[Peace-discuss] Making his bones

[C. G. Estabrook]

The thoughtful man of integrity and compassion has killed dozens of men, women
and children this week.  He will kill more next week, and the week after.  It
can be little comfort to them or those who feel for them to know that you and
others are confident that Obama "will not pursue a failed policy as long and as
tenaciously as Bush did."

Especially since the evidence is all the other way. Obama has said, clearly,
that he will pursue Bush's war policy even more vigorously, because the "war on
terrorism" (the lie that Obama has adopted) must be won in Afghanistan.  --CGE


John W. wrote:
> 
> On Sat, Jan 24, 2009 at 5:55 PM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu 
> <mailto:galliher at uiuc.edu>> wrote:
> 
> [Obama killed people this week, as he said he would.  With the acts described
> below he begins to fulfill his campaign promise and make the Bush
> administration's killings -- in countries with which we're not as war -- look
> like "baby steps."  I don't know why people don't listen to this guy and
> believe what he says.  (We got out of the habit with Bush, perhaps.)  Obama
> seems to trust his rhetorical skills enough to tell the truth -- e.g., he's
> going to widen the war -- in such a way that people believe something else.
> And he, like Clinton, can avoid giving any but the most puerile explanation
> for the killings -- the "war on terror"! --CGE]
> 
> 
> That's not what it is, Carl.  Most of the Obama supporters I hear express
> their opinions - and that includes African-Americans I know personally, and
> it includes Professors Patricia Smith and Melissa Harris-Lacewell, both of
> whom were on Bill Moyers last night - aren't terribly enamored of Obama's
> foreign policy, particularly his view of the "war on terror" and his
> relatively unqualified support of Israel. But they see signs, as do I, that
> Obama is a thoughtful man of integrity and compassion who will not pursue a
> failed policy as long and as tenaciously as Bush did.  As evidence they point
> to his announcement of the closing of Guantanamo, of the end of torture, of
> greater transparency and accountability in the executive branch, etc.  Obama
> DOES seem to still adhere to the notion of Islamic extremists threatening
> our safety and security, and that of Israel.  And for all I know he does not
> question our need to control the "terms of engagement", if you will, in the
> Middle East.  Those of us who have SOME faith in Obama hope that he will
> begin to employ other methods of engagement with the middle east in addition
> to military ones, and we hope that as he does so, his more peaceful and
> conciliatory efforts will bear some fruit.
> 
> In other words, Obama still has some evolving and maturing to do.  He isn't
> as old as you, he hasn't gorged himself on the ruminations of Noam Chomsky
> for years and years as you have, and therefore he can't be expected to have
> your degree of wisdom right out of the starting gate. It shall be your
> opportunity and privilege to play a small but vital role in Obama's
> seasoning, by holding his feet to the fire as you and the journalists whose
> works you read so faithfully do.
> 
> John
> 
> 
> 
> Two US Airstrikes Offer a Concrete Sign of Obama's Pakistan Policy Saturday
> 24 January 2009 by: R. Jeffrey Smith, Candace Rondeaux and Joby Warrick, 
> Washington Post Staff Writers ...