Neocons: Goinfg For Broke in the Middle East

by soccerdad

When I heard about the killing of the children in Lebanon the thought popped into my head that the response to this incident would indicate to me what the plan was. The incident would be too big to ignore under normal circumstances. I have had this idea in my head what the real plan was but for some reason I thought that the response this incident would either confirm or deny my theory. It would serve as a sign of to what lengths the Israelis and the US would go. Despite an initial call for a 48 hr cease fire, the actual response was not only no cessation but an expansion of the war within Lebanon. This confirmed my theory as well as demonstrating that the State Dept buildings should be rented out, since they are of no use to this adminstration.

I’m not going to rehash old news but try and pull out some things from today’s news and a few other tidbits. Frankly, I’m too saddened and depressed to put together a research quality post.

From today’s NYT about Bush’s visit to Miami:

“The current crisis is part of a larger struggle between the forces of freedom and the forces of terror in the Middle East,” Mr. Bush said in a speech at the Coast Guard command center in Miami.

“For decades, the status quo in the Middle East permitted tyranny and terror to thrive,” the president said. “And as we saw on Sept. 11, the status quo in the Middle East led to death and destruction in the United States, and it had to change.”

Mr. Bush mourned the loss of “innocent life,” both in Israel and in Lebanon, where Israel’s attempts to subdue Hezbollah have killed scores of civilians. But he said, as he has repeatedly, that “Israel is exercising its right to defend itself,” and he said again that any cease-fire must be lasting

So there is absolutely no evidence that Bush and the neocons are going to stop the killing any time soon. In fact I think we are on the threshold of all out war in the Middle East. Its been reported today that Israeli troops are fighting near Baalbeck near the Syrian border. When one couples this with the bombing of both Northern and Southern Lebanon its hard to conclude that the Israelis only want to establish a security zone near their border in the South. The actions of the IDF simply doesn't support that.

From the BBC:

Speaking at Glilot near Tel Aviv, Mr Olmert said a political process was under way "that in the end will bring a ceasefire under entirely different conditions than before".

Israeli Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Israeli Army Radio it would take the army 10 days to two weeks "to complete the job, and by that I mean that the area in which we want [an] international force to deploy is cleansed of Hezbollah".

Of course the neocons have gone into their full war mongering mode. Here’s just a sample from Michael Ledeen who sees Bush’s response as much too restrained.

The greatest failure of our leaders, with rare exceptions, is their refusal to see the war plain, which means Iran and Syria (might as well call them “Syran,” since they operate in tandem, with Tehran pushing most of the buttons). It was never possible to “win in Iraq” so long as we insisted on fighting in Iraq alone. You can not win a regional war by playing defense in one country. It was, and remains, a sucker’s game. Syran pays no price at all for killing our kids and our allies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now in Gaza and Lebanon/Israel.

Syran reasonably concluded that there was no price to pay for killing us, and so they predictably expanded the scope of the war. Our leaders do not see this whole; they see each component as a separate issue. They see that Hezbollah is an Iranian entity. They see Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers at work in Lebanon and Iraq. They know the best weapons in the war come through Syran and in many cases are manufactured by Syran. Any logical person has to conclude that you cannot win this war without defeating Syran.

It has become abundantly clear to me at least that the Israeli invasion of Lebanon is part of the US plan to transform the Middle East by force, aggression, and genocide. The connections between the neocons like Perle, Wurmser et al to the far right in Israel have been well documented. In fact the script for the actions of Israel were set forth in the now infamous “Clean Break” report written by neocons such as Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, David Wurmser, and Meyrav Wurmser among others.

