Weeks of failed efforts to sell the Syrian War to the American public seemingly still aren’t over, as President Obama used the occasion of his speech to the UN General Assembly to demand a UN resolution authorizing military action against Syria if the chemical disarmament process stalls.
While giving lip-service to the idea of diplomacy, President Obama made it clear repeatedly during the speech that his view of American “exceptionalism” centers entirely around its willingness to fight unwise wars.
“I believe America is exceptional, in part because we have shown a willingness, through the sacrifice of blood and treasure, to stand up not only for our own narrow self-interest, but for the interests of all,” Obama insisted. This of course segued back into calls for authorization to attack Syria.
Though the reference to America as “exceptional” was seen by many as an attempted slight to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the narrative seemed primarily directed at the American public, and selling the idea that true national greatness is measured by its willingness to start wars that are plainly contrary to their interest. Americans are convinced that the Syrian war isn’t in their interest, but turning that into another reason to support the war seems a stretch, to say the least.
For more on Obama’s speech: The Handshake That Never Happened
The main stream corporate press continues to print only the assertions of Obama about the use of sarin gas by Syria. Once again no evidence that supports Obama claims is provided. Meanwhile none of the mounting evidence that proves rebels use of sarin at Ghouta is allowed except in the comment section. As Justin Raimondo speculated a few days ago it appears round 2 of the quest for war against Syria is about to begin anew.
Fighting wars in the interests of all. As long as we get to decide that its in their interest. And as long as what's in their interest matches what our leaders think is in our interest, which means that the bankers think its in their interest. And if you don't believe that its in your interest to have the US come fight a war for your interest, then we'll probably decide that its in your interest to come bomb you to make sure you know that its in your interest to believe whatever we tell you is in your interest.
"We"? What's this "we" nonsense? Got a mouse in your pocket or what?
Amerika is 'exceptionally insane' and Amerika is 'exceptionally' broke and Amerika is 'exceptionally' unhinged and Amerika's presidents are 'exceptionally' murderous and I'd bet the UN General Assembly was 'exceptionally' impressed by Obama.
American presidents, once upon a time, said things like, "America, she does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy". That was John Quincy Adams, who understood what it meant to be president of a Republic. The whole text is worth reading:
America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has invariably, though often fruitlessly, held forth to them the hand of honest friendship, of equal freedom, of generous reciprocity. She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, of equal justice, and of equal rights. She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting and maintaining her own. She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart. She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right. Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force…. She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit….
Thanks for the wonderful J.Q. Adams quote. I might use parts of it in my speeches on the campaign trail next year. Or in a debate, assuming the Republican ever agrees to attend one. http://www.geoffyoung.info
USA is no longer produces what the world need to buy from, what USA needs is imported which makes the USA a giant market for rest of the world production, especially Europeans and China. The only thing that is left and heavily produced by USA is war machinery which part of it is aerospace industry and even part of that is based on USG contract for military.
US sees itself as THE democracy in the world and THE protector of THE markets dealing with US and vis versa, which is one of many reasons for US being at war with rest of the world and even occupying industrialized nation as Europe and Japan.
The world that USG is at war with, is A world that don't want to be occupied nor being USG puppet or lap dog regime. USG don't wants to see union among nations nor countries nor USG is willing to negotiate but closing its market to them harming everyone. USG needs these little or larger countries as Iran, Iraq and Syria for its militarism and strategical use presented by Paul Wolfowitz, one of the war machinery ideologue in pentagon and the real architect of all these wars that people are witnessing.
USG is beginning to realize that is not as popular as before, they also began realizing the fact that they are losing their wars to others rather then gaining a new market or country for themselves, as Libya to Islamist hard liner or non wining Syria war and etc. Therefore, the best the system could come up with was Barack Hussein Obama, a manipulative politicians with no idea whatsoever in what he is doing but manipulating, he was simply brought into the USA political market to show the world that USA is not George W. Bush presenting a Neo fascism with the world mightiest militarism regime under his arms. After almost 4 years it turns out that Obama is nothing but Bush yet to be called JR.
