http://www.fromthewilderness.com/fre...nd_bush_2.html
i don't have time to read the whole thing yet, but i think Ruppert has followed the real motivations for war pretty well.
and also agree with him that the dems have been taken over by corporate interests enough to make this coming election of the lesser two evils really still very evil. (evil in that they are serving thier corporate masters not the 'people')
BEYOND BUSH II
- Media Mesmerism and "The Grand Show"
- Wes Clark of Waco, Kosovo and Mena Drug Connections -- Dean Fades -- Kerry is the Sleeper - What is Dan Sheehan Doing to Dennis Kucinich?
- California Recall Shows "Democracy Terminated"
by Michael C. Ruppert
[Our July 1, 2003 publication of Part I of this series,(
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/fre...nd_bush_1.html) with its analysis showing that the Neocons of the Bush administration were systematically being taken down at the direction of the real powers in control of the US economy created a huge demand for the promised follow-up article that would update developments and also look at the many Democratic presidential challengers. Work on that story was halted when this writer experienced a near-fatal encounter with a ruptured appendix and peritonitis in mid-July. (I am now fully recovered.) The delay may not have been a bad thing. One thing that is now apparent is that George W. Bush may have been set up - much as Lyndon Johnson was in Vietnam - to create an unwinnable war for the benefit of globalized monetary interests whose objective is the destruction of the US as a nation-state, while at the same time securing a top spot for US-based corporations in an increasingly globalized and energy-hungry economy.
There has been ample time to get a closer look at the various "early" candidates seeking to replace George W. Bush in the White House. We emphasize the word "early". A critical look at the Democratic contenders -- especially latecomer Wesley Clark -- reveals past behavior suggesting wolves in sheep's clothing or -- in the case of Dennis Kucinich -- campaign styles that promise little more than feel-good futility as insiders wonder if his campaign is being derailed from within. Yet, all this drama in an electoral environment, where mandatory voting software is hopelessly compromised, is little more than a tempest in a teapot. All told, it looks as if there is nothing much going on that gives grounds for enthusiasm or hope--especially as one focuses only on the "electoral" process.
More alarming, however, is the fact that attention is being diverted to wasted efforts, rather than to those that might make a real difference. In the final analysis, what we can expect after George Bush is a continuation of what came before and during George Bush. For those with their eyes open, there will be little difference in the outcome. Bush was not a marked historical or policy shift. The Clinton administration set the stage for 9/11 perfectly. George W. Bush is merely the captain of a brutal special team sent onto the field to make a few essential plays consistent with a larger plan. And if I have to spend the four years from January 2005 fighting deluded, guilty, self-aggrandizing progressives who want to convince us that things will be better under a Democrat, the same way I fought the current administration, that's exactly what I'll do. It is, after all, how FTW got its start.
And I will say -- one more time for the record-- that the destabilization and balkanization of Saudi Arabia with 25% of known oil reserves remains near the top of the main agenda. All of that oil lies in a very small area of land near the east coast of a country that we already have surrounded. All "we" need do is convince the American people of Saudi responsibilities for 9/11 in a way that will make convenient intervention tasteful to a war-weary American public that just doesn't get the concept of perpetual war. Then the US will help the Saudi regime crack from the inside and threaten regional stability, as the pretext for the seizure. In my opinion, the next president will be the one who can convince the powers that be that he can pull off that agenda, and sell it to the American people and the world.
There is a great piece of theater in play that has left many unable to distinguish fictional drama from stark reality. As John Lennon once said, "Life is what was happening while I was making other plans." - MCR]
THE INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE
October 20, 2003 1000 PDT (FTW) --Since Part I of this series was published, the credibility of the Bush administration has - as predicted - been assaulted on a variety of fronts. W's approval rating has dropped below 50%. The Republicans are worried about whether he is re-electable. The political, military and economic situation in Iraq has worsened. The US economy staggers on the brink of meltdown, in debt and an anemic dollar. The reality of Peak Oil and Gas has been acknowledged in a number of mainstream publications including CNN, The Independent, and Jane's Intelligence Summary. Recent stories have confirmed reports that actual oil reserves may be 80% smaller than previously reported. The US has experienced the first of many major power blackouts yet to come. American military morale is plummeting as quickly as is its readiness for additional (inevitable) conflicts. And the military situation in Iraq and Afghanistan remains as dangerous, and uncertain, as Iraqi oil remains undeliverable.
