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Weaving Iron into Drapes
Author: BobR    Date: 08/20/2008 12:32:49

For those old enough to remember, we were once engaged in a "cold war" with Russia (then - in combination with other countries such as Georgia - known as the USSR). There were no missiles fired, no battlefields but for those of ideology and politics. The division between East and West was referred to as the Iron Curtain, coined by Goebbels, popularized by Churchill, and symbolized by the Berlin Wall. When the wall fell about 29 years ago, it was cause for worldwide celebration.

One of the darkest symbols of the cold war was the constant threat of nuclear anihilation. There was a constant tit-for-tat build-up on both sides creating an enormous military-industrial complex that was always coming out with newer better missiles, bombers, and fighters. Russia finally blinked (financially) and the rest is history. This - and the war in Afghanistan - broke Russia's back and bank.

The iron curtain was maintained by a paranoid political machine in defense of its ideology, and reinforced with brutality and fear. It's demise brought hope for a kinder, gentler world where people could disagree with their (or other) governments and not worry about retribution. When the curtain fell, however, the curtain rod remained behind, and now it seems that the U.S. is trying to create a new set of drapes to hang there.

This time, things are different.

This time, we are the one's pushing to create a hostile atmosphere. This time, we are the one's on shaky financial ground. This time, we are the ones going broke with a war on foreign soil, and exhorbitant spending on military hardware.

Russia, on the contrary, seems to be flush with money:
What is certain is that Moscow is afloat in petrodollars; there are more billionaires in Moscow than in any other city in the world. More than New York, London, or Dubai. Millionaires are as common as pigeons. Together the rich and mega-rich constitute a social class who were loosely called New Russians when they first appeared in the 1990s. Half of them are survivors of industrial shake-ups like the "aluminum war" of ten years ago, when executives were killed left and right. Half have discovered that starting a bank is more profitable than robbing one. Half are young financial trapeze artists swinging from one hedge fund to another. (You can have three halves in Russia.)


When the news broke of a Russian invasion of Georgia, it was naturally seen as an unprovoked act of aggression by Russia. Facts have a way of slipping out though, and we've come to learn that the CIA and the Mossad were the instigators, pushing Georgia to act militarily against a region that is largely populated by Russians and sympathetic to Russia. Russia in turn felt it had to protect "it's people".

With their newfound wealth and confidence, Russia, as Tony Karon writes, has stopped retreating:
President George W Bush has long proclaimed Teddy Roosevelt as one of his heroes, but he seems to have missed a crucial piece of advice bequeathed by the swashbuckling president of a century ago: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

All of last week, Mr Bush loudly berated Russia, accusing it of bullying little Georgia and demanding that it withdraw its forces. “The people of Georgia have cast their lot with the free world,” Bush intoned, “and we will not cast them aside.” He promised a “robust and ongoing” military mission to deliver aid in Georgia, implicitly warning the Russians to stay out of their way. He repeatedly used the phrase “We expect Russia…” as if to convey authority. Russia, added his Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday, would face “consequences” for its action.

Despite the tenor of his statements, it was plain to see that there was no stick in Bush’s hand. No answer to an “or else what?”. In case anyone got the wrong idea – as did the Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, pouncing on Bush’s aid announcement to boast that the US military was coming to take charge of Georgia’s air and sea ports – the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates made clear that the aid mission was far more limited than Bush’s language had suggested, and that the US military had no intention of putting itself between Russian and Georgian forces.

Mr Bush on Friday continued to proclaim Georgia a “courageous democracy” under attack from its bullying neighbour. But the view even from his closest allies in Europe was dramatically different: “Both sides are probably to blame for the conflict,” said Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The disconnect between the Bush administration’s rhetoric and its actions was highlighted on Friday, when Condi Rice flew to Tbilisi to make it clear that Georgia had no choice but to sign a cease-fire whose terms had, essentially, been dictated by Moscow. Mr Saakashvili’s open reluctance to sign, and his lashing out at Western betrayal even as Ms Rice stood beside him, reveal just how little leverage the West had managed to bring to bear on Russia.

