Baker advises administration to consider a phased withdrawal of troops

This article from the San Francisco Chronicle features snippets from a speech by former Secretary of State and Daddy Dubya lackey James Baker. The two sections highlighted in bold lettering bespeak a certain flare for propagandistic gobbledygook that makes politicians like himself infamous for saying nothing and saying everything at the same time.

BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer
Thursday, January 13, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, an architect of the U.S. war with Iraq in 1991, is advising the Bush administration to consider a phased withdrawal of some of the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Otherwise, Baker says, the United States risks being suspected of having an "imperial design" in the region.

A protracted U.S. military presence in Iraq is probably unavoidable since attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces and on Iraqi security forces are likely to continue, Baker said Tuesday in a speech at Rice University in Houston.

Suggesting the implementation a gradual withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Mr. Baker informs us that otherwise "the United States risks being suspected of having an 'imperial design' in the region". Notice how he doesn't say that the U.S. risks being "perceived" as having "imperial designs" but only risks being "suspected" of having them. As if they aren't even "suspected" now, but may be in the future.

Is Mr. Baker so oblivious to opinions of others outside of the United States that he doesn't realize that most of the the rest of the world have gone way past suspicion and into the realm of documented fact? Or is he just flat out lying?

An in-depth study of U.S. foreign policy leaves one with no other conclusion than that global imperialism is defacto the raison d'etre for America itself.

Taking over and controlling the governments, wealth and resources of other countries is what they do, have done, and will continue to do as long they remain the sole military superpower in the entire world.

Period.

So I guess, according to the master spin doctor, as is common to all high level politicians of his calibre, reality is indeed what they make it.

"Even under the best of circumstances, the new Iraqi government will remain extremely vulnerable to internal divisions and external meddling," he said.

Still, former President George H.W. Bush's secretary of state said, "any appearance of a permanent occupation will both undermine domestic support here in the United States and play directly into the hands of those in the Middle East who -- however wrongly -- suspect us of imperial design."

Again, listen to his language when he says "any appearance of a permanent occupation" as if after two years into a seemingly never-ending war and construction of the biggest U.S. military base in the region, it doesn't "appear" that way already. By phrasing his words in such a way is a deliberate diversion from the truth that the U.S. military is in Iraq for good. In fact, if recent new reports are any indication, the American war machine has now set it's sights on Iran and Syria, which only goes to show that their intentions are just the opposite. Rather than planning a realistic exit strategy, it seems the Neo-con/Zionist alliance are looking to exert greater control over the entire region.

Also, notice how he adds a "however wrongly" in there, just to make sure that his point is not misunderstood. Mr. Baker, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but just because you say something doesn't necessarily make it true. However, since you have the "authority" and reputation of the American government behind you, I guess it doesn't matter what anybody in the Middle East might think.

Right?

At the same time, Baker urged the Bush administration to call for a "good-faith effort" by the new Palestinian leadership to crack down on terror groups that target Israel and also "prevail upon Israel" to stop settlement activity in Palestinian areas during any peace talks.

"We should serve, when necessary, as a direct participant in the talks, offering suggestions, brokering compromises and extending assurances," Baker said.

Above all, he said, the administration should make it "unambiguously clear" to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that his projected withdrawal from Gaza should not be part of a design to limit the Palestinians to enclaves.

Seeking peace in the Middle East improves chances of achieving stability in Iraq, said Baker, who helped plan the Persian Gulf war that forced Iraq to reverse its annexation of Kuwait.

"The road to peace doesn't run just through Jerusalem or just through Baghdad," he said. "That is a false choice. Today, it arguably runs through both."

Any reprimands made by the U.S. administration towards the Israeli government in regards to their illegal occupation and brutal repression of the Palestinian people is just a bunch of hot air spoken "for show" in front of the cameras. Sharon knows full well that he has the American government wrapped around his little finger and will continue to do everything in his power to ensure that peace never breaks out in Palestine.

You can take that to the bank.

Relic