Thursday, December 16, 2004
Rumsfeld's Hubris
I do not subscribe to the Great Men view of history that I was taught in school. I believe that Great Men are as much at the mercy of history as everyone else. Perhaps this is because I am not a Great Man, but instead a small, spiny nocturnal insectivore.
Great Men, on the other hand, really like that view of history. Since they, and their lackeys, also think that history is their perogative, that's the history we get taught. The problem is the past won't stop interfering with the present.
See, if you think you are a Great Man and you are Writing History, then you think nothing can stop your plans. Understandably, the Great Man's lackeys are loathe to question the wisdom of his plans, and those that do are soon out of a job.
Since the Great Man in not Writing History, but living it, his plans must always, as the poet says, gang oft a'gley. And sometimes the world, startled by a voice like that of the child in the story, will see that the Emperor wears no clothes
And that brings us to Donald Rumsfeld. A common soldier stood up in front of God and everybody and stated the obvious: this war is going to hell and the Pentagon never prepared for any of this. This of itself is perhaps not so shocking a thing. People have been damning this war for months, begging for more war, as if that would somehow justify the death that has gone on before. It's not how many are killed, it's who comes out the winner.
This time it was Rumsfeld himself who pointed out his nakedness. His response to the soldier, dismissing the armed forces as being just the Army he has, not, "the Army you want or wish to have at a later time" will probably be the words that end his career at the Pentagon. Anyone who cares knows that this is precisely the Army Donald Rumsfeld wanted, against the protests of Generals such as Tommy Franks, who felt that twice as many troops would be needed. Now calls for Rummy's resignation are being heard from Left to Right, from Democrat Evan Bayh to Republican John McCain and all the way to ultra right wing Republican Trent Lott of Mississippi.
Oh how the mighty must fall. It was but months ago that Rummy was the studly toast of the Beltway. His mug adorned magazine covers, and he was crowned the sexiest member of the Cabinet. His crew had Colin Powell cowered in submission, and his buddy Dick Cheney openly told Democratic Senators to "fuck themselves" right on the Senate floor. What heady days those must have been.
Now it seems his days are numbered. It's only a matter of time before he slinks out of the Pentagon and into some corporate office mumbling something about spending more time with his family before collecting a Medal of Freedom and a Presidential Pardon. It's a tough life at the top.
Great Men, on the other hand, really like that view of history. Since they, and their lackeys, also think that history is their perogative, that's the history we get taught. The problem is the past won't stop interfering with the present.
See, if you think you are a Great Man and you are Writing History, then you think nothing can stop your plans. Understandably, the Great Man's lackeys are loathe to question the wisdom of his plans, and those that do are soon out of a job.
Since the Great Man in not Writing History, but living it, his plans must always, as the poet says, gang oft a'gley. And sometimes the world, startled by a voice like that of the child in the story, will see that the Emperor wears no clothes
And that brings us to Donald Rumsfeld. A common soldier stood up in front of God and everybody and stated the obvious: this war is going to hell and the Pentagon never prepared for any of this. This of itself is perhaps not so shocking a thing. People have been damning this war for months, begging for more war, as if that would somehow justify the death that has gone on before. It's not how many are killed, it's who comes out the winner.
This time it was Rumsfeld himself who pointed out his nakedness. His response to the soldier, dismissing the armed forces as being just the Army he has, not, "the Army you want or wish to have at a later time" will probably be the words that end his career at the Pentagon. Anyone who cares knows that this is precisely the Army Donald Rumsfeld wanted, against the protests of Generals such as Tommy Franks, who felt that twice as many troops would be needed. Now calls for Rummy's resignation are being heard from Left to Right, from Democrat Evan Bayh to Republican John McCain and all the way to ultra right wing Republican Trent Lott of Mississippi.
Oh how the mighty must fall. It was but months ago that Rummy was the studly toast of the Beltway. His mug adorned magazine covers, and he was crowned the sexiest member of the Cabinet. His crew had Colin Powell cowered in submission, and his buddy Dick Cheney openly told Democratic Senators to "fuck themselves" right on the Senate floor. What heady days those must have been.
Now it seems his days are numbered. It's only a matter of time before he slinks out of the Pentagon and into some corporate office mumbling something about spending more time with his family before collecting a Medal of Freedom and a Presidential Pardon. It's a tough life at the top.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
War Everywhere
My eyes don't see much from my perch at the end of the bar, and my nose is often distracted by the scent of tasty grubs and crickets, but my big ears are always on the alert for alarming sounds. I have heard a few in recent days, but I just now discovered a common thread.
