President Bush’s comments on the state of the world last week at the United Nations raise some interesting thoughts about not only his own personal view but of America’s collective view of the world around us. 

To say that the mission of this government is to eradicate tyranny from the face of the Earth sounds great. It is the battle call of so many wars before, and yet it is almost a hollow message. In World War II the allies pulled their resources to combat a common external enemy. The campaign was costly but effective in removing true fascists from the grips of power around the globe. Storming cities across Europe and invading islands throughout the South and North Pacific were all tasks that in themselves created a culture of appreciation for the West. But this war on terror is not as simple. 

The world we live in is a very complicated and often caustic world filled with hate and distrust for one another, not as nations but as people. William Arkin points this out rather eloquently in his blog posted today on The Washington Post website. 

Bush has an incredible knack for saying things that are throw-backs to the WWII era, but never really delivers any substance that supports his rhetoric. Many people were completely surprised and shocked to hear Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez refer to Bush as the devil last week, but really if examine the root cause of this language we can see that Chavez is merely expounding the underlying feelings of many around the globe that find themselves pointed out as the enemy in increasingly generic language used by Bush. Our global war strategy in terms of WWII is no longer sufficient. Instead, we need to take notice of the historical definition of war back to the middle-centuries when wars were more tribal and the underlying cause of such wars was religion and moral values. The people that Bush calls “extremists fascists” are the same people who were slaughtered by the Spanish and Romans centuries before our continent even existed on the map. Centuries of hatred and distrust are bubbling to the surface, and those “warriors” fighting this war are well-learned in the historical purpose of their cause.

The enemy is not one country. The enemy is not even a public state that can be pin-pointed on a map. The enemy is something much more dangerous and elusive and deserves a different approach militarily and politically. As Americans we really need to understand the world a little better, and as citizens, we need to demand that our government take a much more diplomatic and constructive approach to squelching the volume on extremist groups and not annihilating entire societies to eradicate the few and ultimately creating more “extremists”.

According to the Australian radio program “AM“, the United Nations Secretary General, just back from a tour of the Middle East, has said that many leaders in the region are expressing private concerns about the U.S. invasion of Iraq and that the entire operation has destabilized the region.

TONY EASTLEY: The head of the United Nations says most leaders in the Middle East believe the US invasion of Iraq and its aftermath have been a disaster.

UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan has relayed the damning assessment after returning from a trip, which included visits to Iran and Syria.

A new US intelligence report meanwhile calls the security situation in Iraq’s western Anbar province “dire”.

Washington Correspondent, Kim Landers reports.

KIM LANDERS: In the past day around Baghdad, police have found the bodies of 65 men who’d been tortured and shot.

Car bombings and mortar attacks have killed at least 39 others and wounded dozens more.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the violence in Iraq is troubling other leaders in the region.

KOFI ANNAN: Most of the leaders I spoke to felt the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath has been a real disaster for them. They believe it has destabilised the region.

KIM LANDERS: It’s an opinion that’s been instantly dismissed by White House spokesman Tony Snow.

TONY SNOW: I’m not going to engage in a further disputation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, but we disagree with the characterisation.

KIM LANDERS: Kofi Annan says some in the Middle East think that having created the problem, the US can’t now walk away.

KOFI ANNAN: Then you have another school of thought, particularly in Iran that believe that the presence of the US is a problem and that the US should leave.

So in a way, the US has found itself in a position where it cannot stay and it cannot leave.

KIM LANDERS: Concern about Iraq is also surfacing in senior US military ranks.

The Chief of Intelligence for the Marine Corps in Iraq has filed a secret report concluding the prospects for securing the country’s western Al Anbar province are dim.

It also says al-Qaeda has filled the power vacuum, partly because of a lack of US and Iraqi troops.

On Capitol Hill today the former deputy ambassador to Iraq, David Satterfield, was asked for his appraisal.

DAVID SATTERFIELD: The situation in Anbar province is indeed very serious and we agree that major measures need to be taken to address the social, the political situation there.

We disagree that the situation is hopeless.

KIM LANDERS: But Ambassador Satterfield, who’s now the senior Iraq adviser to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, added this blunt assessment.

DAVID SATTERFIELD: If sectarian violence cannot be demonstrably, tangibly reduced and sustained that reduction, over the next several months, an Iraqi government that represents all of its people as a partner against terror and as at peace, both at home and with it’s neighbours will be difficult, if not impossible to achieve.

KIM LANDERS: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says if the US does leave Iraq it has to be arranged in such a way that it doesn’t lead to even greater violence.

I find it incredibly difficult to believe that anyone within the administration actually believes that the war in Iraq is moving in a positive direction. How many new directions, changed focus, refined strategies are these guys going to come up with before they finally admit they made a mistake.

At this point, I say admit to your errors and publicly spell out the specifics to end this war. It’s going to take reaching out to those that disagree with the current logic and to other nations in the region that can actually help the situation.

Unfortunately, this administration will never admit to any errors, and they are certainly not going to reach out to anyone that does not have fists full of money for them. Bush has never proposed anything for peace in the Middle East, outside of calling people fascists and declaring war (or crusade, as W likes to call it) on them.

My anger at the Bush administraton has never been any higher than it was earlier in the week when Donald Rumsfeld (and the entire administration for that matter) pointed to those that oppose the war in Iraq, question the legal tactics of the administration in fighting the “war on terror”, or generally disagree with the administration as “morally and intellectually lacking”. And to use language like that in the same speech where he compared the disjointed group of thugs in Al Qaeda to the Nazis or worse leaves one to wonder exactly who he wants to do war with.

And then there are moments like these from Keth Olbermann that make me proud to be an American. The eloquence of his commentary is exactly what needed to be said. I can only hope and pray that more Americans see things the way Olbermann does and realize that unless the voters put an end to this regime this country will slip further into that abyss.

From AP newswires today comes word that the Pentagon is seeking bids from outside PR firms to analyze the news related to the Iraqi war and how it is reported in the United States and internationally.

Contractors also will be evaluated on how they will provide analytical reports and customized briefings to the military, “including, but not limited to tone (positive, neutral, negative) and scope of media coverage.”

The program comes during what has appeared to be a White House effort, before the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, to take the offensive against critics at a time of doubt about the future of Iraq.

The military last year was criticized for a public relations in Iraq that included hiring a consulting firm that paid Iraqi news media to carry news stories written by American troops. 

So, if the U.S. can’t win the war they will simply resort to monitoring the media and working to craft a more positive tone about the war in the media. Never mind that the administration has lied repeatedly to us. I guess if someone makes the story more positive the think we will suddenly begin believing the lies they still spout.

I know that this is old, but it warrants another look given the political ramblings of W and his group of thugs this week. The points are taken from Laurence Britt’s article titled “Fascism Anyone?”. Project for the Old American Century (POAC) did an excellent job of providing legitimate examples of how the actions of this administration fit into each of the 14 points.

 Fourteen points on fascism:

1.)  Powerful and Continuing Nationalism: Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2.)  Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights: Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3.)  Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause: The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4.)  Supremacy of the Military: Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5.)  Rampant Sexism: The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6.)  Controlled Mass Media: Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7.)  Obsession with National Security: Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses

8.)  Religion and Government are Intertwined: Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.

9.)  Corporate Power is Protected: The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10.)  Labor Power is Suppressed: Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed. 

11.)  Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts: Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

12.)  Obsession with Crime and Punishment: Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations

13.)  Rampant Cronyism and Corruption: Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. 

14.  Fraudulent Elections: Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.