No War, or else...

Will Obama now turn Right on Iraq? You know 4 right turns takes you in circle, 8 right turns takes you in 2 circles. If you keep turning right you don't actually go anywhere... (Although, in truth, I don't know if shifting your position from unintelligibly  vague to even more unintelligibly vague constitutes a right turn).

Robert Fanita argues that we should probably prepare ourselves for yet another right turn. Tom Hayden lays out some minimum demands for the peace movement to bring to Obama. My question is, minimum demands, or what?? Or we'll "throw our vote away" and vote for Nader? Obama knows we're boxed, we've got nowhere to go. We have no recourse. We are totally powerless, and entirely dependent on his largess. If he decides to throw us a bone, we'll say thank you and take it. If decides to let us starve, we'll argue, "at least he's better than McCain." This is democracy in the "land of the free and the home of the brave." If we could just figure out how to export that to Iraq and Afghanistan we might live a better world.  

in any case, it looks as though Obama's on his way to Iraq to ask the Generals what he should do once he is president. Let me guess they will say that war is going beuatifully. We've turned the corner, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, all we need is more troops and more time... 

I think going to Iraq is a brilliant idea, but not to ask the generals anything. He should be TELLING  them to pack their bags because they are coming home. Not in 16(ish) months, and not depending on "what the conditions on the ground are."  But immediately because 1) American forces have no right to be there, and 2) we cannot afford this bullshit war. While he is there he should be meeting with regional leaders to discuss how US war reparations and humanitarian assistance to those displaced by the American initiative are to be coordinated. No permanent bases, no residual "anti-terrorism" forces, no Blackwater security contractors to defend ExxonMobil's newly acquired holdings.  But Obama doesn't really care what I think. Perhaps if I was 80, lived in Virginia, went to Church every sunday, and wore an American flag pin on my lapel, he 'd show some interest in my one meaningless vote. But given that I am 30, live in California (a state that is not being contested), have never been to any Church, and have never worn a lapel, let alone a flag pin, I don't count.