NATO has tried to step up by suspending "business as usual" with Russia, but it rings hollow, and reeks of the desperation of poker player down to his last chips trying to bluff his way out of bad hand. In a reckless attempt to show strength, we signed a "missile defense" deal with Poland.

Does anyone remember Reagan's "Star Wars" initiative? It was predicated on the notion we could shoot down approaching Russian missiles, thereby creating a "missile defense shield" around the U.S. It was never clear how we would defend against the radiation floating through the atmosphere. Regardless, this has always been the "Magic Pudding" for which we continue to strive:
It’s a novel way to take your own life. Just as Russia demonstrates what happens to former minions that annoy it, Poland agrees to host a US missile defence base. The Russians, as Poland expected, respond to this proposal by offering to turn the country into a parking lot. This proves that the missile defence system is necessary after all: it will stop the missiles Russia will now aim at Poland, the Czech Republic and the UK in response to, er, their involvement in the missile defence system.

The American government insists that the interceptors, which will be stationed on the Baltic coast, have nothing to do with Russia: their purpose is to defend Europe and the US against the intercontinental ballistic missiles Iran and North Korea don’t possess. This is why they are being placed in Poland, which, as every geography student in Texas knows, shares a border with both rogue states.

They permit us to look forward to a glowing future, in which missile defence, according to the Pentagon, will “protect our homeland … and our friends and allies from ballistic missile attack”; as long as the Russians wait until it’s working before they nuke us. The good news is that, at the present rate of progress, reliable missile defence is only 50 years away. The bad news is that it has been 50 years away for the past six decades.

So here we are trying to recreate a bad situation from a position of weakness. The real question has to be: why? It's been suggested that since terrorism has lost its "cachet" as a boogieman to scare the masses, perhaps they can go back to an old reliable one - nuclear holocaust from a superpower. Or - perhaps they know this military action will be ending and their buddies in the military-industrial complex will need a raison d'etre for their bloated contracts.

Whatever the reason, the Bush administration is clumsily kick-starting the loom and trying to reweave an iron curtain with snips of old thread, and held together with post 9/11 paranoia. They haven't much time before the election. Here's hoping they fail.

 

217 comments (Latest Comment: 08/21/2008 03:46:12 by Mondobubba)
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Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 12:50:18
Morning :hug:

Comment by m-hadley on 08/20/2008 13:02:40
Mornin' Mala & BobR, :coffee:

Nice post, BobR. I gotta alotta work to do today - the 1Ls are here and that means loads of work for me :(

Cheers,

mfaye

:hug: & :peace:

Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:11:40
Chris shouldn't you be using the Fractured Fairytale music?



Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:13:41
:o

Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:13:56
That is so sad.

Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:16:14
Yeah for Rachel! :clap:

Comment by TriSec on 08/20/2008 13:19:29
Morning, comrades!





Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:21:13
Hey Tri and Faye!

Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 13:25:27
Good morning my friends. :coffee2:



It is a delightfully crisp morning in the NorthEast. The sun is shining. I wore a light scarf during the drive in.

One question concerns your blog this a.m.

Could the Jonas Brothers BE any more annoying?



Comment by TriSec on 08/20/2008 13:25:54
Well, I didn't want to put the picture here (it's a bit big), but I'd appreciate everyone taking a look at "The Maddowan" flying proud today!





Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 13:27:24
What happened with Rachel? Is she finally getting a TV show?



Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:27:37
Quote by starling310:

Good morning my friends. :coffee2:



It is a delightfully crisp morning in the NorthEast. The sun is shining. I wore a light scarf during the drive in.

One question concerns your blog this a.m.

Could the Jonas Brothers BE any more annoying?





I think I'm out of there demographics, only I know about them is their a Disney "band"



Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:28:02
Quote by starling310:

What happened with Rachel? Is she finally getting a TV show?





Yep - getting her own honest to God show.



Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 13:28:30
My theory with the Georgia kerfuffle?

BushCo. couldn't get "Iran : Iraq part Deux" to fly, so they shifted to Plan B. Period.

"The Cold War : Part Deux"



Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 13:28:51
Quote by wickedpam:

Quote by starling310:

What happened with Rachel? Is she finally getting a TV show?





Yep - getting her own honest to God show.







