The
African World by
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member, Bill Fletcher, Jr.is
a new column on BC that will appear
on a regular basis.
Recognizing
the historic significance of the Presidential campaign of
Senator Barak Obama and the deep meaning that this has for
many Black Americans, I have been very careful in expressing
my concerns and criticism of the junior Senator from the
great state of Illinois. Yet I have expressed them, particularly
when it comes to matters of US foreign policy. This week
Senator Obama took another step, or in some respects did
not take any step, that leads me to have additional concerns
regarding his vision for the future.
As
much as anyone else, I am interested in being inspired
by a Presidential
candidate, and I am certainly looking for something new and
fresh in the White House, particularly after years of stagnation
and death. Nevertheless, in the recent Presidential debates,
when it came to articulating a vision for the end of the
Iraq war/occupation, the Senator came up short. Not only
he, but Senators Clinton and Edwards as well, could not figure
out how to identify when PRECISELY the US would end its occupation
of Iraq. The answers were astounding. None of the top three
contenders could or would guarantee their support for the
exit of US troops by 2013!
Strike #1, Senator.
In
the same week, there was a crucial vote in the Senate,
a vote
that may turn out to be of great historical significance. Incited
by the Bush/Cheney drumbeat for military strikes against
Iran to allegedly halt supposed Iranian support for Iraqi
militias and to halt the Iranian enrichment of uranium (which
the Bush administration argues WITHOUT SUPPORT AND EVIDENCE
is aimed at producing nuclear weapons), the Senate passed
a jingoistic amendment that would support the characterizing
of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a “terrorist organization,” in
addition to giving a green light to US military action as
a legitimate option to address Iran’s alleged misdeeds. Iran
has made it clear that an unprovoked attack on its sovereign
territory by the USA or Israel will result in an Iranian
counter-attack, possibly plunging the Middle East into a regional
war, producing horrific instability as well as threatening
the global economy. Senator Clinton voted in favor of the
amendment and Senator Obama…well, he was missing in action. He
did not vote.
Strike #2, Senator.
I
have to come back to something I have raised elsewhere: who
is Senator Obama? If he is to be a breath of fresh air
rather than air from the crypt, it would seem that he would
identify a foreign policy that fundamentally breaks with
the belligerent and failed policies of the Bush administration
(and for that matter, the Clinton administration). Instead,
Senator Obama seems to be doing all that he can do to avoid
controversy. Thus, rather than a clear statement on withdrawal
from Iraq — consistent with his initial opposition to the
war — we are treated to what can only be described as double-talk. And,
with regard to Iran, rather than reminding the US public
that we were misled into a war with Iraq through the orchestrated
circulation of half-truths, rumors and outright misinformation — and
that this is repeating itself in the case of Iran — the
Senator avoided the vote altogether.
I
am very deeply worried that the Bush administration, in
its
maniacal efforts at global domination, will launch military
strikes against Iran, or support Israeli strikes against
Iran. We in the USA are being treated to Bush administration
saber-rattling — not helped, of course, by the antics and
demagoguery of Iranian President Ahmedinejad — and suggestions
of malicious and mischievous intent by the Iranians without
a shred of real evidence! In the face of this, we
get little in the way of leadership from Senator Obama.
I
can hear it already, from some of the Senator’s supporters: …the
Senator has to be careful if he wants to get elected…he can’t
jump out there too far… I am sure that you have heard
this as well. My question, however, is fairly simple: WHO
would we be electing in choosing Senator Obama? Is it the
person who is prepared to keep US troops in Iraq indefinitely
with no plan for withdrawal, or is it the Senator who — prior
to arriving in office — had the courage of his convictions
to oppose this war of aggression? Is it the person who decided
to take a pass on a vote that could lead to war with Iran,
or is it the person who suggested that US foreign policy
must engage all countries on this planet?
I
sometimes feel like I am watching that old game show “To Tell the Truth.” At
the end, after three people had pretended to be a certain
character, the show’s host would ask the real person to stand
up. In that light: Will the real Senator Barak Obama
please stand up…and keep standing?!
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member, Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a
labor and international writer and activist, and the immediate
past president of TransAfrica Forum. Click
here to contact Mr. Fletcher.