I held my nose and voted for John Kerry. But I have no illusions that should he win very little will change with respect to foreign policy in the middle east. Kerry wants to create two new Army divisions. Once done, he’ll use them in an escalation of the war in Iraq. He’d like to end US involvement there in four years! I am not comforted by that prospect. If the invasion was a mistake, having been predicated on deceptions and outright lies, and the occupation a growing disaster, wouldn’t it be most prudent to begin to pull out?
Kerry will not do this, however, because the underlying strategic issue that put the US there - the need to control mideast oil - is vital to both the Republicans and the democrats. Indeed, during the campaign, Kerry often sounded more warlike than Bush. A mere regime change will not cure the deep-seated, structural problem that plagues the US.
And, Kerry’s attempt to cajole Russia, France and Germany into Iraq with promises of sharing the booty will fail due to too much political pressure from within and too little largesse offered to the recalcitrant Russians, French and Germans.
The peace movement, however, particularly in the US, will grow apace with Kerry’s escalation. It will be the Sixties all over again with the latest "JFK" playing the role of Lyndon Johnson. We realize how Democrats just love to fight wars, especially the ones founded on lies and deceptions. And, once again, it will be mass demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of right-thinking people opposed to the warmongers that will put an end to it.
Why, then, did I bother to vote for Kerry? That is a good question.
I held my nose and voted for John Kerry. But I have no illusions that should he win very little will change with respect to foreign policy in the middle east. Kerry wants to create two new Army divisions. Once done, he’ll use them in an escalation of the war in Iraq. He’d like to end US involvement there in four years! I am not comforted by that prospect. If the invasion was a mistake, having been predicated on deceptions and outright lies, and the occupation a growing disaster, wouldn’t it be most prudent to begin to pull out?
Kerry will not do this, however, because the underlying strategic issue that put the US there - the need to control mideast oil - is vital to both the Republicans and the democrats. Indeed, during the campaign, Kerry often sounded more warlike than Bush. A mere regime change will not cure the deep-seated, structural problem that plagues the US.
And, Kerry’s attempt to cajole Russia, France and Germany into Iraq with promises of sharing the booty will fail due to too much political pressure from within and too little largesse offered to the recalcitrant Russians, French and Germans.
The peace movement, however, particularly in the US, will grow apace with Kerry’s escalation. It will be the Sixties all over again with the latest "JFK" playing the role of Lyndon Johnson. We realize how Democrats just love to fight wars, especially the ones founded on lies and deceptions. And, once again, it will be mass demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of right-thinking people opposed to the warmongers that will put an end to it.
Why, then, did I bother to vote for Kerry? That is a good question.
M. Kato