One cannot help but despair over just how completely this country appears to be run, not by the consensus of the majority of the American people (you know, like a bona fide democracy), but by the Military Industrial Complex and their client, the Corporatist State.

If any C&L readers out there actually believe the pablum spewed by President Obama during his West Point "surge" speech, I would like to educate you. This "surge" has nothing to do with the pursuit of Osama bin Forgotten, or even of the defeat of that anti-occupation, anti-puppet government force otherwise known as the Taliban. What it does have everything to do with is the control of potential, discovered, and developed petroleum & natural gas by USA corporate "interests" under the guise of American Exceptionalism.

Let me illustrate the numbers for you:

Iraqi Oil & Natural Gas reserves ==> 10 - 15 Trillion USD$
Iranian Oil & Natural Gas reserves ==> 12 - 20 Trillion USD$
Caspian Basin Oil & N. Gas reserves ==> 10 - 13 Trillion USD$

The USA's expenditure thus far in this Middle Eastern Imperialist adventure is 3 Trillion USD$ (long-term), while the escalation in Afghanistan and the imminent conflict with Iran will triple that expense. Most of those funds have, thus far, been borrowed from the very nations that compete with us for that petroleum energy stockpile. That will change. Our lines of credit will evaporate. Dubya & Darth have dug this country into a hole so deep that the M.I.C. is the only thing that will dig us out (the Corporatist State believes.) As the saying goes, "In for a penny, in for a pound."

In the mean time, the Wall Street Mobsters and their ally, the Federal Reserve, have been busy strip-mining the credit-worthiness of the U.S. Treasury, almost completely without any Government oversight. Of course, that is the very nature of private for-profit central banks - their Modus Operandi. They thrive on national debt, and especially the interest on that debt, the more the better. And nothing drives a nation into debt more readily than when they opt to go to war. No country wants to lose a war, so the amount of debt incurred doesn't matter -- Doesn't Matter. Remember that phrase from the imperial implementer in chief Darth Cheney, when he said "Deficits don't matter."? I do.

With the exception of the USA's M.I.C., American industry (and our economy) is in sharp decline. Our biggest "growth" industries are (1) export of military adventurism & related "client" sale of hardware, and (2) risky (nay, outright fraudulent) financial investment instruments. The USA is in ever increasing competition with China, India, and the European Union for petroleum-based energy resources. The value of the USD$ as the world reserve currency is under attack, and when the USD$ is supplanted by some other currency, the prospect of simultaneous deflation of assets here and hyper-inflation of our currency -- a perfect storm, the American fiscal equivalent to Chernobyl.

Our next stop in the Middle East is Iran, guaranteed. I can already hear the war drums beating, as well as the saber-rattling. It is coming, soon ...

Folks, we are sooo screwed.

... on the similarities between Obama's speech and Bush's?

Too obvious for good comedy?

finally, the plan of obamma is beginning to come through on this. For months those of us who put him in office have scratched our heads in wonderment as to why obama has pussyfooted to the right including putting some of their key advisors into key positions in the administration. why did they not show them an iron boot and go after proscecuting those in this highest positions for crimes committed. if not convicted at least they would have shown they had the balls to go after them. but no, they never did. all they did was milketoast. they advocated nothing. They only could tout the passage of their healthcare. of course, to get that passed through the initial rung they had to drop the gist of the bill, the public option. and so it goes, catering and pandering to the right. we have to ask, did they win last november's election or did the dems? Now to the plan, obama and his astute advisors' plan, be so nice, so acquiescing that the right will be caught completely off guard. they will have entrapped the left in a quagmire.
in other words, you eloquent son of a gun, grow a pair and quit worrying about your re-elcetion.

well, it's been tried and the "traps"backfired. 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. WTF, is this bush light talking? both turncoat dems and right wingers in unison are lauding the move. Damn it man, it's time to follow through on your promises. do what you were elected to do.

with smiles

total set up!

There is only one party and that is the party of War, corruption, out of control spending, and dollar destruction. Democrat/Republican squabbling is only meant to distract the people.