Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) Lays Out America's Bankrupt(ing) Foreign Policy

Will Obama listen?

Will Congressional Democrats listen?

Will (self-styled) conservative Republicans listen?

Will any of DC's masters of our universe finally realize that our military imperialism is the most extravagant and destructive to our national lifeblood, of all federal excesses? (Given what a profitable racket it is for corporate and governmental interests, I think we know the answer to that).

Will our liberal friends ever write or speak out again about the lack of action in de-escalating and withdrawing from George W. Bush's middle-east adventures, now that their guy Obama is the responsible officer of government? Or is war now good for their "stimulus"?

If history and rhetoric are indicators, the answers to these questions are all a disheartening "NO!"

Funny, how the unabated occupation of Iraq, much less the proposed escalation in Afghanistan, is no longer on the lips of our (self-styled) liberal friends...given it was just about all we ever heard about from them for nearly 2 years.

Ohhh, that's right....as soon as Bush's lousy policies, ever so slightly tweaked, become Obama's brilliant policies, all is forgiven, no? Rather than note the 1000's of days of continued war, we get inanities, at least locally, like "Mike Castle's Betrayal of Delaware : Day XX". (Well, hardy-har-har!).

A Delaware Libertarian commenter once had an amusing observation. I'll paraphrase :

"On foreign policy, libertarians are liberals who remain anti-war when the Democrats are in power."

Former Air Force Colonel William Astore makes some excellent points in "An American Foreign Legion?", reprinted at tomdispatch.com. Steve wrote about it in the previous post to this, but it is worth repeating :

"Instead of collective patriotic sacrifice, however, it's clear that the military will now be running the equivalent of a poverty and recession "draft" to fill the "all-volunteer" military. Those without jobs or down on their luck in terrible times will have the singular honor of fighting our future wars...Caught in the shock and awe of 9/11, we allowed our military to be transformed into a neocon imperial police force."

Despite all this....one can still HOPE, right?