It is not about the USA Democratic Party nor the Saudis barbarians or the republicans or the Swedish or French social democrats nor Muslim brotherhood, there is no democracy in either of these systems, these systems are simply used by war industry and they will not stop, until (when and if) American people willing, or understand what they are voting for, but electing those whom with all their heart and mind wanting to change this militarism path, then and only than the world would be in peace! then it is time for earth to breath and enjoy the change.
Bill Clinton use the use the word "Change is good", but no one asked that man, which direction you want to change it., and before you know it he started the Balkan war, so is the story with Barack Hussein Obama and USG interests, which bring us back to, being a big market and protecting the bigger market for war industry and Oil companies.
This was indeed a vomit inducing speech, totally in line with previous attempts by various empires and fascist regimes, to proclaim "exceptionalness", as well as present, such as the Jewish/israeli "exceptional" right to "self defence" (against the very existence of non-jews of Arabic origin) and "exceptional" rights to grab and colonize their lands because some vengeful and repulsive "god" unworthy of any devotion in a document written by humans tells them to. Disgusting!
He needs to be put in a rubber cell.
It doesn’t matter if a war is wise or in someone’s interest. That’s why nazis fight wars – to get something they want. Let us try to be a tiny bit more moral than that.
What if I knew I could get away with robbing an old folks home, because I had a big gang? It would be both wise, because I could get away with it with no consequence to myself, and in my interest, because I would benefit.
And if I did it, I would be a horrible person. That should be the main reason not to do something, not a question of whether I would benefit.
for the interests of all …all? Like 'the world?' …and does 'all' include those 'stood'-against? They must not know their real 'interests' like you do, what with being less speshul than yourself. There's a childishly consistent kind of substitution in the USraeli use of quantifiers… E.g. 'Threatens the whole world,' … and who's 'everyone?' ~09:00 http://dotsub.com/view/2019dcbc-330c-4edb-a463-39… Stanley Rosen[:] Strauss was a great fan of American television. Gunsmoke [to Strauss] showed the conflict between good and evil in a way that would be immediately intelligible to [brief pause, who's Rosen thinking of?] everyone. That pause was not his only significant glitch. we're gonna triumph over [stumble, stumble] who are trying to destroy us. Similar con-men often sound alike.
And this must be the same 'all' that we know are under 'secret' executive Rules of Engagement…and that 'all' would include 'us.' 'The world' being your Star Chamber and 'all.'
America is Exceptional alrigtht. Exceptionally murderous, exceptionally devious, exceptionally criminal, exceptionally predatory, and most of all, exceptionally psychotic.
So which war was it that America fought for someone else and not its own selfish reasons?
Is this POS delusional or what?
What happens when Amerika is attacked…from all directions…and all Amerikan hell hole cities are ablaze?
For once, I agree with Obama. Fighting all these wars of aggression does make the American Empire exceptional – exceptionally evil!
I think that Obama is "exceptionally" beholding to the Zionists that promoted him.
The last exceptional American died in 1865,despite the blathering of those unrepentant traitors who think slavery was benevolent kindness.Since then we've been delusion filled and unexceptional.
As Noam Chomsky points out at every opportunity, for Obama to repeatedly threaten military action against Syria unless they obey our dictates is itself a violation of international law.
UN Charter, Article 2, Section 4: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."
The THREAT or use of force.
I did not watch/listen to his speech but I would have liked to have heard that in protest to what the American President represents and the policies which it inflicts on the rest of the world that a large majority of those in the General Assembly rose en masse and left the room. Of course, Israel and the other lapdogs would have remained. Another teaching moment missed.
