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July 23, 2006
WB: Another Oceania Moment

Billmon:

This is the closest thing I’ve seen yet to a flat-out admission that the Iraq War was a disastrous strategic mistake. Or conversely, if you’re a true Orwell disciple, it’s simply another meaningless switch in an endless war whose real purpose isn’t to defeat the enemy, but to keep the prols docile and the ruling party firmly in power in this country.

Another Oceania Moment

Posted by b on July 23, 2006 at 18:47 UTC | Permalink
Comments

for anyone still keping track of (my personally) most disappointing MiniTrue writer:
Hitchamorphosis

Posted by: citizen | Jul 23 2006 19:26 utc | 1

Agreed billmon, but…
For humanists, there has long been a huge sticking point in all this whiplashing of the discussion, and that is the question of who have been the lasting voices of and organizers for justice and social sanity in the United States. These voices have been Quaker, and Baptist, and all sorts of fervent people. But especially the people we have relied on to lead and man the fights for justice have been Jewish.
But it is never easy for a person to turn and say – the country that was created to make a safe haven for my people, the one place committed to always taking me and mine in, that country and its actions must be opposed. Part of the rot in humanist politics has been the loss of moral clarity when so many of the people who so inspired us (but not all) have lost their voices, been torn between their moral duty as human beings, and their loyalty to family.
But all things change. And the Jewish Diaspora has begun to seem only one among a sea of genocides in the nationalist age. Can it still dominate young imaginations as it did my generation? For me it is now Edward Said on exile that I can hear from the heart. For today’s undergraduate, I think the bind between sympathy for the Shoah and sympathy for the current ME punctuated pogrom is rapidly unwinding, depolarizing from tense confusion to disgust – and the media fights back with pulses of stories harking back to the events of the early 1940’s. But old stories of old men do not justify the fresh blood, pulped children, and Guernica’d neighborhoods of this week. What sons of bitches did this, and then woke up and did it again? I canot stop hearing this child’s blood crying out from the ground! dammit, dammit, dammit…
Minitrue’s hobbling of humanist sympathies, even in the U.S., is being undone by the blood of innocents.

Posted by: citizen | Jul 23 2006 20:12 utc | 2

Sure, its a plan for democracy in the middle east. Overthrow Saddam, and bring the Shiites to elected power. Iranian Shiites seeing the pure democratic joy of Iraqi Shiites, agitate to overthrow their own mullah centric government, generating regime change in both Iraq and Iran — and effortlessly backtracking to the good old days of Shah and (its) tacit alliance with Israel, and at the same time, applying the thumbscrews to the arab client states, nervous about creeping democracy. Presto, a reformed and democratic middle east.
Except, that only a culturally ignorant ideologue, straightjacketed to his own myopic vision, and mired in mountain of hubris would believe any of this possible, let alone, basing a foreign policy on it. And so the grand scheme has gone sour, duh? For a million different reasons, the least of which is that everyone in the middle east is reasonably suspicious of U.S. hegemonic interests, enough so that such push has predictably fueled a radicalization of nationalistic identity of those on the business end of the gun. The net effect of which is the rise of Shiite power for sure, but a more radicalized (and less democratized) Shiite power at that. All of which not coincidently, only re-shuffles the equation, by amplifying to greater heights, the original Iranian “threat”, permitting the blame for the abject failure in Iraq to be thrown onto Irans front porch.
Having received a bad hand in Iraq, the Bush administration is at this point betting the familey farm, and asking for more cards. And for them (the administration) there is a baited breath about this. As long as they’re still playing the game, they havent lost. And their critics are still the wives and children back home, fretting, worrying, and wondering whether daddy will come home broke or driving a new cadillac convertable.

