Political Position: The American Century Project and Herman Goering

In the aftermath of the economic collapse of the U.S.S.R. (brought on almost exclusively because of military competition with the United States) and the subsequent Persian Gulf War in Iraq followed by a new Democrat President Clinton, members of the former President Reagan and Bush, Sr's administrations formed a non-profit educational association . . . a so-called think tank . . . to promote and "rally support for American global leadership." In their position papers, the American Century Project laid out options and justifications for an invasion of Iraq and made entreaties to then President Clinton to take out Saddam.

The authors and signatories of those position papers? Perhaps you recognize some of them as power brokers in the present Bush, Jr. administration:

Elliott Abrams, Gary Bauer, William J. Bennett, Jeb Bush

Dick Cheney, Eliot A. Cohen, Midge Decter, Paula Dobriansky, Steve Forbes,

Aaron Friedberg, Francis Fukuyama, Frank Gaffney, Fred C. Ikle,

Donald Kagan, Zalmay Khalilzad, I. Lewis Libby, Norman Podhoretz,

Dan Quayle, Peter W. Rodman, Stephen P. Rosen, Henry S. Rowen,

Donald Rumsfeld, Vin Weber, George Weigel, Paul Wolfowitz,

These same people are now the political power brokers behind our present administrations insane rush to war . . . not on the terrorists who attacked our country, but on one thorn in our side left over from the first gulf war . . . and a nation rich in crude oil reserves (third largest in the world). Ask yourself why Vice President Cheney still draws a $1,000,000 a year salary from Halliburton while at the same time influences no-bid contracts with that company . . . why Mr. Cheney studied petroluem reserve maps of Iraq in the months leading up to the second Iraq war, and why the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, was not allowed to write his own speech before the United Nations. source

According to Max Blumenthal:

"'We're not in the Middle East to bring sweetness and light to the world. We're there to get something we and our friends in Europe depend on. Namely, oil.'" --Decter on the Warren Olney show, 89.9, Los Angeles, 5/21/04

Is our present President so blind that he cannot see the power mad, wealth mongering, and war profiteering cronies with whom he has indebted himself for a highly-controversial election?

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At the end of World War II when political and military leaders were brought to Nuremberg to answer for the atrocities of the Nazi regime, a psychologist recorded a despondent Herman Goering justifying and excusing the actions of his countries leaders in taking Germany to absolute ruin with war. Goering said:

" . . . the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

And so it seems it does. Like Senator Kerry, I served in Vietnam. Twice. And what I saw there sickened me. Unlike Senator Kerry, I did not have the guts upon returning to make my changed opinion on Vietnam public. Those who have served do so with distinction . . . and we trust our leaders that war is absolutely the last resort and not some political whim of a think tank or the assembled CEOs of our large corporations. That is the 'test' for my president . . . a moral test; and in that, President Bush, Jr. has failed miserably. He has allowed a political elite to inhabit his administration and push an agenda that puts Americans at jeopardy . . . not safety.

As Goering said . . . "Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy."