Obama, Phony Anti-War Candidate: Kucinich, the Real Deal
A Black Agenda
Radio Commentary by BAR Executive Editor Glen Ford
"Obama
strongly supports the expansion of American ground forces by adding 65,000 new
soldiers to the Army and 27,000 Marines."
Barack Obama has delivered the third of his long national
security speeches, and has once again revealed that he is an imperialist at
heart. Speaking at the Chicago
Council on Global Affairs, Obama envisioned a century in which the U.S.
would "lead the world in battling immediate evils and promoting the ultimate
good." Battling "evil"..."promoting the ultimate good" - sounds very much like
George Bush's rationale for doing whatever the United States pleases in the
world, under the assumption that the Americans know what the "ultimate good"
is.
Of course, Obama also called for more respect for the United
Nations and other international institutions, and for increased efforts to
forge alliances whenever the U.S. finds it necessary to go to war. But that's
all empty talk, a cover for his real intention to increase U.S. capacity
to meddle in other people's affairs. The U.S., he says, "must maintain the
strongest, best-equipped military in the world in order to defeat and deter
conventional threats." The United States already spends more on war-fighting
capacity than all the other nations on the planet, combined! The U.S. maintains
730 military installations
in 50 countries around the globe!. But that's not enough for Barack Obama, who
calls for an enhanced "ability to put boots on the ground." He told the Chicago
foreign policy crowd he strongly supports the expansion of American ground
forces by adding 65,000 new soldiers to the Army and 27,000 Marines. In other
words, while Obama gives lip service to disentangling most - although by no
means all - U.S. troops from Iraq, as president he would send them elsewhere and
add nearly one hundred thousand more to the mix.
"All Obama really promises is to be a better, smarter
imperialist."
This is not a man of peace: this is an imperialist bent on
further U.S.
expansionism. Obama pratters on about the need to avoid "bullying"
other countries - but bullying is precisely what armies, navies and air forces
are all about. Obama talks sweetly but wants to carry an even bigger stick than
George Bush. All he promises is that he will be more judicious and thoughtful
in using that bigger stick. History shows such promises are never sincerely
made, and are never, ever kept.
There is only one peace candidate in the Democratic primary
race: Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. He's the only one that actually voted
against giving Bush War Powers in 2002, the only one to vote against providing
another nearly $100 billion for the war, this year, and the only one who
categorically rejects going to war with Iran. Only Kucinich would withdraw all
U.S. troops from Iraq and withdraw the more than 100,000 U.S. "contractors" - a
euphemism for American mercenaries paid for with U.S. tax dollars. Obama and
the other candidates say nothing about these soldiers of fortune, although they
are an integral part of the U.S. war machine.
Barack Obama is busy trying to prove that he is a statesman.
There is no reason to doubt that he wants to run the American state, and for
the Americans to run the world. All Obama really promises is to be a better,
smarter imperialist - one with a much bigger military, if anybody decides to
disagree. That's the definition of an imperial statesman.
For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.
BAR Executive Editor Glen
Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford (at) BlackAgendaReport.com.
Deputies in California’s Antelope Valley are disproportionately citing Black teens for minor infractions that lead to criminal records and incarceration.
Systemic racism is built into Canada’s prison system, but federal parties have little to offer incarcerated Black Canadians and their families.
This article first appeared in The Guardian.
Health care disparities are inevitable when notions of white superiority are guiding principles in every sector of society.
Joe Biden spoke of peace and diplomacy at the U.N. but support for defense spending and war making are bipartisan imperatives that prevent the people's needs from being met.
