Once Upon a Time in America

"Uncle Sam" has got a security agreement with Baghdad, which will allow American troops to leave by 2011(1) and with the price in terms of human resources, public opinion and money, too high, 'Captain Change' can look good on his promise to get the troops out of Iraq. Of course, with the "big four", Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP, all back in Iraq,(2) why would they have to stay? No doubt, there will be the occasional bomb in downtown Bagdhad but the oil installations will be getting the maximum protection. No get the boys out after all they will be needed in Afghanistan and Iraq, for, as 'Captain Change' was saying back in July, ""I think one of the biggest mistakes we've made strategically after 9/11 was to fail to finish the job here (Afghanistan), focus our attention here. We got distracted by Iraq." Oh right, Iraq was only a distraction, a distraction that costs thousands of American lives and, at least, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives and will Bush and the "Crazy Gang" be held to account.? Not at all; the "big four" are back, Iraq, at least in the vicinity of the oil installations, is relatively stable and now it's time to move on with Obama calling for an increase in troop levels in Afghanistan.(3) Yes now it is the Hindukush is where the war on terror is to be won, but let's not remind 'Captain Change' that it wars in that part of the world are never won and that Afghani terrorists blowing themselves up outside Afghanistan itself, is about as likely as me winning a million pounds on the lottery and I don't even play the lottery. Bin Laden is only in Afghanistan, if he is indeed, there, because the Americans brought him in to help fight the soviets and he, like half of the world's "terrorists", comes from Saudi and what are the chances of the 7th Cavalry parading down Riyadh High Street?
Nevertheless, 'Captain Change' will work wonders for the Palestinians. Do I mean, he is going to tell Israel to stop its occupation, its humiliating, bullying, killing Palestinians, its stealing land etc? No, well not exactly! However, he does want a "fair" peace with an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, no right of return for the refugees and Israel's identity as a Jewish state protected, etc etc and it will all be backed up with $30 billion dollars of aid over the next ten years.(4) Well 'Captain' here are a few suggestions of my own that will facilitate you showing the world and, indeed, the American people that you are serious about change; firstly, indict George Bush and the "crazies" for pursuing a war of agression, get out of not only Iraq, but also Afghanistan and, despite the fucking mess that has been left in both places, they will have less problems once you have gone and take the $30 billion dollars tax payers money that you are going to give to that racist regime that breaks international law on a daily basis and invest it instead in the health system in the United States, which I believe you are wanting to improve! You'll need the money but then you won't, will you? After all, the most superficial of glances at the foreign policy initiatives until now do, indeed, suggest that it is, really all hype rather than hope. The fairy tale continues!
1 http://baghdadbureau.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/security-agreement-deja-vu/?hp
2 http://thediplomatabroad.blogspot.com/2008/06/return-of-big-four.html
3 http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/20/obama.afghanistan/
4 http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9969.shtml