We lived in the USA for 17 years of our professional career. We came away with the feeling that if America is exceptional about anything it was that they are exceptionally dumb. The average American knows very little world history, can't find many other countries on a map and has an unhealthy introvertish view of life. This me-me society has allowed their "intellectuals" to take over the important roles of leadership in government, banking, military business, media, etc. and many positions are filled with dual-citizens whose allegiances are to another nation. If the average American every wises up they will find out that they were duped.
The BORG.
One of the great myths we have perpetuated since the post war years and continue to this day is America as Ambassadors of peace.With our all American can-do optimism we have long flexed our formidable global muscles confident that our take charge performance would be gladly received wherever we went.Once upon a time the American military even advertised their soldiers as "Ambassadors of Peace." Take a look http://wp.me/p2qifI-1E6
These militarist spouting of the President are of the very spiritual essence of neoconservatism.
From “Neoconservatism Unmasked”, a well informed and thoughtful account of neoconservative ideology:
“The neocons’ national-greatness philosophy is also the animating force behind the their foreign policy. Indeed, neoconservative foreign policy is a branch of its domestic policy. The grand purpose of national-greatness foreign policy is to inspire the American people to transcend their vulgar, infantilized, and selfish interests for uplifting national projects. The neoconservatives’ policy of benevolent hegemony will, according to William Kristol and Robert Kagan, “relish the opportunity for national engagement, embrace the possibility of national greatness, and restore a sense of the heroic.” In other words, the United States should wage war in order to combat creeping nihilism. In the revealing words of Kristol and Kagan, “The remoralization of America at home ultimately requires the remoralization of American foreign policy.” Going to war, sacrificing both treasure and blood in order to bring “democracy” to strangers—this is a mission worthy of a great nation.”
http://www.cato-unbound.org/2011/03/07/c-bradley-…
Highest mark for this wise article by Jason. Word "exceptional" would have been appropriate here, but the word is tarnished.
Thanks Jason for pointing out that amidst the noise, the key message of the speech is the attempt to convince Americans to support the war against their own interest, as well as to continue the stale rethoric od America being the defender of the world. Yet, in this world, we have become exceptionally isolated, as our approach to the global leadership since the close of the cold war has been based on the pursuit of narrow interests dressed up in the garb of fight for universal principles. What America missed out on, may now not be possible to recover. We missed a golden opportunity to provide a true global leadership at the time of no real strong enemy. And a true global leadership would have meant global, undivided security for all UN members though the strenghtening and the growth of international law. Instead, we saw to this that the rights of global citizens, the member nations of UN have been trampled on. The world is rejecting it, but our leadership is stubbornly clinging to the notion of might-is-right. We are responsible that the world is turning elsewhere for leadership and inspiration.
It is not only Putin's message worth understanding. This week President of Brazil let the world know how the nation of Brazil views US committment to international law. Asking appology from Obama and us, the Americans.
And the hit's just keep on coming…
Let's face facts here people, Obama is a warmongering lunatic. Is there any doubt now?
The Vietnam War and every war since, has been about spending and borrowing money, to buy armaments, machines and war supplies from corporate war profiteers. The military and corporate reps populate the think tanks and committees that set policy. Not any of these wars have made sense or contributed to America's well being. It's all about a transfer of wealth to the 1%. Without frequent wars, these corporate war ghouls wouldn't exist.
Not even Ghengis Khan was as self-servingly hypocritical as this moronic occupant of the White House.
This is typical American arrogance; it is easy to get yourself into a war . . . . restraint is much more difficult, especially when you are talking about the clowns in Washington.
A Nobel Peace Laureate brags about his desire to wage another war: "….Sacrifice of blood and treasure….for our own narrow self-interest…."
Whose blood?, I ask. Whose treasure? Whose "narrow self-interest" is he speaking of?
"America fights wars not for its own narrow interests but for the interests of all"…
Wow! Isn't America nice! I guess it was in the "interests" of the Serbian people that America dropped bombs on them for 78 days.
And where's the gratitude!!