Moscow on the Potomac

[Guest guest]

January 8, 2006

 

The 'fin de regime'?

An out-of-touch George Bush now presides over a lost foreign war and a

morass of influence peddling

By Eric Margolis

 

 

WASHINGTON -- China's Taoists philosophers warned that you become what

you hate. We see this paradox in Washington, where the current

administration increasingly reminds one of the old Soviet Union.

 

The U.S.S.R. went bankrupt after spending 40% of national income on the

military. President George Bush's administration will spend a staggering

$419.3 billion US on the military this fiscal year. An additional $130

billion US has been budgeted in 2006 for the occupation of Iraq and

Afghanistan.

 

That's $10.8 billion a month -- 40% above previous estimates -- and

somewhat more than the monthly cost of the Vietnam War at its height.

Add to this huge sum an estimated $1.5 billion in monthly secret

expenditures in Iraq and Afghanistan by CIA and Pentagon intelligence.

 

Astoundingly, U.S. military spending in 2006 will equal the rest of the

world's total combined military expenditures. I just saw an ad for the

new, $115-million F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, trumpeting how its radar

can " intercept communications of insurgents. " Using a $115-million

aircraft to listen to cellphone calls by a bunch of jihadis in

Waziristan staggers the imagination.

 

Meanwhile, Moscow on the Potomac is in an uproar over government spying

on citizens, torture, and what appears to be the mother of all

influence-peddling scandals. Revelations that the super-secret National

Security Agency and FBI have been monitoring domestic as well as

international telecommunications have roused even the deadheads in

Congress and the lapdog media. FBI agents are reportely spying on such

nefarious " terrorists " as vegetarians and animal rights activists.

 

Bush (shades of Leonid Brezhnev) claims the right to override any laws

because the U.S. is at war. " Terrorists " ( " enemies of the state " in

Soviet talk) threaten the U.S., so anything goes. What next --

cancelling next fall's elections because of the threat of the phantom

al-Qaida?

 

Meanwhile, a scandal bursts right out of the last days of the corrupt

Soviet Union. A sinister Republican apparatchik named Jack Abramoff has

admitted dishing out $4.4 million in bribes to senators, congressmen and

political aides. Bigwigs like Bush, House Speaker Dennis Hastert,

Republican grand poobah Tom DeLay, Bible-thumping crusader Ralph Reed,

Hillary Clinton and a bevy of venal legislators have been implicated in

this culture of corruption.

 

Abramoff got over $30 million from various Indian tribes promoting their

casino businesses. He and cronies scalped their Indian clients,

pocketing $11 million in kickbacks. Where, one wonders with awe, did

those persecuted native Americans find so much cash?

 

Republicans (and also some Democrats) are scared silly by the scandal.

Many legislators may be headed for the big house.

 

All parties that stay in power too long become deeply corrupt. Wise

voters need to kick out incumbents regularly. Longevity in office

ensures bad government. The Republicans, buoyed by faked-up war fever,

became deeply corrupted more quickly than usual.

 

The Achilles heel

 

Money is the Achilles heel of democracy. In America, winning and keeping

office demands spending huge sums on TV advertising. The Washington

lobbyists and bagmen who produce millions to fund politicians have

become more powerful than elected legislators. This is how parasites

like Abramoff flourish.

 

A smell of " fin du regime " hangs over Washington, just as it did over

the last days of decaying Soviet oligarchy. An out-of-touch leader

presides over a lost foreign war and a morass of influence peddling and

bribery, as the secret police struggle to keep a lid on growing dissent.

 

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