Comment by Raine on 08/20/2008 13:33:54
Good mornng! excellent post Bobber!

Comment by m-hadley on 08/20/2008 13:36:15
Mornin' Raine & Roomie,

Yeah, Dr. Maddow!!! :airhump:

Cheers,

mfaye

:peace:



Comment by BobR on 08/20/2008 13:37:44
Quote by starling310:

My theory with the Georgia kerfuffle?

BushCo. couldn't get "Iran : Iraq part Deux" to fly, so they shifted to Plan B. Period.

"The Cold War : Part Deux"



So do you think it's to maintain their fear-driven power agenda, a gimme to the contractors, or just simple bloodlust?



It does seem obvious that they want an "us -vs- them" war mindset in the forefront of American's thoughts, but I haven't come to a conclusion as to why...



Comment by Raine on 08/20/2008 13:37:54
:rolleyes2: Sean needs to shut up.

Comment by BobR on 08/20/2008 13:38:46
Quote by starling310:





Her show starts Sept 8, and follows Keith's at 9:00 PM...



2 hrs down the tubes every weeknight... :P

Comment by TriSec on 08/20/2008 13:42:48
Quote by starling310:

My theory with the Georgia kerfuffle?

BushCo. couldn't get "Iran : Iraq part Deux" to fly, so they shifted to Plan B. Period.

"The Cold War : Part Deux"





Characteristic #3:



Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause



The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.



Comment by TriSec on 08/20/2008 13:44:25
Well, I listen to Keith's podcast now (they finally started putting the entire show out, and it's a brisk 45 minutes), so I will gladly add Rachel to my viewing schedule.







Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 13:44:46
Quote by BobR:

Quote by starling310:

My theory with the Georgia kerfuffle?

BushCo. couldn't get "Iran : Iraq part Deux" to fly, so they shifted to Plan B. Period.

"The Cold War : Part Deux"



So do you think it's to maintain their fear-driven power agenda, a gimme to the contractors, or just simple bloodlust?



It does seem obvious that they want an "us -vs- them" war mindset in the forefront of American's thoughts, but I haven't come to a conclusion as to why...





D) All of the above.

And, bonus points for doing JUST before an election where they are, understandably, afraid that they are going to lose...big time!





Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 13:45:26
Quote by m-hadley:

Mornin' Raine & Roomie,

Yeah, Dr. Maddow!!! :airhump:

Cheers,

mfaye

:peace:





Hi ya roomie!

How ya doin' these days, darlin?



Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:50:12
All I think of when I hear Michael Medved is bad movie reviewer

Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 13:50:21
Did someone say Thom Hartmann?





Comment by Raine on 08/20/2008 13:50:51
Quote by BobR:

Quote by starling310:

My theory with the Georgia kerfuffle?

BushCo. couldn't get "Iran : Iraq part Deux" to fly, so they shifted to Plan B. Period.

"The Cold War : Part Deux"



So do you think it's to maintain their fear-driven power agenda, a gimme to the contractors, or just simple bloodlust?



It does seem obvious that they want an "us -vs- them" war mindset in the forefront of American's thoughts, but I haven't come to a conclusion as to why...

Do not forget about where the big oil pipeline is supposed to go...



Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 13:51:05
Doofy said he called Thom a couple of times

Comment by TriSec on 08/20/2008 13:51:57
If Thom Hartmann was a guest on Rachel Maddow's new show, would their combined IQ immediately render the rest of us babbling imbeciles?





Comment by Raine on 08/20/2008 13:52:00
Quote by starling310:

Good morning my friends. :coffee2:



It is a delightfully crisp morning in the NorthEast. The sun is shining. I wore a light scarf during the drive in.

One question concerns your blog this a.m.

Could the Jonas Brothers BE any more annoying?

Hey -- they have purity Rings!

( I just read that in Parade Magazine.... )

Comment by m-hadley on 08/20/2008 13:52:44
Quote by starling310:

Quote by m-hadley:

Mornin' Raine & Roomie,

Yeah, Dr. Maddow!!! :airhump:

Cheers,

mfaye

:peace:





Hi ya roomie!

How ya doin' these days, darlin?