I have been distracted by the news in the Ukraine. Confident in my spiny armor's ability to protect me, I am an eternal optimist. The people out east appeal to this nature. The state holds all the cards: the army, the police, the media, control of the election apparatus, and the backing of a nuclear armed world power on its border. The opposition has (the probable backing of western clandestine organizations), and the power of the people in the street. The parenthetical backing to the contrary, it is the people in the street that has created this opening for democracy. My spines quiver at the thought of one of the largest countries in Europe engaging in the refusal of work and the affirmation of the right of people to peaceably assemble and speak freely and engage in the carnival of democracy.
That's the good news.
NOW: BACK TO THE WAR
I was going to write a bit more about Iraq, maybe I'll get to it Saturday, but I still must note the two main items. They are simultaneous and both fall under the category of we told you so, so I will treat them in no particular order.
1. U.S. Troop Level in Iraq to Grow
This is so I told you so as to be laughable, if it were but comedy. A plan that had never been considered a year ago, but well known yet delayed two months ago. More on that later.
2.President Bush Says Iraqi Elections Must Not Be Delayed
Install that puppet government pronto! This thing is costing me billions by the hour, and we're still years from turning a profit! More on that later.
BRINGING THE WAR BACK HOME
My big ears brought it all back home tonight when I heard of the DVD now being distributed on the streets of Baltimore. It is an al-Queada style production, but it's aimed at the foot soldiers of the war on drugs. Called "Don't Snitch" it is an urban drug warrior indocrination guide, with hip-hop music and graphic footage of stool pigeons being murdered by men in masks. Appeals to the "clan" and the economic control of territory are the main themes. Sound familiar?
In Haiti, where Appologist of State Colin Powell just ducked out of the Presidential Mansion under a hail of gunfire, anti-coup insurgents beheaded members of the CIA-backed militia in an action they call "Operation Baghdad."
Baghdad, Port Au-Prince, Kiev - these places are not so far away. Even from my perch at the far end of the bar, no matter how much I hide behind my spines, we are connected in ways no one could have predicted, even a few winters ago.
I have been distracted by the news in the Ukraine. Confident in my spiny armor's ability to protect me, I am an eternal optimist. The people out east appeal to this nature. The state holds all the cards: the army, the police, the media, control of the election apparatus, and the backing of a nuclear armed world power on its border. The opposition has (the probable backing of western clandestine organizations), and the power of the people in the street. The parenthetical backing to the contrary, it is the people in the street that has created this opening for democracy. My spines quiver at the thought of one of the largest countries in Europe engaging in the refusal of work and the affirmation of the right of people to peaceably assemble and speak freely and engage in the carnival of democracy.
That's the good news.
NOW: BACK TO THE WAR
I was going to write a bit more about Iraq, maybe I'll get to it Saturday, but I still must note the two main items. They are simultaneous and both fall under the category of we told you so, so I will treat them in no particular order.
1. U.S. Troop Level in Iraq to Grow
This is so I told you so as to be laughable, if it were but comedy. A plan that had never been considered a year ago, but well known yet delayed two months ago. More on that later.
2.President Bush Says Iraqi Elections Must Not Be Delayed
Install that puppet government pronto! This thing is costing me billions by the hour, and we're still years from turning a profit! More on that later.
BRINGING THE WAR BACK HOME
My big ears brought it all back home tonight when I heard of the DVD now being distributed on the streets of Baltimore. It is an al-Queada style production, but it's aimed at the foot soldiers of the war on drugs. Called "Don't Snitch" it is an urban drug warrior indocrination guide, with hip-hop music and graphic footage of stool pigeons being murdered by men in masks. Appeals to the "clan" and the economic control of territory are the main themes. Sound familiar?
In Haiti, where Appologist of State Colin Powell just ducked out of the Presidential Mansion under a hail of gunfire, anti-coup insurgents beheaded members of the CIA-backed militia in an action they call "Operation Baghdad."
Baghdad, Port Au-Prince, Kiev - these places are not so far away. Even from my perch at the far end of the bar, no matter how much I hide behind my spines, we are connected in ways no one could have predicted, even a few winters ago.
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