Liberals and the warfare state

What US President said ” “An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.”

W? Bush the first? No. Need a hint? Okay, this President also backed dictatorial regimes in El Salvador, Indonesia, and Iran. Reagan? Nope, the quote above comes from Jimmy Carter’s 1980 State of the Union address.

Robert Jensen reminds us of this and other instances of Democratic support for the warfare state, including Democratic support for Clinton’s bombing of Iraq. I clearly remember Democrats questioning the patriotism of Republicans who wanted to impeach Clinton while he was “defending America” by bombing Iraq.

This piece is much-reading for anyone who believes the that Democrats’ opposition to Iraq represents anything more than partisan opposition to Republican wars. Just like all-to-many conservative Republicans are only reliable opponents of the welfare state when Democrats control the White House, to many liberal Democrats are only reliable opponents of the warfare state when a Republican resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Also worth reading is Jeffery St. Clair on how Bill Clinton paved the way for Bush. St. Clair points out that when it comes to war, civil liberties, and using state power to favor powerful corporate interests, there is not even a dime’s worth of difference between Clintonian neoliberalism and Bushian neoconservatism.

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9:13 pm on February 26, 2007