'Oh, America … Oh, Empire of Contradictions'

It is stupid to underestimate the capacity of the United States or to take lightly what its officials, big or small, say. And it would be politically shortsighted for someone to make this superpower his enemy instead of doing his best to try to bring it to his side, or at least keep it neutral. But America is not God! And its will is not a written destiny! Treating America like a God is foolishness. Last Thursday Condoleeza Rice said that the United States might accept [Israeli Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert’s one sided plan to impose final borders for the State of Israel (meaning that Israel will officially annex Palestinian land that it has been chipping away at and building its colonies on). Speaking the language of hawks, this statement is nothing but psychological warfare. At the same time, it is clear that the Bush Administration is having its nose pressed into the [Iraqi] mud. It is a problem that makes the Vietnam problem look easy.

Yes, it is evident that the United States is profusely gushing in two ways: in blood and in money. Every day and every night, the situation gets worse, and its impact on American life, the Congress, the newspapers and the media is expanding in such a way, that the President’s popularity has suffered.

This President and his war council tried, in the beginning, to build up their popularity by creating an exciting spirit of war that Bush himself described as a “crusade,” which gathers strength by showing off its power and by fanning the hatred of “the other.”

The traders of oil and war in the Bush Administration, especially Vice President Cheney and War Secretary Rumsfeld, did their best to stop the [American] bleeding by causing Iraqi blood to flow and provoking an Iraqi civil war to replace the resistance war against the occupation. They also tried to stop the bleeding of cash, by making up for the cost of war by restarting the sale of Iraqi oil, which was considered a valuable bounty of war and a monopoly for the victor. But they failed to prevent Iraqi resistance attacks against its long pipe lines.

The Bush Administration continues to execute its plans, mostly through the commission of war crimes. They are counting on breaking the back of the resistance and have convinced themselves that they can win final victory in the battle of nerves.

President Bush continues to make televised speeches to simple women influenced by appearances, and loads of veterans longing to shake the President’s hand on television and to feel important. It’s obvious through simple observation that the President no longer smiles when speaking: With his know-it-all looks and his simple, folksy manners, he belts out boring explanations about Iraq and terrorism and about the necessity of killing bin Laden and capturing al-Zarqawi.

International powers that are both friendly and unfriendly toward the United States know that the giant bull is bleeding to death, and it isn’t shouting to claim victory but because it is loosing its strength.

If Europe was standing in line behind America to have its own share of Iraqi oil, then it is in for a long wait. Despite the increase in oil production in that Arab country, an increase in oil prices now threatens every Western economy, and is changing Europe’s way of life.

There is no doubt that China and Russia were appalled by America’s intrusion into their backyard in the heart of Asia, and by the U.S.-India nuclear agreement. In response, Beijing and Moscow have met to come up with a reply to the intrusion, and to discuss a closing of ranks against any American attempt of revive the old Baghdad Pact, or even enlarge it to a level unmatched during the Cold War, which was incorrectly thought to have ended.

While America relies on a showing off of strength, it is in fact whining from the loss of blood and money. It takes refuge in the economic principle which says that a deficit in the balance of payments or the budget does not necessarily represent a weakness of the economy. Israel does the same, suffers as it does under these same twin weights [loss of blood and money], in addition to the burden of a shaky domestic political situation, due to the disappearance of [Ariel] Sharon and the competition and greediness of Israel’s political parties to secure their post-election positions.

Ehud Olmert says that by the will of Israel alone, he will draw the final borders of Israel. Shimon Peres [Labor Party leader] says, in an offensive way to Arabs and Muslims, that Israelis will convince the Arab world of Israel’s unilaterally-imposed borders! In other words, Arab approval of what the Israelis are saying is already arranged!

No! The United is discovering that its plan to transform the Middle and Far East is anything but a fait accompli. The war in the Afghan theatre continues, and the daring attacks of the Iraqi resistance go on. The flowing blood and the flying coffins remain black clouds on the horizon of American life and conscience.

Other areas that the U.S. thought it had complete dominated are in fact a million miles from being stable. All this, despite the enormous American superiority in terms of war-fighting and espionage technology.

[Iranian President] Ahmadinajad was not just a hot-headed young man when he stood against the U.S. administration, taking a stand to preserve Iran’s right to acquire nuclear technologies. Rather, he simply came to the conclusion that power has its limits, and that America is not capable of opening a new front in the heart of Iran while at the same time fighting in Iraq.

Even Washington now realizes that the idiotic people that the CIA recruited over recent years were of no help at all in altering the region’s balance of power, and that the only way for American Army escape the Iraqi swamp within which the Bush-Rumsfeld Administration finds itself is an agreement with Iran, which has influence with the Iraqi Shiites and their leadership. It’s no mystery why America bleeds, neither to Americans themselves nor to anyone else, and Washington’s show of throwing its weight around is not going to change the truth nor bring back its lost prestige.

After all of its boasting and talk of superiority, the near-destruction of Gaza, its continuing assassinations and even its victory over the guards at the Jericho prison [RealVideo], Israel’s luck will be no better than that of its American master’s. Israel will be no more able to sustain the loss of blood and treasure than its powerful servant is!