Posted by: anna missed | Jul 23 2006 20:24 utc | 3

In the spirit of time warps and selective vision highlighted in the “Department of the Bleedin’ Obvious”, just penned by Billmon, I’m going to post a wild speculation. If the WAPO’s Tom Ricks can suddenly discover that the lessons of Vietnam are apposite to (misjudging) the Iraq resistance . . . it can’t it be many days from now that some equally brilliant MSM scribe will discover that NOONE should have been credulous enough to believe the chicken little drivel eminating from the WH and the neocons about WMD. (Think Tonkin Gulf for a convenient Vietnam analogy.)
Period.
You heard it here first, er, at least you heard it again; it obviously didn’t count when we were screaming about the emperor’s nakedness three years ago.

Posted by: DonS | Jul 23 2006 21:17 utc | 4

Wow. That quote is almost beautiful in its idiocy.
I think Billmon offers a false dichotomy here. We’re witnessing an Orwellian moment to keep the masses in line precisely because the Iraq War was a mistake.
In fact, gazing at it closer, it’s also an admission “we don’t really know what we’re doing.” This is the big difference between 1984’s propagandists and today’s. For all we knew in 1984, the party bosses had a grand plan and just deceived the people. The Bush pirates? they’ve got an idea that doesn’t work and that’s the extent of their strategy. Now they’re improvising, and we know they have no framework.

Posted by: Rowan | Jul 23 2006 21:56 utc | 5

This is another of those posts where billmon gets so lost in his cutesiness that he loses the forest for the trees.
That was a message sent to reassue the Saudis/rationalize NeoNuts Fantasies by claiming that by following them he’s really rectifying the disaster in Iraq that’s hugely magnified ShiaMale power in the region.
However, it’s all too little too late – they’re not falling for it.
The Saudis demanded a meeting w/Bush (& Rice) & told him to Arrange a Cease Fire Now
“We requested a cease-fire to allow for a cessation of hostilities,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said after an Oval Office meeting with Bush.
Saud said he gave the president a letter from Saudi King Abdullah asking that Bush help seek an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East conflict.
Saud, the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki al-Faisal, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, chief of the Saudi National Security Council, met with Bush for more than an hour Sunday.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also participated in the meeting before departing for Israel in the first U.S. diplomatic effort on the ground since Israel began bombing Lebanon on July 12.
…
Saud spoke to reporters outside the West Wing as he left the White House.
“There is only one problem in this crisis: It is Lebanon, and the inability of Lebanon to exercise its sovereignty over its territory,” Saud said. “Everybody who needs to help, who must help, should help.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament called the Americans “butchers”:
“We know there was a corrupt regime in Saddam, but a regime should be removed by surgery, not by butchering,” he said during a speech at a United Nations-sponsored conference on transitional justice. “The U.S. occupation is butcher’s work under the slogan of democracy and human rights and justice.”Iraqi Parliament Speaker Says Invasion and Aftermath Are the ‘Work of Butchers’
AND Bill Buckely, in an interview w/CBS, has virtually suggested Bush resign:
“If you had a European prime minister who experienced what we’ve experienced it would be expected that he would retire or resign,” Buckley says.
…
Despite evidence that Iran is supplying weapons and expertise to Hezbollah in the conflict with Israel, Buckley rejects neo-conservatives who favor a more interventionist foreign policy, including a pre-emptive air strike against Iran and its nuclear facilities.
“If we find there is a warhead there that is poised, the range of it is tested, then we have no alternative. But pending that, we have to ask ourselves, ‘What would the Iranian population do?'” Buckley: Bush Not A True Conservative

Posted by: jj | Jul 23 2006 21:56 utc | 6

Becareful jj, critique’s of billmon will get you condescension from some patrons here. Watch your back. Funny how that works, the same dogma, and blind following we fight here will get you evil looks by those whom love idolatry.
Of course I love Sacred Hamburger, but don’t tell no one , k?
On a more rational note, “What does a bill mean when I sign it into law? Why, whatever I choose for it to mean no more, no less.” This isn’t the way I learned this stuff on schoolhouse rock ; I’m unsurprised con-gress isn’t pleased (maybe) by signing statements , either. Even the Supreme Court isn’t all that happy (maybe). No wonder he’s only vetoed one bill in 6 years.

