I have always been enormously cynical about Barack Obama. In the UK, it is fair to say, we get less involved with ‘emotion politics’ than in the USA. In the UK, I think most of us are more discerning about political hype. We prefer to indulge more in British quietism. At election time, I always thought those who ‘weeped’ at the thought or sight of Obama, the new Holy incarnation Yes-We-Can man, really should just grow up.
What ‘change’?
Obama ran his campaign on ‘change’. The main-stream media have said that Obama has started making ‘radical’ changes to the country; it’s not true. I never believed there would be change. His advisors and close political allies are too similar to those of previous administrations’ for him to affect ‘radical change’, even if he wanted to.
- Obama’s National Security advisor, James Jones said “I take my daily orders from Dr. Kissinger”. Henry Kissinger is the man who was largely responsible for the bombing to death of 600,000 civilians in Cambodia between 1969 and 1973, and he is wanted for questioning in France, Chile, and Argentina. (Hitchens)
- The United States, of course, has a Defence Secretary - which ironically would be better titled War Secretary, for the USA has been on the offensive, rather than the defensive for so many decades. Obama’s Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, served in the same position under George W. Bush, the former Republican President - the administration which of course supported torture, extraordinary rendition, illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the general degradation of international law.
- Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel is an “Irsael-first” Zionist who served in the Israeli army and opposes meaningful justice for the Palestinians - an injustice that is at the root of many Muslim people’s loathing of the USA and a catalyst that spawns jihadism - (jihadism: the most obvious recipient of the US’ offensive). (Pilger) The israeli army is opposed on every level to justice for the Palestinians. Recently it was confirmed that Israeli army troops were wearing T-shirts which:
1. “show[ed] a child in the cross-hairs of a rifle with the slogan: ‘The smaller they are, the harder it is.’”
2. “portray[ed] a pregnant woman in the cross-hairs and the words: ‘1 Shot 2 Kills.’”
3. “depict[ed] a soldier blowing up a mosque and Palestinian women weeping over a gravestone.”
(Metro, 23rd March 2009)
This is the army that Emanuel served under.
Political inertia
Witnessing political inertia in the USA, it has always seems unlikely that Barack Obama can affect the ‘radical’, ‘real’ change that the media talk of. The US political system allows war criminals like George W. Bush to be harboured, and accept those like Tony Blair into its heart - only recently did Tony Blair share a “prayer breakfast” with President Obama (Pilger).
The system is incapable of moving to a place where proper justice can realised, justice executed upon the most important figures like George W. Bush. I think real change will come. Eventually. It won’t happen just because a new President’s elected, however, for that is not enough of a ‘re-evolution’ - especially if the same figures (e.g. those I listed above) are still at the heart of the system.
Moreover, politicians know what to say, they know how to lie. We know Barack Obama has the most advanced and experienced transition team and is a master orator. All successful politicians, Obama especially, know ‘what to say’ to ‘lure’ individuals in to an argument or ideology (to gain consensus and support). The new article from MediaLens.org focuses on this subject of luring in, and talks about this “art of political seduction - Clinton, Blair and Obama know all about these ‘lures’.”.
Political lying
“Play up your divine qualities; affect an air of discontent with worldly things; speak of the stars, destiny, the hidden threads that unite you and the object of the seduction. Lost in a spiritual mist, the target will feel light and uninhibited.”
(MediaLens, 9th April 2009)
Obama was portrayed as “divine” by the media (or at least they played along with the intentions of Obama’s campaign agents). That’s why I earlier called him a ‘new Holy incarnation’, for he quite literally did “play up … divine qualities”.
A few days ago, I was watching Obama in Turkey where he engaged in a half-hour Q&A session with students, under the watch of the press, watching on the almighty ‘as-soon-as-we-get-any-updates-we’ll-let-you-know’ BBC News 24. For a while I was captivated by his ability to perform oratorically, to lure and seduce his audience (both on screen and in the room). For a moment there, I was lured in myself.
I had to do a reality check, ‘has there actually been real change?’. Well for starters, some of Obama’s first executive orders that (supposedly) close down the US’ secret prisons worldwide, also give the CIA authority to carry out renditions, abductions and transfers of prisoners in secret without the threat of legal obstruction. As the Los Angeles Times explains, “current and former intelligence officials said the rendition program might be poised to play an expanded role.”! (LA Times)
The Politics of Bullshit
During the campaign time, Obama spoke many times of Clinton’s lies about her own political record. Yet has more recently “name[d] ‘my dear friend’, Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State”! (DailyMail) At least at one point in time then he was a liar (assuming he wasn’t at some point born again into a new understanding of Clinton).
I am left at the conclusion that Barack Obama is an almighty, great lurer (even, liar) who has set a new precedent at manufacturing the “politics of bullshit”, as John Pilger calls it.
Truth is what is required to affect change in the US, truth is re-evolutionary. Obama, is not as truth-telling as he needs to be if he is to bring real change:
“In the time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act”
George Orwell
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