Heya Roomie,

Thanks for asking I've been better, but I'm hanging in there... How's thangs with you?



Cheers,

mfaye

Comment by velveeta jones on 08/20/2008 13:55:02
Morning all.

Great post Bobber.

"Clumsy" is a great word for the entire bush administration!!! :clap:

Comment by livingonli on 08/20/2008 13:58:53
Good morning all.



It does seem that Bush Co. needs a new enemy because the only way the Republican Party can stay in power is by keeping people in fear. All the while the policies they are pushing are bankrupting the country and putting us on the verge of another Great Depression.

Comment by BobR on 08/20/2008 13:59:11
Appropos of today's blog post:



http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/tools/shared/mediahub/00/63/77/orignal_677630_Q3OWGY7_mike08202008.jpg


Comment by velveeta jones on 08/20/2008 14:02:50
Hey, did everyone read that article from a POW who was in the camp with McCain? Very interesting! One thing I learned (among many) everyone in the camp was offered early release, and turned it down. McCain is not unique!

Comment by livingonli on 08/20/2008 14:03:40
The SMS Live Blog now has banner ads. And one of them seems to be for an anti-Obama book (not the Corsi one).

Comment by m-hadley on 08/20/2008 14:07:51
Quote by livingonli:

The SMS Live Blog now has banner ads. And one of them seems to be for an anti-Obama book (not the Corsi one).




Liv,

I noticed that, too - wondering who is behind that?

Cheers,

mfaye

:hug:

Comment by livingonli on 08/20/2008 14:08:36
Daily Show is a repeat. They are running the clips from Miss Buffalo Chip so that you can see when Mrs. McCain was offered up as a contestant.

Comment by velveeta jones on 08/20/2008 14:10:34
btw, Bobber, I forgot to respond to your comment last night. I'm not really sick. Unless you count sick and tired from 7 days STRAIGHT of work! UG!!



I went home yesterday and went right to bed! :lol:

Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 14:11:16
<-coffee

Comment by livingonli on 08/20/2008 14:12:55
Ooh, Liberal host catfight. Will we see Stephanie and Randi jello mud wrestling?

Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 14:13:39
Um - I have some fishnets. They go great with my jean skirt and boots

Comment by Raine on 08/20/2008 14:13:39
Comment by livingonli on 08/20/2008 14:14:53
And Randi is about the same age as Stephanie.

Comment by wickedpam on 08/20/2008 14:15:40
I think their about the same age

Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 14:16:42
Quote by m-hadley:

Quote by starling310:

Quote by m-hadley:

Mornin' Raine & Roomie,

Yeah, Dr. Maddow!!! :airhump:

Cheers,

mfaye

:peace:





Hi ya roomie!

How ya doin' these days, darlin?





Things are good. Uneventful, but good. :fbump:



Heya Roomie,

Thanks for asking I've been better, but I'm hanging in there... How's thangs with you?



Cheers,

mfaye




Comment by livingonli on 08/20/2008 14:18:53
Why does keep trying to make Momma older than she actually is?

Comment by Raine on 08/20/2008 14:19:52
Quote by livingonli:

Ooh, Liberal host catfight. Will we see Stephanie and Randi jello mud wrestling?


settle down squeezy...









:)

Comment by livingonli on 08/20/2008 14:21:27
Quote by Raine:

Quote by livingonli:

Ooh, Liberal host catfight. Will we see Stephanie and Randi jello mud wrestling?


settle down squeezy...









:)


Bow-chicka-bow-bow.

Comment by starling310 on 08/20/2008 14:21:49
Quote by livingonli:

Good morning all.



It does seem that Bush Co. needs a new enemy because the only way the Republican Party can stay in power is by keeping people in fear. All the while the policies they are pushing are bankrupting the country and putting us on the verge of another Great Depression.




I am re-quoting this from the other day. From The Graves are Not Yet Full:

"Sudan's Big Men have excelled in their peculiar environment by mastering two intertwined requirements of power. The first is the art of manipulating potent symbols, masking one's personal agenda in a larger legitimating cause. It must be a cause which justifies extreme measures, and for which poeple are willing to sacrifice their lives. . ."