Home
Archive
Columnists
Video
Blogs
Discuss
About
Search
Donate
Advertise
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Register to Vote: Rock the Vote, powered by Working Assets Wireless
  • AlterNetYour turn

Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.


Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.

No Matter Which Democrat Wins, So Does The Pentagon

Posted by Blue Texan, Firedoglake at 3:07 PM on December 25, 2007.


I'm disappointed that the Democratic front-runners aren't articulating anything closely resembling a progressive foreign policy.

I'm disappointed that the Democratic front-runners aren't articulating anything closely resembling a progressive foreign policy. The articles they wrote for Foreign Affairs are not encouraging.

Let's start with Obama, who is supposedly running against the Washington conventional wisdom that's gotten us in so much trouble. He wants to "rebuild" the military (read: spend a lot more money on it), expand our ground forces, and be the world's policeman. So--a bigger military that's used whenever the President feels like it. Really out of the box there, Senator.

On to Edwards, who wants to double the budget for recruiting and increase spending on equipment. He also thinks the military should be used so that "weak and failing states do not create dangers for the United States." Hmmm. What's the UN for?

And Hillary, who still thinks invading Iraq was a swell idea, took time out of her Iran saber-rattling to call to "expand and modernize" the military. Because, you know, it's gotten really small and obsolete.

Sorry, this is nuts. These three Democrats have watched 7 years of Bush and Cheney's wars and exploding military spending and all concluded, "We need to spend more and make it even bigger!"

The United States currently spends more than the next 14 countries combined on our military. Let that sink in for a minute. If you're not impressed, you should be. Historian Paul Kennedy found this was historically unprecedented -- going back five centuries (and this study was done before the Bush/Cheney war machine really kicked in).

Any rational person can see that we don't need a bigger military. It's unfortunate that one of our candidates isn't saying this.

Digg!

Tagged as: edwards, clinton, obama, foreign policy, us military

Blue Texan is a regular contributing blogger for FireDogLake.


Laura Flanders: Vanity Fair's Retort to the New Yorker's Obama Cover Misses the Mark
If Vanity Fair wanted to flip the New Yorker cover on the GOP, they'd have to portray the media's lies about the candidate. Not the true stuff.
Post by Laura Flanders. July 24, 2008.
Veterans Against McCain
New VoteVet.org ad gives voice to veterans for redeployment.
Post by Vote Vets. July 24, 2008.
Conservatives are Livid: Obama Printed Flyers for Speech in Germany IN GERMAN!
How dare a presidential candidate have the audacity to use any other language than American? Ever?!
Post by Gavin M. July 24, 2008.

Comments Turn comments off sitewide Give us feedback »
Comments closed.
The comments for this story have been closed. Thank you to everyone who participated.
View:
based on record, who best answers the question of military foreign policy to your liking?
Posted by: heathehren on Dec 25, 2007 5:37 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
ron paul? where is most of the money spent? this entire administration is jumping ship and going straight back to the military/pharmaceutical complex they never left. what a great way to keep these profiteers from continued looting post-term. have a checks and balances breakfast special. Both of our parties just quietly passed yet another spending supplement of 70 Billion for these wars.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Another election cycle, same story- time for 3rd party YET?
Posted by: Geolager on Dec 25, 2007 5:39 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Well you know, people in my party have been pointing this little discrepancy out for several election cycles now and actually finding quite a bit of agreement, mid-cycle, for the need for a third party and the common sense inherent in the Green Party's platform.
Then comes the election cycle and suddenly bold and vocal progressive Democratic dissidents become clingy uber-loyalists who, like abused spouses, come home to the party lured by sweet nothings and promises of change.

Dream on my fellow citizens. Nothing will change until you get some cajones and force the Dems to be an opposition party, if indeed they ever were to be.

Witness: Kucinich is treated like a goofy cousin, Wellstone is canonized like the saint everyone is glad is dead cuz he can't make the rest look bad anymore.
Nader is their whipping boy, albatross collar and hairshirt model . . . "MoMMMM! Ralphie did it, it's hiiiisss fault!"

If not now, when?
If not you, who?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Ron Paul for President – time for a change.
Posted by: left_libertarian on Dec 25, 2007 6:18 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Ron Paul has consistently voted against the Iraq War, the Patriot Act.

His foreign policy is completely different from the Democratic frontrunners – non-intervention into the internal affairs of other nations.

As his web site says:

Too often we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised. Too often we have supported those who turn on us, like the Kosovars who aid Islamic terrorists, or the Afghan jihadists themselves, and their friend Osama bin Laden. We armed and trained them, and now we’re paying the price.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/71535/#comments

Ron Paul for President – time for a change.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Ron Paul in 2008
Posted by: rick702 on Dec 26, 2007 3:14 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I am a hardcore liberal progressive Democrat, and I am supporting Ron Paul for this and many other reasons the Democratic Party has neglected.. and I urge others to do the same!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

If Your Party Doesn't Represent You, Why are You a Member?
Posted by: MisterMunk on Dec 26, 2007 6:06 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Vote for Ron Paul. Save lives and treasure. Tell your kids you did something other than choose the lesser of two evils in your life.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

MAJOR CHANGE WITHOUT A PLAN
Posted by: VZEQICVA on Dec 26, 2007 8:12 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's very easy to criticize and talk about 'getting rid of government'. Everyone on their own, etc. No IRS. Then what? Ron Paul has yet to answer a single question put to him about his alternative plan. He has none. He comes across as a rebellious teenager who wants everyone "off his back". His response to everything is: raised eyebrows and shoulder shrugging. This not a politcal strategy. He is however very clever. Hold on to your wallets. ANNA

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

F*ck Ron Paul '08
Posted by: lefty010 on Dec 26, 2007 9:19 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Well I see the lobotomized lemmings are out in full force in support of their maniacal leader.

