Election Result: More Military Escalations Are Coming
James Madison warned that perpetual war is the worst enemy of personal liberty
W.J. Astore
So, Republicans now control the Senate as well as the House. As we the people endure the forced march to 2016 and the next presidential election, our new political landscape is sure to produce more military escalations.
The reason is as obvious as it is sad. De-escalation of military conflicts is defined, especially by Republicans, as "losing" whereas escalation is defined as "doing something," as being "decisive," even when decision is nowhere in sight. Even when military action just makes matters worse.
Once again, as we approach 2016, the Republicans will bash the Democrats as appeaseniks. And the Republicans will be right. The Democrats are appeaseniks -- to the national security state.
You can almost guarantee that the hawkish Hillary Clinton -- doing her best imitation of Margaret Thatcher -- will be the Democratic candidate. Meanwhile, Republican candidates will run to the right of Attila the Hun as they blame Obama for having "lost" both Iraq and Afghanistan (even though both of those countries were never ours to "win"). Dishonest (or disingenuous) the Republicans may be, but they know how to win elections via the Big Lie.
As Tom Engelhardt noted this week, the national security state has built a militarized escalation machine that will execute its function of perpetual war regardless of whom is sworn in as the next commander-in-chief.
As my wife said to me today, our country is in big trouble. Yes, we are, because as James Madison pointed out, perpetual war is the enemy of democracy and freedom.
As for me, I'll vote for any candidate who has the spine to stand up for an end to perpetual war. Show me a candidate who's willing to abandon fear-mongering about overseas threats while telling the truth about the threats we face right here at home from America's power brokers and I'll show you a candidate worthy of being elected. Either that, or show me a candidate who's so worried about those overseas threats that he or she takes up arms (I mean literally) in the trenches against the enemy, and I'll show you a candidate who at least is not a hypocrite.
But I fear 2016 will be the year of Benghazi! Benghazi! and who lost Iraq/Afghanistan/and similar countries we never "found" to begin with.
Did I mention my smarter wife said our country is in trouble?