-doug brooks
(IPOA)

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Players, Not Cheerleaders
By Naomi Klein and Jeremy Scahill - March 26th, 2008
“So?”

So said Dick Cheney when asked last week about public opinion being overwhelming against the war in Iraq. “You can’t be blown off course by polls.”

His attitude about the the fact that the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq has reached 4,000 displayed similar levels of sympathy. They “voluntarily put on the uniform,” the Vice-President told ABC news. This brick wall of indifference helps explain the paradox in which we in the anti-war camp find ourselves five years into the occupation of Iraq: anti-war sentiment is as strong as ever, but our movement seems to be dwindling.

Sixty-four per cent of Americans tell pollsters they oppose the war, but you’d never know it from the thin turnout at recent anniversary rallies and vigils.

When asked why they aren’t expressing their anti-war opinions through the anti-war movement, many say they have simply lost faith in the power of protest. They marched against the war before it began, marched on the first, second and third anniversaries. And yet five years on, U.S. leaders are still shrugging: “So?”

There is no question that the Bush administration has proven impervious to public pressure. That’s why it’s time for the anti-war movement to change tactics. We should direct our energy where it can still have an impact: the leading Democratic contenders.

Many argue otherwise. They say that if we want to end the war, we should simply pick a candidate who is not John McCain and help them win: We’ll sort out the details after the Republicans are evicted from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Some of the most prominent anti-war voices–from MoveOn.org to the magazine we write for, The Nation–have gone this route, throwing their weight behind the Obama campaign.

This is a serious strategic mistake. It is during a hotly contested campaign that anti-war forces have the power to actually sway U. S. policy. As soon as we pick sides, we relegate ourselves to mere cheerleaders.

And when it comes to Iraq, there is little to cheer. Look past the rhetoric and it becomes clear that neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton has a real plan to end the occupation. They could, however, be forced to change their positions — thanks to the unique dynamics of the prolonged primary battle.

Despite the calls for Clinton to withdraw in the name of “unity,” it is the very fact that Clinton and Obama are still fighting it out, fiercely vying for votes, that presents the anti-war movement with its best pressure point. And our pressure is badly needed.

For the first time in 14 years, weapons manufacturers are donating more to Democrats than to Republicans. The Dems have received 52 percent of the defense industry’s political donations in this election cycle – up from a low of 32 per cent in 1996. That money is about shaping foreign policy, and so far, it appears to be well spent.

While Clinton and Obama denounce the war with great passion, they both have detailed plans to continue it. Both say they intend to maintain the massive Green Zone, including the monstrous U.S. embassy, and to retain U.S. control of the Baghdad Airport.

They will have a “strike force” to engage in counterterrorism, as well as trainers for the Iraqi military. Beyond these U.S. forces, the army of Green Zone diplomats will require heavily armed security details, which are currently provided by Blackwater and other private security companies. At present there are as many private contractors supporting the occupation as there are soldiers so these plans could mean tens of thousands of U. S. personnel entrenched for the future.

In sharp contrast to this downsized occupation is the unequivocal message coming from hundreds of soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraq Veterans Against the War, who held the historic “Winter Soldier” hearings in Silver Spring, Md. earlier this month, are not supporting any candidate or party. Instead they are calling for immediate, unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. soldiers and contractors. Coming from peace activists, the “out now” position has been dismissed as naive. It is distinctly harder to ignore coming from hundreds who have served–and continue to serve–on the frontlines.

The candidates know that much of the passion fueling their campaigns flows from the desire among so many rank-and-file Democrats to end this disastrous war. It is this desire for change that has filled stadiums and campaign coffers.

Crucially, the candidates have already shown that they are vulnerable to pressure from the peace camp: When The Nation revealed that neither candidate was supporting legislation that would ban the use of Blackwater and other private security companies in Iraq, Clinton abruptly changed course. She became the most important U. S. political leader to endorse the ban, scoring a point on Obama, who opposed the invasion from the start.

This is exactly where we want the candidates: outdoing each other to prove how serious they are about ending the war. That kind of issue-based battle has the power to energize voters and break the cynicism that is threatening both campaigns.

Let’s remember: unlike the outgoing Bush Administration, these candidates need the support of the two-thirds of Americans who oppose the war in Iraq. If opinion transforms into action, they won’t be able to afford to say, “So?”

If around today General Washington would be an analyst explaining how the colonists must break the yoke of the British Empire (and build their own, winky wink.).

Thankfully MSM like NYT, WaPo, CNN, Fox — give the “alternative” media the themes to write about a.k.a. toss the dissidents a bone to chew on.

I mean, my god where would we be if guys like Franklin hadn’t exposed the savage French and Indians, or Woodward and Bernstein hadn’t uncovered Watergate, or Ellsberg the Pentagon Papers, or Hersh Mi Lie or Abu Ghraib. Without mainstream truthsayers - we would all be duped and yoked to empire (winky wink).

It’s all relative. Tell,me, Grif. Where do you draw the line between anger and being mean-spirited? Or have you ever read, or participated in, a thread at Black Agenda Report? Why not visit:

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=596&Itemid=1

Take a trip to anger, pal. Read Glen Ford and post your advice about who “real media reform starts” with there. Then “support” alternative black media.

Or find out the names of the reporter(s) at the NYT which Don omitted in his excellent report, above. Names which journalistic ethics, or whatever, prevented him from including in the report. And post them at Glen’s site. Better yet. See if you might be able to write — or make radio broadcasts - for Glen.

There’s quite a bit of mean-spirited abroad old bud.

IN THE NEWS World
As of 5:20 a.m. PDT • Petraeus promotion to CENTCOM keeps U.S. on its war course
• Abbas to appeal for more U.S. help in Mideast peace process
• Democrats may add unemployment benefits to war funding bill
• Ford swings to $100 million profit on strong foreign earnings
• New York police begin toting submachine guns on subways
• Radio telescopes capture first images of black hole mid-belch
• 4-carat gem fished out of toilet - Good Morning Yahoo!
• NBA • NHL • MLB • NFL • NASCAR • Soccer • Golf • UFC

At least SOMEone is trying to change “All the News That Fits” to “Woodward and Bernstein Are Alive”.