David Seaton's News LinksI hate to be a party pooper, but it seems that everybody has forgotten that if Obama finally wins the nomination he will be facing the Karl Rove filth machine and Swiftboaterdom.
Now since most Americans don't follow events beyond their shores closely, disaster from afar usually tends to catch them with their trousers at half mast. It seems left to me to bring up an awkward bit of business.
One of the most charming parts of what Bill Clinton calls Obama's "fairy tale" takes place in Kenya, which for most readers probably summons up visions of Meryl Streep out hunting with Robert Redford, however recently Kenya has exploded in Rwanda-like ethnic violence, with people being locked in churches and burned alive and folks being hacked to bits with machetes. Here is a Google News search link to bring you up to speed.
I read "Dreams From My Father" a couple of years ago and don't have it at hand at the moment, but I seem to recall that the Senator from Illinois has quite a few aunts and uncles and cousins by the dozens in that country and that his father was some sort of a civil servant. I can't remember what tribe they belong to and I have no idea what, if any, might be their participation in today's situation, but you can be sure that Karl and the Boaters are already on the case.
This is a potential can of worms unlike anything heretofore imagined in American political mudslinging and the faster this gets talked about and cleared up the better. DS
4 comments:
Obama's father was a Luo, same as the losing candidate in Kenya. The joke has gone around Kenya that a Luo will be elected president of America before Kenya. Obama hasn't said much about Kenya yet. As it gets worse, he will have to.
Forensic Economist
RLaing sent this comment, but due to some sort of cock up, mine or Googles it hasn't shown up here. I will publish it myself:
I'm not sure it matters a whole lot who the American people choose to read the speeches. For all the empty blather about 'change' that is being thrown about, I don't see any of the so-called mainstream candidates challenging the salient feature of U.S. politics, which is the death grip that corporate power has on the country. Either the public approves of living in a plutocracy, fails to perceive the basic situation, or more likely, feels there is nothing that can be done about it.
Nor is it easy to say what can or should be done. The citizen walks into a polling station and selects X. What does that even mean? X has only said that he/she stands for 'hope' or 'change' or 'family', and in any event certainly has not disclosed what his in-group will do once they take power. Compare that to what happens when a lobbyist walks into a X's office. He gives X cash and spells out for X exactly what he requires. Who will get what he wants in this system, the citizen or the lobbyist?
As for the war, the meaningful voting is done at the recruiting station, not the polling booth.
Super post RLaing!
There seems to be a strange nexis occurring with the situation in Kenya.
It seems that the International Republican Institute has monitored elections and conducted exit polls in Kenya since some time in the 80's. And the IRI was there this year, but have not released their exit poll results.
The IRI is a quasi-government organization founded by Reagan. And, at present, its chairman of the Board of Director is Senator John McCain. Among others, members of the board include L. Paul Bremer, Lawrence Eagleburger, Chuck Hagel and Arizona Representative Kolbe.
I certainly agree with RLaing. Our constitution has been eclipsed by the National Security State that strictly represents corporate control. The DoD is the largest consumer of petroleum products in the world. Before the war oil and Haliburton stock hovered around $20. Now it's $90.
For those of us whose social and political awakening came with the Viet-nam War, this is deja vu all over again.
Post a Comment