We'd all better think about what Cheney's Long War means

Anti-Communist German poster, 1918: Bolschewismus bringt Krieg, Arbeitslosigkeit und Hungersnot (Bolschevism brings war, unemployment and starvation)

It won't surprise me if we start seeing posters and advertisements of this type, only with Terrorism now substituted for Bolschevism. Because that's basically the program of the Bush Doctrine, to define The Terrorists as an implacable enemy requiring a Long War, a permanent national-security State and - of course! - humongous military budgets and weapons contracts.

(Speaking of "Long War", David Neiwert's recent speculation about the virility issues of old men who dream up wars is worth a look, Leering old men Orcinus blog 07/28/07.)

Here's white supremacist sympathizer Trent Lott, acting likely any old John Birch Society kook, Lott: Get Out of D.C. While You Still Can by Spencer Ackerman TPM Muckraker 08/02/07:

It turns out the Capitol Police have bolstered security around the U.S. Capitol after a recent al-Qaeda communique threatened an attack on Washington. Lott, according to Roll Call (sub.req.), responded with characteristic gravitas. In light of the heightened threat, Congress can either amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA] or all of us can run screaming into the inferno.

Here in the real world, Congress has been suggesting updates in FISA for years. The administration opposed updating it, because Cheney preferred to do everything illegally. Now, all of a sudden, they're in a big rush to get it amended right away.

The administration's proposal would give our esteemed and trusted Attorney General, Abu Gonzales, vast discretion in deciding on wiretaps in place of the super-secret FISA court. Rush, rush, rush, or The Terrorists will git us!!

Ole Trent says that without that FISA change giving more authority to our man Abu, "the disaster could be on our doorstep." (And, Lord knows, the administration post-disaster response capabilities aren't quite the best.)

Ackerman contiunes:

Further demonstrating his counterterrorism sagacity, when asked if people should leave Washington, D.C., during the month of August, Lott replied that "I think it would be good to leave town in August, and it would probably be good to stay out until September the 12th." By contrast, a former Capitol Hill chief had the temerity to note that, according to U.S. intelligence analysis he'd been privvy to, "Americans tend to be much more oriented toward anniversaries and the jihadists seem to be less so. I've seen over the years where we concentrate on dates and the analysts say, 'Don’t get wrapped up in dates because our terrorist jihadist enemies bide their time.'"

The authoritarian Republican Party is committed to ruling by fear. Until the voters stop it by making clear that unless the Reps change, they're going to rapidly dwindle to little more than a Southern white people's party, they are unlikely to change anytime in the foreseeable future.

William Polk reminds us of part of what the Long War that this fear is supposed to justify will mean - already means - for the United States, in a guest appearance at Juan Cole's Informed Comment blog, Polk on Insurgency & American History 08/02/07:

What about “the war on terror” beyond Iraq? Little public attention is paid to Afghanistan or – so far – to Somalia and the Philippines. Another campaign is in the advanced positioning stage against Iran. Others are being discussed for various parts of Africa and at least one for Latin America. The men who designed the current Bush administration foreign policy, the neoconservatives, have called the combination of these campaigns “the long war” and have predicted – indeed proposed – that they will last half a century. Going down this path will result in thousands of American dead and tens of thousands crippled, will severely strain American democratic institutions at home and further erode America’s reputation abroad. The monetary costs have been estimated at 15 trillion dollars.

Is this just a nightmare? In the spring of 2006, before he left office, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld approved three plans to fight the “long war” beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. One, the “Special Operations Command (SOC),” is now composed of 53,000 men and operates on a budget in 2007 of $8 billion. It has already dispatched teams of Special Forces to some 20 American embassies in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. These teams operate separately from the embassies and are not subject to control by the senior civilian American representatives, the ambassadors, as they engage in covert warfare not only against groups regarded as terrorist but even against states. Although these SOC teams could bring America into war with any number of countries, they are treated by the Bush administration as not subject to Congressional oversight or decision.

Tags: global war on terror, iraq war, trent lott, war on terror, william polk