...the Afghan War will be a mess regardless if we pullout next week or 2011.

DZ: "He asserted America's right to go into a deeply impoverished country that - from Alexander the Great to the USSR to today - has made clear to the world's empires that it wants to be left the hell alone."

I'm glad to see DZ awknowledging that USSR was in fact an empire . . . come on DZ, just add the word "evil" and you'll redeem yourself a bit of your Communist stain.

It's 25 years too late, but better later than never! Viva Reagan!

On the other hand, maybe Ali is a perfect icon for post-Peace Prize Obama -- he went from chucking his Olympic medals in the river to lighting the torch in Atlanta.

Ali was an important figure in American history and was right to refuse to go to Vietnam. However he is a fallible human being--ask a wrongly demonized Joe Frazier and his ex wives.

Obama inherited the situation in Afghanistan and is trying to clean up Bush's mess. He is doing what he said he would do during the campaign. W ar fighting to prevent the people who gave sanctuary to those responsible for killing 3000 people for no reason.

Love you Dave - love your column, have your books... never commented before. But you're wrong about this. Obama is doing what anyone listening during his election campaign expected him to do. He always said that he would escalate our commitment to Afghanistan, which he has done. Ali was many things to many people, as is Obama. But regardless of what you think of his decision on Afghanistan, in one sense he is doing what Ali would have done - stayed true to his word.

Obama the corporate puppet (always has been, always will be) loves his tap-dancing duality. He will invoke his so-called "heroes" from the left (people with courage who drove through the rains of hatred and murder) - and then his actions sing a completely different tune. A stooge for sure - this fool epitomizes profiles in cowardice.

To Andrew: In no sense is Obama doing what Ali would have done. Plain and simple, Obama - like every leader of the American Empire - is addicted to war (read: murder) to protect American bizness interests. Along with the continued and sick occupation of Iraq and the cowardly drone attacks killing untold numbers of human beings in Pakistan, Obama is as guilty of murder and war crimes as any other corrupt tyrant or serial killer. Hell, Manson only ordered the killing of about 10-12. Obama wiped out more than that before he knew the social secretary's name at the White House. These terrorists in suits never see or feel the bloody entrails.

To Tornado: Your child-like grasp of American-Soviet history seems like a remedial course taught by the ex-Gov of Alaska.

But Obama has made the move quite well - moving from the fields up to the big house. Obama and Ali don't belong in the same sentence.

Steve,

Ah yes, you have such remarkable erudition -- "murderer-in-chief," "bizness interests" (in Afghanistan??), POTUS = Charles Manson.

Please enlighten me on "American-Soviet history" regarding the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?

So what part do you disagree with -- that the Soviet Union was not an empire or not evil?

Are you a Communist?

Tornado,
Do the evil deeds of the Soviet Union some how cleanse the blood off the hands of the United States government? Evil deeds are evil deeds no matter which government commits them.

Then again, I'm an anarchist, so I think all governments are evil.

And, the other person was right, your grasp of history is poor.

Tornado - you would have been a good water boy for the scumbags at HUAC.

In fact, Ryan did a nice job answering your gibberish regarding the great evils in the world. Nothing left to say there.

With regard to "murderer-in-chief" and Charlie Manson, Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Boy Bush-and-Obama have each slaughtered in varying degrees countless more humans than Manson ever even dreamed about. Murder is murder - only a fool would believe otherwise.

Kill one person, call it murder
Kill thousands (or millions), call it foreign policy

And yeah, "bizness interests" in Afghanistan - is it possible you think the killing fields there are for altruistic reasons? More of the "White Man's Burden?" American exceptionalism?

You are so far out of your league that it's quaint to see you try.

And by the way, I am also an anarchist.

Thanks Steve and Ryan for saying what needed to be said.

Viva Anarchismo!

History is not exactly Tornado's strong point. If you are going to claim Reagan as a force for peace, you need to bring more than rhetoric to the table. Or ghosts from Central America to Baghdad to the Twin Towers will haunt your days.

. . .and today in his acceptance speech, Obama invoked Reverend King and Ghandi, all the while behaving like the Emperor Jones. . . Who would Ghandi Bomb?

WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH...

Comrade,Hahaha, the sock-puppetry is flying here! So far, I haven't hear DZ give a bit of sound historical analysis, outside of the lazy, neo-Marxist, Blame-America-First pap he specializes it.

Questions:

1. In your sloppy "people's history" book you suggest the Rosenbergs were wrongfully executed of the Rosenbergs. Do you still believe that the Rosenbergs were innocent of passing atomic secrets to the Soviets?

2. Have you ever heard of the Venona Project intercepts?

3. You have some idiotic passing reference to the "ghosts from the twin towers"? Did Reagan (or America) deserve the blame for causing the 19 college-educated 9/11 hijackers? Please wow me with your historical analysis . . .