The last development is perhaps the biggest of all the Neocon blunders, but it still accomplishes the primary objective laid out by Zbigniew Brzezinski in his 1997 book, The Grand Chessboard: The oil and many rebuilding contracts have been denied to any powers "that might seek to usurp the US on the world stage". Even as the US has gone hat-in-hand to the UN asking for help in Iraq (and been rebuffed), it has made it clear that it intends to retain absolute control of Iraqi resources. Europe and Russia will not play that game. Oil in the ground is oil in the bank and, at least for the moment, by tweaking supplies and conflicts around the world, the US can maintain enough supply from other sources to keep the house of cards from falling. Within three to five years, that may not be possible.
The race now is to stabilize Iraq in time to rebuild the infrastructure, and bring its 11% of proven world reserves online. The US majors won't invest there until it is safe. On October 11, The Arabic News reported on a recent World Bank report stating that the reconstruction of Iraqi infrastructure would require four years and more than $50 billion (US). This is another reason why the Bush junta is in jeopardy. There are few left anywhere who believe that they have the cachet to pull it off. The oil companies have lost confidence in the oil men.
Had the US not invaded Iraq, however, French, Russian and German companies would currently be working on billions of dollars of contracts to refurbish the oil infrastructure, thus increasing the amount of Iraqi oil (priced in Euros rather than dollars) reaching world markets by legal or extralegal means outside of UN sanctions. Since the occupation, we have learned much about Iraqi oil being smuggled through Syria, and by other means. As a result, Europe and Russia would have been getting economically stronger and "marking territory" for the day when oil for food sanctions were inevitably lifted. Europe's economy is now sustained by the speed with which Russia can sell its diminishing oil reserves - estimated at just under 60 billion barrels (Gb) - something that it appears eager to do. This will inevitably force Britain into the EU at an accelerated pace, especially if BP can't get any supplies out of Iraq. (Note: Russia's 60 Gb is enough to supply global needs for just under two years excluding all other sources, and it is now being pumped faster than ever. According to Reuters, on August 4, 2003 Russian exports had reached 8.5 million barrels per day.) Since Russia has long passed its production peak, it is problematic as to whether these levels can be sustained for more than ten years.
This, of course, is consistent with recently declassified CIA documents showing that the agency was aware of Peak Oil issues in the 1970s, especially in Russia. (See:
http://fromthewilderness.com/free/ww...s_summary.html.)
Frustrated that they cannot safely get to Iraqi oil, the American majors are frantic to secure supplies from an ever-diminishing global reservoir; hence the recent frantic expansion of drilling and investment in West Africa. One of the biggest signs of the reality of Peak Oil over the last two decades has been a continual pattern of merger-acquisition-downsizing throughout the industry. Chevron bought Texaco. Exxon bought Mobil. TotalFinaElf bought Arco. Now, one of the largest oil buyouts in history has been announced in Russia as Mikhail Khodorkovsky's Yukos has just acquired Sibneft creating the fourth largest oil company in the world. This, even as Chevron, Shell and Exxon have been reportedly frantically trying to acquire a 40% stake in YukosSibneft. As of this writing, Exxon appears to have emerged the winner as the Russian government announced on October 7th that it found no reason to block Exxon's purchase. The game of musical chairs has begun.
An announcement in Reuters on October 8th that Russia may soon price its oil in Euros explains the additional incentive for American companies to own a piece of the Russian pie. Such a move would drastically weaken the dollar. And while US taxpayers would suffer under a staggering debt burden as a result, Exxon would reap major new profits as the Euro surged in value; further proof that corporations, not nations, rule the world.
As we pointed out in February:
This administration has presented itself to the globalized world economy as a business manager that was capable of putting together an acquisition and merger of all of the world's major assets. While the Bush administration has acted as CEO, it has still reported to a globalized board of directors which includes the major economic corporations and financial interests of Europe, Russia, China, Israel, Japan and possibly Saudi Arabia. These should be distinguished from the governments or peoples of these nations. What it has demonstrated is that it is incapable of transferring the assets of a significant portion of Europe into the portfolio. It is operationally incompetent to manage its way out of a wet paper bag. The corporate histories of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld demonstrate only the ability to acquire other companies, pump the share prices, commit fraud and reap billions in profits.
(
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/fre..._fig_leaf.html)
A simple way to look at this is to say that the CIA represents the interests of Wall Street and the global economic powers, while the Bush Neocons represent the interests of only one American faction of the global economy. It is inevitable that the Neocons will be replaced. Several US presidents have fought the CIA and they have always emerged on the short end of the stick. This time will be no different.
THE DOMESTIC LANDSCAPE
Choking Cheney
read the rest at:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/fre...nd_bush_2.html
Linear Mode