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jul 23 2006 22:34 utc | 7

Hey guys, Osama is a Sunni terrorist. It is true that on several occasions the late Mr. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi did call for the killing of Shia’s, any and all as a general principal, but as I recall he wasn’t our bud and I don’t recall Condi giving such calls a here here pip pip and all that. I guess she forgot.
It’s impossible to figure out who this is aimed at. It’s nothing new for them to float another new explaination for what’s been done, and calling it the original plan, but this takes the cake. It couldn’t possibly be aimed at the base because the base doesn’t give a rats ass about what kind of Muslim we kill or for that matter any damn foreigner. Kill em all is what I always hear. No, this thing was some slapped together tripe invented by a fourth level nobody on the spur of the moment and will never be heard again.

Posted by: rapier | Jul 23 2006 22:47 utc | 8

Er, back on topic..
Oh, people sheeple of such little faith…
Stop your worrying, put your faith in the Lord, fear not!
“God’s Army Has Plans to Run the Middle East” is an article that argues that Hezbollah is Iran’s “spearhead” towards controlling the entire region. The author? Amir Taheri . You might remember him as the guy who fabricated the story about Iran imposing “yellow star” regulations on religious minorities james wolcott connects the deceitful dots.
Also see: Minister for war
Hagee hopes to establish a Christian pro-Israel PAC, more powerful than AIPAC itself.

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jul 23 2006 23:09 utc | 9

The question is whether this astonishing statement is the product of bad writing, the slack-jawed stupidity
neither. it’s what i call ‘throw the spagetti”. there’s a plan alright, screw things up as much as possible, stay on schedule regardless of the devastation in iraq because that is the plan. if one presumes the iraq war is only at its initial phase, sucking attention away from palestine, planting our firm footstep in the ME positioned to take on iran and syria, it makes sense for israel to pull a landgrab in lebanon. this latest ‘quote’ is thrown out hoping something will stick, anything to lend credence any ‘plan’ that distracts attention away from the real plan of support for the military industrial complex(youtube recommend) via creative destruction.
whatever shrubs ‘master plan’ cheney allows him to fantasize on everytime i step back and look at the big picture a few things seem very obvious.
israel needs more land.
we need to control the oil
we need a pretext for controling the ME
we need a bigger enemy to have a bigger war
everything we do makes the situation worse. note the generosity in billmons snake eyes post (linked at the useless idiot thread) written 3 years ago “I think they really do want to transform the Middle East and promote “democracy” — at least as they understand it. “. this fits in nicely w/the idea of a shrub plan, a gamble that didn’t quite work out. seriously tho, at this time could anyone actually believe we care about ‘promoting democracy’ ? color me sceptical. i wonder about the assasination in lebanon , the expulsion of syria, the timing of those events, the master plan that will move forward while we hang on the sidelines commenting on ‘reality’ after the fact.
mr madsen writes the bombing was planned by cheney and israel last month. this doesn’t seem so far fetched when one considers the killing of the picnicing palestinians and the lamest of lame ‘we didn’t mean it, or sorry’ that seemed to initiate this lastest huge escalation. maybe alQ was loosing psyops impact . hezbolla wasn’t getting it’s just deserts. i think someone is concerned 08 is fast approaching. there must be total chaos and destruction by then so the future war is inevitable no matter who takes shrubs place. we must feed the beast no matter what, by the time 99% of the people know 99% of what they say is total BS it will be to late to turn back the clock. the only thing that will ‘save us’ is the nuclear option. already decided i’m sure. by then it won’t matter what sticks to the wall.

Posted by: annie | Jul 23 2006 23:28 utc | 10

Timing is everything…
““From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.” … – Andrew Card
hi annie.