I find it purty amazin' that thay cin git that thar compuutur turnt on, let alone tipe on it.

F*ck Ron Paul '08

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Political Suicide Not an Option
Posted by: JackieGiles on Dec 26, 2007 11:08 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The writer had to find something to make Edwards sound like the other two, but consider this: Maybe he would recruit grownups into the regular army instead of disadvantaged, barely literate high schoolers. Maybe the National Guard could return to being "weekend warriors" with their equipment here and available to help In Katrina-like disasters instead of being left behind when and if they come home. And does anyone think it's a good thing that Cher had to form a charity to get decent protective helmets for our sons,daughters,fathers,mothers,grandmothers and grandfathers who are in Iraq because of Rummy's minimal force policies? Even the Day-One opponents of the Iraq war and other such miserable misadventures (like myself) knows that all the Republicans would need to win in 2008 is for the Democratic nominee to come out in favor of what they could call "gutting the military". Then "Breaking News" would come out saying a nuclear device is "reported to have been smuggled into the US, or some other fabricated impending disaster avoided because of our terrifying military machine. The US populace would cringe in unison and demand a tripling of the military budget. They would accuse the Democratic Pres. candidate of being "weak" on defense and we'd be off to another four years of Republican Fascism-Lite--at least.

As for Ron Paul, he is a Loopy Libertarian who makes Goldwater look like a liberal who fell off the left side of the world. I'm not ready to build my own highway, fill my streets potholes etc. Yes, he's different all right, but be careful what you ask for! The only thing "Fair" about his "Fair Tax"" is the 1st word.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

You forgot one
Posted by: wildswan on Dec 26, 2007 11:50 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
How about Dennis Kucinich?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: You forgot one Posted by: anna132
President a Figurehead
Posted by: herbal on Dec 27, 2007 2:24 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Please consider this paper on the ruling class as a sociological phenomenon: www. projectcensored.org/downloads/Global_Dominance_Group.pdf

Times are dire and those who are running must be hip to these very dangerous times. Fascism is not coming. Corporatism (fascism) is here and the best an elected Administration can do is little more than pray, without risk of assassination.

I am an old Viet era war resister radical, and as I witness the radicalization of Buick driving Republicans all over the Pacific NW and all over the world, I take (limited) hope. It takes quirky people like Kucinich, Gravel and Paul who possess the abandon to do anything meaningful. They are the only ones who are fearless enough to even try to change anything to do with war profiteering. Abortion and gay pride are cockamamie issues compared to the effective dissolution of the Constitution, loss of Habeus Corpus, civil rights, loss of middle class and Latinization of the economy, Lebensraum, war for oil and more war. Paul may be a bitter pill but he and Kicinich and Gravel could form an alliance that would be seriously effective.

Otherwise we are stuck with a well meaning wet dream of a man or Neo-fascist Hillary. (I must admit a glimmer of hope with Edwards.)

I used to be afraid of Paul but now, well, his alliance might be the best chance we have to dismantle the MIC and ruling class dominance of our personal lives.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Get real Posted by: lefty010
» RE: Get real Posted by: herbal
Strategy for Republic; Ron Paul
Posted by: herbal on Dec 27, 2007 4:45 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We Progressive Democrats need to not reject Ron Paul out of hand. Think of the obvious compromises that are required in a multi-party system like the parliamentary governements of Western Europe to form a majority.

We may have at hand the best chance for the establishment of a 3rd party that the US has ever had. So lets look beyond the quirkyness of Ron Paul long enough to see the fundamental issue that Progressives (vs Blue Dog Democrats) have in common with the Libertarians. Civil rights are the primary value for both. Let Hillary and Joe Liebermann lead the Blue Dog Dems formally into the Republican party. Let Paul's middle and working class constituents find their true self interest and vote it.

Example of needed strategy:

Reflect for a moment on the loss of the longest running democracy in world history, USA. It is gone despite the best efforts of J. Edgar Hoover, Rev. Haggard, Ken Mehlman, Glen Murphy Jr. (see: for the out of the closet Republican policy of using gay marriage to discredit the clueless Dems.), Mark Foley, Larry Craig, Bob Allen, etc., etc...

Democrats need to understand that gays are not a constituency of the Democratic party. Sexual politics have little, except for distortion and propaganda to do with partisan politics and the Dems need to dump its ownership of this issue. They don't own it. The Progressives don't have to take on each and every specific issue of the general concern; only the spirit of expressing humanity and love of life and one another. We make ourselves vulnerable to the repressives of spirit by letting the red flag issues dominate the political soap box. Right now we have lost the Supreme Court for any meaningful checks and balances and for even fair election guarantees.

We simply don't have the luxury to emphasize the hot button issues, re; gay marriage; its nothing but an embarrassment and alienates untold numbers of pre-literate working class voters who are trying to figure out how to vote their own interests. (Clue-not Republican)

There has been a bloodless coup going on and we are at war. Our last chance for an electoral reversal is 2008. We must strategize and it is very difficult when we have the Blue Dog Dems with us being led by a woman, Hillary Clinton. Love your enemy but don't give away the farm.

Consider alliance with Ron Paul as has Kucinich. Could we win an election with Ron Paul as running mate with Edwards or Obama? Better yet, Ron Paul for Secretary of State and Defence! His foreign policy mind set is the equal of any Democratic candidate.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]