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Title: Sic Transit: The Honeymoon is Looking a Bit Wan
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URL Source: http://www.counterpunch.com/
Published: Nov 22, 2008
Author: Alexander Cockburn
Post Date: 2008-11-22 14:16:02 by christine
Keywords: None
Views: 268
Comments: 11
Two years without a single leak and suddenly, last week, Obama’s operation was like a sieve. That’s what happens when you pick up the phone and call one of the Clintons. Or, to put it another way, that’s what happens when someone claims you, the president elect, picked up the phone and called Mrs Clinton to ask whether she’d like to be secretary of state. Out the window goes the sense of purposeful strides towards a new-look Administration. In comes a dreadful feeling that somehow we’ve slipped a dimension in the space-time continuum and are heading back into the Clinton era. A couple of more weeks and the Republicans will be calling for a special prosecutor. I’ve had people try to explain to me the political logic of Obama offering his erstwhile Democratic rival a top position in his cabinet. Better to have her inside the tent. Send. her off on bouts of futile shuttle diplomacy, like Condoleezza Rice. It still doesn’t add up. Why march back briskly into Clintontime? Besides, she’d make a lousy Secretary of State. Mrs Clinton has never displayed any talent for negotiation, nor even any conspicuous appetite to find out what is going on in the world, let alone come up with a new vision of America’s role in the 21st century. She’s an interventionist by instinct, her finger twitching over the Bomb Release lever. the She voted yes on the Iraq war. She was an ardent advocate of NATO’s onslaught on Yugoslavia. If we do get Hillary at State we may get Madeleine Albright as one of her sidekicks – the woman who said in the late 1990s that starving half a million Iraqi children was “worth it”, probably the line that the 9/11 al Qaeda hijackers were muttering to themselves when they sped on their mission of revenge towards the Twin Towers. This is change? The answer of course is that there has to be a good deal of similarity between the Clinton and Obama administrations, because Obama is a neoliberal interventionist like Bill, and because the 45 and 50-year old veterans of the two Clinton administrations who have been cooling their heels in law firms and think tanks for eight years make up a high percentage of those in the hiring line, particularly those who placed an early bet on Obama. To round off the symmetry he new White House counsel will be Greg Craig, who defended Clinton during his impeachment. The young people who worked for Obama and who voted for him have been feeling wan this week, amid all the retro talk about the Clintons. And the cabinet members Obama has announced or who are being bandied about are not inspiring. They’re dull like former Democratic senator Tom Daschle getting Health and Human Services. Howard Dean, who was a doctor and who hd hands-on time grappling with health insirance when he was governor of Vermont, would have been a much better choice. Janet Napolitano, the Arizona governor slated to be head of Homeland Security, horrified labor organizers at one meeting earlier this year listening to her boasting about kicking migrant workers back into Mexico. One nominee headed towards a Republican roasting in his hearings is Eric Holder, named to be Attorney General. As number 2 in Clinton’s Justice Department, Holder played a grimy role in one of the most scandalous affairs of Clinton-time, the last minute pardon by Clinton of billionaire trader and denizen of the FBI’s most wanted list, Marc Rich. (See Jeffrey St. Clair's account of the pardons for Holder's central role in the affair.) Other possible appointments are not demonstrative of a resolute change of pace. The talk is of keeping Robert Gates on as Defense Secretary, although Gates has made no significant mark on the vast pork barrel beside the Potomac. The conversion of this mucky schemer of yesteryear into revered emblem of sound governance is one of the many marvels of our age. Somewhere don the road we’ll probably end up with another slimy fellow, former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, who counts among his regular roosts CSIS and the Center for A New American Security, also decorated by the odious Robert Kaplan and Dr John Nagl. The most significant appointment will be Treasury Secretary. On current form Obama will play it safe with the top nominees to run this Department. The trouble here is that there is no safe option and the usual suspects will have the usual limited perspective. He’d better get this one right. A conventional appointee could doom his administration right from the start. In sum, this looks like a standard issue, business-as-usual cabinet in the making, about as exciting as looking at one of the regular network panel shows on a Sunday morning. Can’t they find anyone under 40 who looks like they might want to do things different and shake things up?
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#1. To: christine (#0)
Hey, I'll take Clintontime over Shrubtime anyday. And that's from someone who can't stand the Clintons, and considers Bill a white-trash serial rapist who should be serving life in prison.
Turtle's secret Indian name is Two Stuck Dogs.
They are two sides of the same coin.. I've always wondered what the Bush/Clinton degree of overlap was in Mena Arkansas.