Posted by: beq | Jul 23 2006 23:51 utc | 11

Re: Uncle $cams unmasking of the latest from the Frankenfather of the Iranian Badge Zombie….
Does this mean that we are not living in Oceania but rather in Benadoriborealis*?
On a related note…..who knew that Karl Rove was actually Bill Nye The Science Guy?
____
aka: “The Place Where All Heavenly Goodness And Light Revolves Around The Boring Stories Of Eleana’s Glory Days”
.

Posted by: RossK | Jul 24 2006 0:27 utc | 12

jj,
Yes, this was not one of Billmon’s better posts. I doubt I’ll hear Tony Snow telling us tomorrow that this is (or was) the master plan.
BTW, in another thread you mentioned Juan Cole’s post this morning; I also agree that Juan Cole’s is a must read. Juan always gives his own perspective, often not even bothering to quote so-called media or government “experts”, and essays as such are priceless in this day and age. With that said, I don’t think Cheney and Rummy have left Bush totally in the dark as Juan Cole implies. Bush can lie and decieve with the best of em.

Posted by: Rick Happ | Jul 24 2006 3:50 utc | 13

jj & uncle (post 6 & 7),
I think Billmon is a great writer and usually agree with the main point he so artfully makes. I would read his posts probably anyways because his writing flows so well and is so enjoyable to read.
I often disagree with (usually minor) issues within his posts and feel reluctant to criticize for the reasons Uncle mentions, though I doubt that has ever stopped me from posting. I am sure that it has others though. I remember in a post not too long ago that Billmon liberally called the Bush or Neocon philosophy as “conservative”. As I pointed out then, in no sense of the word, either political or classical, should the word “conservative” been used. Buckley’s comments on the CBS News interview that you linked to is signifcant, considering that Buckley is the intellectual “Godfather” and spokesperson defining this era’s political conservative philosphies. More to the point, The DrudgeReport today linked to this same article. Bush supporters love the comfort of the one-sided Drudge site, almost as much as they love Limbaugh. It is definitely a well read site and may have significance towards possibly arresting the Cheney/Neocon MidEast goals. Please don’t think I am a fan of Buckley, as he is MANY YEARS late in his criticism of Bush.

Posted by: Rick Happ | Jul 24 2006 5:11 utc | 14

I marvel at the shit these fucks do…
Still, neither Nixon nor Reagan changed the division’s procedures for hiring career staff
Also, see my post on the closing of two Civil Rights Commission Offices’s.

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jul 24 2006 5:23 utc | 15

grrr…sorry, damn shifting Internets…

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jul 24 2006 5:25 utc | 16

Thanks Rick (& Uncle).
Sure Buckley is late, but we can’t be fussy right now. I would also disagree only to the extent that I think Goldwater should be given some credit – Buckley may have been the Popular Intellectual, but Goldwater was the Operational Point Man. In an event, my point is that Buckley has given us a great gift. He took the gift that John Dean gave his/us w/his new book calling a fascist a fascist rather than a “conservative”, looked @Neut & the NeoNuts calling for WWIII over the charred corpse of Lebanon, and basically called for the resignation of Fredo the Decider & his Ventriloquist.
I’m working on a plan, I’ll post in the next day or 2, that hopefully everyone will want to participate in & send flying about…or maybe you’ll think it’s trivial…we’ll see….
Anyway, I suspect everyone was too busy today to notice this MOST IMPORTANT STORY courtesy of the Observer. We do have an OverLord & his name is Rupert Murdoch.
Suddenly, things look a good deal less amorphous…

Posted by: jj | Jul 24 2006 6:22 utc | 17

jj,
“We do have an OverLord & his name is Rupert Murdoch.
Yes…. but I found the Guardian article lacking in facts and implications. The Murdoch story is even bigger and more troubling.
Many here have heard my almost irrational raving on basic Internet philosophies and the worries I hold for the future regarding this medium. Murdoch plans to use this medium in ways that need to be examined closely.