Lets also consider this from Democrcy Now

JUAN GONZALEZ: And your report indicates that Israel has always been the largest recipient of military aid from the United States, but that that’s actually increased since 2001? FRIDA BERRIGAN: We’re looking at incredible increases in U.S. military aid and weapons sales to Israel. Military aid stands at about $3 billion a year. That’s about $500 for every Israeli citizen that the United States provides on an annual basis. And then, weapons sales, most recently, since the Bush administration came into power, we’re looking at $6.3 billion worth of weaponry sold to Israel. Israel's relationship with the United States is unique in a number of ways. And one of those ways is that essentially the United States provides 20% of the Israeli military budget on an annual basis, and then about 70% of that money that is given from the United States, from U.S. taxpayers, to Israel is then spent on weapons from Lockheed Martin and Boeing and Raytheon. Most other countries don't have that sort of cash relationship, where they go straight to U.S. corporations with U.S. money to buy weapons that are then used in the Occupied Territories and against Lebanon. AMY GOODMAN: What kind of leverage does the U.S. money, the U.S. aid for Israel provide? FRIDA BERRIGAN: … snip ….Meanwhile, just on the 14th, the United States decided to sell $120 million worth of jet fuel to the Israeli military. The little notice that announced the sale from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said, “This fuel will be used to promote peace and security in the region.” And then, meanwhile, you have jets strafing villages, bombing civilians, taking out bridges, destroying water treatment plants. So the United States could decide and would have a very strong case and a historic precedent for deciding to cut military aid.

I tip my hat to the neocons. Bringing the Israelis into the war when they did was a brilliant move politically. They have transformed what appeared to be a failing war in Iraq to a war to protect Israel. The Dems and Repubs have been falling all over themselves to outhawk the other in their support of Israel even if it means denigrating the Iraqi government. So a much needed window of opportunity to expand the war from Iraq into Lebanon, then Syria and Iran has been opened. How can anyone oppose such an expansion since it will be done to preserve Israel? I have little doubt that much Israeli and American ( actually its all American) munitions including low-yield bunker busters will be flying through that window.

Lets be clear, the neocons have no regard for the value of human life. The death of children is incidental to their goal of controlling the resources, mainly gas and oil, of the middle east and projecting American power towards Russia and China. The only thing that matters to them is “winning”. And winning to them means being the lone superpower who controls their own destiny by controlling the world’s resources. By controlling the world’s very limited energy supply you control everyone else. It’s really that simple. They are cold blooded and soulless. Also remember that the genocide of the "savages" in the Western US was tolerated perfectly well since it brought about prosperity. In fact today's "savage" is the "terrorist".

Now I know there are many rational people reading this going but what about the disaster in Iraq. From the neocon’s perspective what mess? The oil and gas is still in the ground and is not being shipped to China, therefore, they are still winning. Again the rational among you are saying “What about all the dying in Iraq”. The neocon response would be “So”? A good civil war will end up killing many Iraqis meaning fewer that our bombs will have to deal with later on.

But you all are saying “You’re crazy”. Yes I am. Crazy with rage that this is going to happen. The neocons have decided to go for it all. It’s all or nothing. I am also sure that if we continue down this path and domestic outrage grows to any significant degree there will be a terrorist attack here in the US even if the Northwoods Project has to be taken out of mothballs, updated to the times and then executed.

I think we are very close to the time when the rhetoric will change from “we need to do …” to “if we stop now ….” as if that some how justifies what is going to happen. And to you rational people who have stuck with this tirade this long, no there is no cap on the number of casualties that the neocons are willing to tolerate to “transform” the Middle East, even if one of the stages of that transformation is rubble soaked with the blood of all Muslim’s children and women.

If this were all to end tomorrow, i.e. a ceasfire and end to the Israeli incursion, we will still have lost because of the blowback that we will receive as a country. In my mind they, meaning Bush, Cheney and the rest, already believe they have crossed the line of no return. They will forge on impervious to all the screaming and protests by either US citizens or the world. Who cares if your goal is to rule the world. Why do you think the illegal spying is going on in the US? They know the protests are coming and they will be prepared to deal with them.

This will be a monumental disaster, that if allowed to spiral completely out of control will endanger the world as we know it. Would it stop with Syria, with Iran, with Pakistan, with .... Remember this out of control train to hell is being run by people who believe in and wish for Armageddon.

My only wish is that I can look back at this piece in a couple of years and say “God you were crazy and paranoid back then”.

May God have mercy on our souls.