~ Your failure to be informed, does not make me a wacko.
It was huge. Bent's now their adopted son.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that some of these these folk had been tuning in to Prison Planet. They're talkin' about casting shot, reinforcing their doors, skinning rabbits and buying GUNS for god sakes. Sorry for the long post. Might have posted this as a separate thread but thought it was germane here. What I heard tonight would have made me choke on my drink if I had one by srkp23 I don't go to parties very much anymore. But tonight, a group I'm involved with was having a book party to celebrate the first two books in our new series. We're a bunch of scary leftists, probably even some bona fide socialists, maybe even some communists and anarchists! The energy was very different than the last time we'd gathered, which was before the election. The feel tonight was one of invigorated spirit. Hope, even. But textured with anxiety over the rapidly collapsing economy and a fervid impatience for the arrival of January 20th. · srkp23's diary :: :: · A few of us were talking about the financial situation and the feeling of impotence, with Barack just 59 days away from office, and things rapidly headed to hell in a handbasket. One of my co-conspirators, a writer for The Nation, told us that he is on a listserv for journalists and today someone sent around a post saying: Stop Me From Driving Off a Cliff. It was figurative, but expressive of the anxiety caused by these dark economic times. "Stop Me From Driving Off a Cliff!" it said, "Talk me down, I'm thinking of hoarding cans of tuna and getting a gun." Of course, a flurry of replies came with humorous, ever-escalating, dire scenarios. My co-conspirator is a good storyteller, and we laughed at his report. He paused for a beat. The punchline was coming. "And then, Paul Krugman posted something. One line." You all are being too optimistic. We laughed. Maybe a different kind of laugh. And then we all fell silent. Tags: party, personal, recommended (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions Permalink | 518 comments § I notice everyone is passing this by (106+ / 0-) with no argument pro or con. I happen to agree with you. Kevin Phillips' book Bad Money talks about various cultures (the Spanish, English, and Dutch, among others) changed from manufacturing and production economies to financial economies and doomed themselves to economic destruction. We unfortunately have a society in which money corrupts the political process completely and the financial services industries are the ones who have the money to corrupt with these days. I think it's pretty clear the Obama administration doesn't get it yet, but I do believe he's anti corruption and perhaps will see the light after a bit. Few here on this site or the culture at large understand the collapse which is approaching. The MSM is clueless and most economists who have a public voice just parrot what they have heard from others and couldn't objectively analyze our economy if their lives depended on it. by babajimbob on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 10:46:02 PM PST § Aren't credit default swaps a form of forgery? (7+ / 0-) The existence of them creates an apparent increase in the money supply without anything concrete to back it up. It's too bad the school of hard knocks gives you the final exam before the first class by Imavehmontah on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 08:44:25 AM PST They don't increase the money supply (0+ / 0-) any more than a Ponzi scheme does. But they are fraudulent, to the (large) extent that they've represented promises that would be impossible to keep. Be the change that you wish to see in the White House. by Nowhere Man on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 11:14:41 AM PST Money is a figment of the imagination (1+ / 0-) given form by being printed on a piece of paper. It represents a real thing in the sense that a person's commitment to compensate another for a benefit received is real. But, what counts is the commitment. You could do the same thing with an IOU written out in your own hand on a piece of paper or scratched on a piece of bark. What counts is the commitment and people keeping their word. The reason the U.S. is in the tank is because it has misrepresented itself. It promised to liberate from tyranny and imposed a new tyranny instead. The global community is not deceived, regardless of the fact that the American people have been lied to consistently. The only thing I'm not certain of is how the American people are going to react when all the evil that has been done in their name is revealed. This time there's video evidence of every bomb drop, every missile hit and every after- action investigation. When the pictures that we have paid for come out, we'll be lucky if Republicans don't take to the streets. How do you tell a predator from a protector? The predator will eat you sooner rather than later. by hannah on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 10:37:15 AM PST Don't forget to thank (3+ / 0-) Nixon for removal of the gold standard. Our productive, manufacturing based economy has declined ever since. Removal of gold standard was to enable funding useless wars with funny money. After 8 years of darkness, a great nation chose to reapply power to the beacon of light America stands for. by FreeTradeIsYourEpitaph on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 10:26:28 AM PST I think you are spot on NBBooks....I think it is (65+ / 0-) going to get a hell of lot worse. Push has come to shove, and half the $700 billion has already been shoved into the hands of the Wall Street gang (course no one is getting any actual 'accounting or records or proof' of where that money is right now, but I believe we have a shock syndrome on our hands. I think that the most amazing thing is that Pelosi and Reid are playing right into the hands of the Wall Street Republicans by the continuation of 'dismantling the Unions' via the auto industry. Once the auto industry goes down, (when the ratfuckers have already paid off all their own friends that are standing in the Corporate Welfare lines), then we are going to see blood in the streets and poverty on a level that this generation has never experienced. If Obama does not go in there and tear Paulson's ass up and throw the entire lot of them in jails and throw away the keys, then Obama will be held responsible for 'allowing' the complete and utter financial meltdown of all times to ensue. It's going to get bad, it is going to get very bad, so be afraid....and buy lots of cans of Tuna and tons of Peanut Butter. Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. Oscar Wilde by Badabing on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 10:54:27 PM PST I would like to think that... (25+ / 0-) Obama has the power to do what we want him to do--but we're going to need to literally back him and the progressive Dems in Congress to even change anything at all. Because there will be many in the plutocracy class who would rather destroy our government and the economy entirely than see change from the status quo of their firm control of both. There are even some of them who are prepared to murder. The opinion of the Congressional hearings of the 1970's was that there was a conspiracy to commit JFK's assassination. RFK always believed it was a rogue element of the CIA that was behind it and planned to prove it when he became president. The CIA is the plutocrat class's preferred instrument when "distasteful" things have to be done. Ever wonder why so many directors and those high up in the CIA are Yalies (Skull and Bones)? by Wings Like Eagles on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 05:07:41 AM PST Agree. Obama is playing a dangerouse game (5+ / 0-) allowing this to take place without boundaries. The Shock Doctrine is clearly at play here. If Obama plans to try to take a progressive approach rather than a Shock Doctrine approach, the longer he takes to stake out his position, the more vulnerable he becomes to wearing the label of complicity. It's too bad the school of hard knocks gives you the final exam before the first class by Imavehmontah on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 08:48:08 AM PST Also remember with only your gun your may (1+ / 0-) eventually run out of bullets so the most prudent are buying bows and arrows as well. Arrows, can be recycled, and don't leave a lot of lead around which gets back into the environment, and so are considered more "green." It's also good to have some large poles and non-lethal weapons, so if you have to stand off the neighbors during the food riots, you have other options than just killing them, which is sort of sad. Tazing them, or using pepper spray, and other non-lethal stand off weapons can work as well, until you get back behind your doors and safely locked in your panic room. But make sure you have good and solid hard core doors, not these flimsy glass things folks can break through. The means is the ends in the process of becoming. - Mahatma Gandhi by HoundDog on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 09:34:20 AM PST Make your own ammo (3+ / 0-) There are kits that you can buy for this. My grandfather used to melt lead bars for fishing sinkers and shot pellets for his shotgun. Gun stores probably sell the stuff now. You can buy bullet molds, but I don't know how long you will be able to buy lead. "It always seems impossible until it's done." - Nelson Mandela by Brooke In Seattle on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 09:46:22 AM PST Great points Brooke, The most progressive (1+ / 0-) survival bunkers should contain stocks of basic metals like lead, copper, iron, tin, and aluminum, but these can be scavanged later if you forget. But, if you already stocking for fishing sinkers, hooks, and ammunition your well ahead of most. You'd be surprised at how many, of even the so called "high information" progressives don't have crank generator radios, water clorination kits, basic first aid supplies, stockpile of anti-biotics and several years supply of crucial meds and prescriptions, short-wave radios, a full range of weaponry, basic chemicals, gas masks, quareentee equipment, biohazard protections, etc. Here's one areas where many of the right wing extremists or well ahead of the moderates and left, some of whom are still walking around oblivious to the likely societal breakdown scenarios. Thanks for helping some of these folks break out of their little bubbles of delusion fantasies. :-) The means is the ends in the process of becoming. - Mahatma Gandhi by HoundDog on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 10:24:06 AM PST Lead (1+ / 0-) can be 'mined' from toys made in china. After 8 years of darkness, a great nation chose to reapply power to the beacon of light America stands for. by FreeTradeIsYourEpitaph on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 10:28:18 AM PST Somehow staying green after the fall... (0+ / 0-) won't be high on my list of