Posted by: Rick Happ | Jul 24 2006 14:03 utc | 18

“Yes…. but I found the Guardian article lacking in facts and implications. The Murdoch story is even bigger and more troubling”
Sorry Rick I just don’t see it that way. I don’t want to do you the discourtesy of just disagreeing without supporting my contradiction with evidence but since time won’t permit a complete refutation this morning here are a couple of reasons why this article which is basically just about the brit political process and the Bliar’s succession needs to be paid heed.
Firstly no-one knows the inner workings of the Labour Party machine as well as the Guardian which has been the quasi-official organ of the Labour for most of the 20th century and all of the 21st so far.
Journalists, op-ed staff at the Grauniad swap constantly to jobs as ‘political consultants, speech writers, ministerial advisors and even constituency (district) gigs.
The Bliar went a lot further down-market and grabbed the editor of the long term Labour tabloid Daily Mirror Alistair Campbell for his spin-meister since he was after ersatz left speak not the real thing and unlike the Grauniad, the Mirror openly adopts Labour as marketing strategy not a belief system.
That said of course the author of the article has spoken to dis-affected Labour Party workers eager to purge the Blairites from the party.
If this article was a major story set to create a scandal then it should be regarded as possibly full of inaccuracies, but it’s not designed to ruffle any feathers outside those of the Blair-ites who are searching for a way of getting rid of Tony while endorsing Gordon.
The Bliar is dog tucker everyone knows it but the Blair ite operators have a major problem. They can’t argue against his policies because they support them and want Brown to continue them. They can’t attack the Bliar because that would be an admission of their poor judgement.
More importantly at the Bliar still has enough in his armory to take any shallow careerists who turn on him.
So those looking for a change in the Labour Party have fired a warning shot telling the Blair-ites or New Labourists as they prefer to be known that if they continue their high handed ways the Rupert card will be played. To do that effectively every allegation must have a basis in fact as well as the ability to create fear in the hearts of Bliar-ites should the complete truth ever surface.
It is precisely because of articles such as this Grauniad is a compulsory read in these dubitable times.

Posted by: Debs is dead | Jul 24 2006 21:07 utc | 19

@Debs is dead post #19,
Good response, and as I am not at all familiar with Blair/Labour Party politics, I appreciate your response. I did read the article (rather quickly, perhaps too quickly), and I did not not fully comprehend the author’s implications. However when I said the article was “lacking in facts and implications”, I did not mean that the facts presented were wrong, just that more facts could have been brought to the table for a better understanding regarding Murdock.
This might be especially true for American readers, specifically Fox News watchers! And all in all, Hinsliff does seem to go very easy with criticism of Murdock. The article does not mention how I suspect Murdock’s standard modus operandi works: 1.) Initially Murdock took worthwhile (although financially failing) newsstand media and revived them thru popular sleaze. 2.) Murdock tells people what they want to hear and will side with the most popular or most powerful (depending on the media market) political party whether it is Labour, Conservative, Republican, Democrat or whatever (again, depending on what country’s population Murdock is marketing or wishes to influence). 3.) In the end and most significant, Murdock slowly slips in his spin along with the news/media/advertising. Moreover, although not his purpose, Hinsliff does not emphasize the total failing of the fourth estate regarding global media conglomerates, especially in these cozy relationships with political leaders/parties. To quote a quote from the article: “What’s really interesting is that Rupert doesn’t have any respect for politicians who kowtow to his newspapers,’ the executive said.” Huh? Fox News here in the U.S. sure respects the kowtow politicians on their live interviews. As I continue to read Billmon and Moon of Alabama, a common theme among all the posters is the failing of our media. However, you and I agree, The Guardian is one paper that does not fit in that caegory.
I admit my short answer to jj was probably not a good post on my part to begin with. I suspect most Moon of Alabama readers are more familiar with Murdock than I am, although perhaps some others (including myself) could use a little more background on Murdock than what the article in discussion presents. I personally would like to learn more about this Murdock character (Hint/Request to jj’s original post).

Posted by: Rick Happ | Jul 25 2006 4:04 utc | 20

lets play Juxoposition
The Devil Wears Persian

Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jul 25 2006 12:02 utc | 21

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