 
priority that it should be. This is a war that we have to win.”

He also added this ominous warning:

“The greatest threat to that security lies in the tribal regions of Pakistan, 
where terrorists train and insurgents strike into Afghanistan. We cannot 
tolerate a terrorist sanctuary, and as president, I won’t. We need a stronger 
and sustained partnership between Afghanistan, Pakistan and NATO to secure the 
border, to take out terrorist camps and to crack down on cross-border 
insurgents. We need more troops, more helicopters, more satellites, more 
Predator drones in the Afghan border region. And we must make it clear that if 
Pakistan cannot or will not act, we will take out high-level terrorist targets 
like bin Laden if we have them in our sights.”

OBAMA: THE CANDIDATE FOR ESCALATION

Obama supporters should take their candidate at his word. What he is proposing 
is a dramatic escalation and expansion of the war into another sovereign 
country. How is this consistent with the demands of his base or the millions of 
Americans who believe that Obama represents real change.

It's time for a reality check; the Democrats are the real problem not the 
Republicans. If the path to peace requires crushing the Democratic Party and its 
blood-thirsty candidates; so be it. The main thing is to stop the killing. If 
Obama won't do it; we'll find someone who will.

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