priorities. Ammo takes up far less space than arrows. So I stocked up on ammo instead. ~Doc~ -7.88 -8,77 Just a wine sipping, brie eating, $6 coffee drinking, Prius driving, over educated, liberal, white, activist, male New Englander for Barack Obama. by EquationDoc on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 10:34:22 AM PST Make sure he have an old manual can opener. (2+ / 0-) And some of those little sterno can, cooking stoves. It will really be embarrassing when the electricy finally goes out once and for all, if you've stocked your survival shelter with a year supply of can goods and only have an electric can-opener and microwave. That happened to me, and some of my friends still won't let me live it down decades latter. The means is the ends in the process of becoming. - Mahatma Gandhi by HoundDog on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 09:38:42 AM PST Or a swiss army knife w/can opener (2+ / 0-) which which you can either: a) defend yourself against food thieves (albeit not very effectively); or b) slit your rists when the last can of food is empty. I'm a progressive man, and I love progressive people - Tosh by VeganMilitia on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 09:51:24 AM PST Excellent points. Or skin rabbits and squirrels. (0+ / 0-) But swiss army knife aren't really that good for close in fighting, and the blades can break off easily if you twist after stabbing. The most modern survival bunkers, are well stocked with a broad range of knifes, and hatchets. Hatchets can also be handy for chopping off the hands and fingers of the mobs trying to break in through those doors with the little glass panels. Those with large families have an advantage here. It's important to have practice drills to train the younger children to do the hatchet chopping and pepper stray, while the parents, and older children can have the shotguns, blowtorches, chemical, and other and higher fire power (and more dangerous) weapons. The relative advantages of these front doors with little portals is still a matter of debate. Traditionalist prefer the steel reinforced barriers, but these look a bit garish and bleak, and cynical during the periods of greater social stability. Especially, if you have sensitive jobs like school teachers, or ministers. Which is why every family needs to invest time in developing their own safety, survivial, and neighborhood combat plans and scenarios customized to their own unique situations. These can be combined with fun family times, like watching zombie films togather, and then have a family discussion afterwards, like well what if these were starving neighbors, or those trying to break epidemic quarenteens, how would we defend outselves? The means is the ends in the process of becoming. - Mahatma Gandhi by HoundDog on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 10:11:01 AM PST
Whoa! What an 'encouraging' post - another glimmer of some hope for us.
Kin you belive that this is tree-hugging, compost potty, gun-grabbing KOS?? I thought at first that there was some irony in this post, but when you read the whole thing you see that it is dead serious.
I thought they did a fine job of it - even mentioned a few items (fishing gear, blowtorch, and sterno) that I don't have, yet. Too late to get any children for chopping purposes... BO may end up being the 'uniter' here.
i had to stop and laugh at that one. suuuure he doesn't get it and suuuure he's anti-corruption.
that made me laugh out loud.
OTOH, the apprehension that even these folks are getting it is sobering.
According to "Compromised" by Reed (whom I have met) the shadow government and Bush offered to let Clinton be the nominee if he played ball with the big boys. Part of that was to cover for the Bush crimes, indeed, to become part of them. The meeting was in an Army Bunker in a obscure fort around Little Rock. The book is well worth reading. Clinton screamed "YES"!
"Satan / Cheney in "08"
#2. To: Turtle (#1)
#3. To: Jhoffa_ (#2)
I've always wondered what the Bush/Clinton degree of overlap was in Mena Arkansas.
#4. To: christine (#0)
Speaking of "wan" Democrats, here's a selection of comments on a recent KOS thread. Here
Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 08:46:28 PM PST.
#5. To: randge (#4)
#6. To: lodwick (#5)
Hatchets can also be handy for chopping off the hands and fingers of the mobs trying to break in through those doors with the little glass panels. Those with large families have an advantage here. It's important to have practice drills to train the younger children to do the hatchet chopping and pepper stray, while the parents, and older children can have the shotguns, blowtorches, chemical, and other and higher fire power (and more dangerous) weapons.
#7. To: randge (#6)
I thought at first that there was some irony in this post, but when you read the whole thing you see that it is dead serious.
#8. To: randge (#4)
I think it's pretty clear the Obama administration doesn't get it yet, but I do believe he's anti corruption and perhaps will see the light after a bit
#9. To: randge (#4)
Or a swiss army knife w/can opener (2+ / 0-) which which you can either: a) defend yourself against food thieves (albeit not very effectively); or b) slit your rists when the last can of food is empty.
#10. To: christine (#9)
Yeah, I thought that was priceless. Laughed my tail off.
#11. To: Jhoffa_, christine, turtle (#2)
I've always wondered what the Bush/Clinton degree of overlap was in Mena Arkansas.
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