Trollnado,

Being friendly, polite, and factual in your posts isn't going to get you anywhere.

Dave, it's so refreshing to hear someone so righteously critical of Obama from the left. To just keep shit real. This prez is appeasing the wrong people and breaking a lot of hearts in the process. Worse still, he's taking the promise & spirit of so many people who believed in the idea of change and probably destroying it forever. Change has become a commerical word and soon won't hold any weight or value and will fade away like an empty trend. And when this opportunity has been completely wasted and a new ultra-conservative megalomanic takes over again, there won't be another side. There will be no one who believes in a slogan saying "Change." It will be the greatest victory the conservatives have ever hoped for.

The US is the sole Superpower now, it is also the sole Empire. We like to believe our power is benign but "benign power" is an oxymoron.
The Afghans fought the Soviets and helped bring the Evil empire down. For this we might have felt morally obliged to educate their children. Or to get them out of the hell hole of Pakistani camps they lived in, but we did not, now that they have grown up to be a part of the world Illiterati, you want to rain cluster bombs on them instead; okay -so fighting is the only skill they acquired in life, that is what they will do. BTW some of this training was imparted by the CIA (Check out "The Charlie Wilson's War" - the book, not the movie).
If you are dead it matters little if you were killed following a set of military rules, or no rules, the end result is the same.
Death is forever.
Now that is a Change one can wrap one's head around,
hello Malcolm X:
"you dead man?"

To Tornado,
On your enlightenment:
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink."

To Pashtun:
Good one! I was listening to a John Trudell speak on power; he said that we all have power, but that authority's only potency exists in our acceptance of it. Unfortunately, too many people believe that authority and truth walk and in hand. He says that we need to recognize authority as simply authority and not power. To refuse to see money and the institutionalization of humanity and nature is to take a way the credibility of the status quo.

Comrade Tornado
I would like to direct your attention 2 a wonderful book by Chalmers Johnson, Blowback: the Costs and Consequences of American Empire. Johnson, while focusing mainly on Asia, writes about the atrocities of American Empire building and how those actions turn into consequences suffered by the general American population. 4 example, Marines were sent 2 Beirut during the Lebanese civil war 2 help the Israelis, but since the muslims in lebanon weren't fans of Jews or Americans, they bombed the Marine base killing some 200 soldiers. BLOWBACK! America's intervention in Afghan after the soviet invasion led 2 the cultivation of ties between CIA nd Al-Qaeda. Y? So that we may have some1 from the region fighting as our puppets vs our enemies. Then what happened? USA pissed off the Taliban after the end of hositilies with the Soviet Union nd they re directed their hate 2 the USA. That's y Bin Laden was involved in 9/11. BLOWBACK!
If you do not understand the term Blowback, then plz wikipedia it. You should also read other great Non Fiction books about Mid East conflicts, Imperialism, US/World History i.e People's History..., nd books of similar nature by brilliant moderate 2 left authors. Nd make sure u read 1-2 of each kind so that u may have differing views nd analysis becuz each person thinks differently. 4 example, I am currently reading "From Beirut 2 Jerusalem" by Thomas Friedman. Now he may not b as left leaning as me, but his book taught me many facts bout the Lebanese civil war that I just didn't know nd his analysis of the political situation is quite interesting as well.
All I recommend 2 you is that you seek knowledge about different matters from different viewpoints when it comes 2 learning in the field of Social Sciences. It's so abstract, that the definition of a word changes from person 2 person, whether it be political or sociological in nature. Take it from a college student, you don't know jack bout history nor Reagan. That guy was 1 big DBAG! so was Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush jr, LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Ford, nd Obama has the makings of being the 1st Black Prez Dbag as well. His idea of change is shifting from right position A to moderate position B. When we honestly need Revolutionary position M!
I can empathize w/Steve nd Ryan's views, but even I can't say that Anarchy is the way 2 go. Rule of Law needs 2 maintained 4 we humans r beasts incapable of controlling ourselves when left w/no authority 2 keep in check our actions based upon our flaws. Tho the current System of goverance nd esp the socio-economic system r horrible. It is not the gov itself we should b fighting but rather the system in which they exist, in which we exist. We need 2 change the world in which it presently lives in nd implementing a new system of rule where the public holds the power nd the authority. Not simply accepts authority which it elects 2 rule on its behalf. I think I understand what Jef means 2 say bout power, authority nd truth, but I can't b sure of his intention, only the thought that my interpretation is along the same lines.
Not advocating ne particular system 4 I do not even know which is best 4 ppl, but I do know that when something isn't working, usually a mechanic, or team of mechanics fixes it right, like a car needing servicing or a computer being reformatted, then so 2 must society in all forms go thru a period of True Change nd not simply of rhetoric change.
Thanks 4 listening 2 this crazy ideolog.