-Caveat Lector- http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?guid=%7B77D3B38B-7405-44C1-A3FB-EEA4925627B1%7D&siteid=myyahoo&dist=myyahoo
U.S. shares gird for another challenging session The idea in the "Wag the Dog" movie was smart and powerful political agents using the media to distract the public mind from domestic scandals to war. It didn't need to be a real war - but the talk of war (or phony war) was good enough. The economy looks weak, the market is in the tank and the party in power is held responsible. So the off year elections should be good for Democrats and bad for Republicans? But then "Wag the Dog" is working at least to keep things even! I do not believe this Administration or any President would go to war for party political advantages - well maybe Granada or some small action against a hopeless little state but not a real war. (as a distraction from Iran Contra) But I do not believe that political advantage can be completely removed from the minds of politicians of any party a few weeks before an election if ever. It's like asking them not to think about power, position, money or sex but just do the right thing. If as Karl Rove said the public focus is on War - Republican win - if the focus is on the Economy, employment, stock prices, scandals in boardrooms, Medicare, prescription drugs, even education - Democrats win. The rally around the flag feelings are strong and justified and can not be kept out of political battles. You know Democrats are a bunch of immoral, free sex and drugs and rock and roll, hippie, wimps, flag burners, anti-American disloyal socialist (foreigners, black hugging, brown loving and uppity women) and neo-communist (from the Peoples Republic of Berkley) while Republican are true blue all America tough Christian, native born WASP, blond, tall good guys - who love football, hunting and guns and winning, competitive and the backbone of the nation; this stereotype worked for a more than a generation from Joe McCarthy to the attack on Bill Clinton. The case against Iraq is very strong - The United Nations should enforce disarmament but with the tools of collective security under Chapter 7. We should stick closely to Tony Blair and the British themes and approaches which show respect for the rule of law backed up by the use of force. Law without force is no law, force without due process is bad law or tyranny. American Governments are coalition government. Each of the main parties are made up of core constituencies that must also attract enough uncommitted voters to win. Even given the remarquable discipline among Republicans in the House there is still weak party discipline compared to other Democratic Western countries. The Republican Party contains a ideological minority focused on American Power and authority in the world - an authority damaged by Vietnam and the following insecurity of using American power in an assertive manner. Since Vietnam we have been careful to be multilateral, develop wide community support for the fear of uniting domestic opposition and our foreign enemies because of our arrogance. The War party - Mr. Chaney and the National Security Strategy have made the pressure on Iraq both greater by making war a serious possibility, but also more difficult if we actually have to fight. We need the allies and the United Nations resolutions. We need friends for many reasons not just additional troops and cost sharing. Making friends and getting legal has been made more difficult. The hawks have made the war effort more difficult by their talk of preemptive regime change, disregard for inspectors, and an apparent arrogance about international treaties, chemical, biological and Atomic (as well as land mines, environmental, a control of atomic materials in the old USSR ) that has undermined our friends and weaken our allies, including Britain and the friends in the Middle East. Chaney says one thing, Powell say another - neither are believed until Bush speaks but then he say both things - Powell and internationalism at the UN (no mention of Regime Change) but then the single minded use of American power in the resolution sent to congress (no mention of the need for the UN) and the National Strategy which says we will do what ever we what, where ever we want, if we want to because we have the power to get our own way. If you are the last remaining super power there is going to be a lot of concern and worry out there about how that power is used and suspicion of American methods and purposes. Look what happened in Germany in this election, there is latent Anti-Americanism in France, wild anti-American Israeli feeling among a billion Arabs and Moslems - why should we go out of our way to enflame these passions - it makes our lives more dangerous and much less safe. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/22/magazine/22WOLFOWITZ.html?8hpist http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/20/politics/20STEXT_FULL.html?pagewanted=print&position=top <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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