In the days before the presidential elections, the US launched an air-strike on a village in Syria [2]. Since then, the US has been bombing Pakistan [3] every few days, with the media paying very little note. Our November Exit Poll was: "Will the Bush administration instrument a new global crisis in the time remaining to it?" We received the following responses:
From Joe Wetmore of Autumn Leaves Used Books [4] in Ithaca, NY:
The Bush administration has been instrumental in establishing one long global crisis for almost 8 years now. It has had several flavors, but has clearly been continuous. Why would anyone think they would stop now?
The real question is, given that both major Presidential candidates have advocated for continuation of the Bush Doctrine: Is there any hope for the global crisis to ever end?
World War 4 Report replies: We take issue with both your assertions. Despite some worrisome signs (e.g. those air-strikes on Syria and Pakistan), there are also real signals that the administration is in retreat. They have been dealt humiliations by the financial debacle and election results. In Iraq, they've been forced to accept a Status of Forces Agreement which imposes a timetable (previously anathema) for all troops to leave, and essentially confines them to barracks except for operations authorized by the Iraqi government. Are they really going to have the wherewithal to invade Iran or otherwise instigate a global crisis in the seven weeks remaining to them? We sure hope not...
As for Obama, there are some worrisome signs there too, e.g. his bluster [5] about unilateral military aggression against Pakistan, to which we assume you are referring. But his stated intention to withdraw from Iraq and willingness to sit down with Ahmadinejad and other "rogue state" leaders is assuredly not a "continuation of the Bush Doctrine." We hope that the bellicose bluster is lip service to appease the right. We shall see...
From Margery Coffey in Rosalie, Nebraska:
No. He is too busy trying to figure out more bailouts for his buddies.
World War 4 Report replies: We are not sure the bailout is just a wealth-redistribution scam for Bush's buddies. Marxist economist Andrew Kliman argues that the crisis is Worse Than They Want You to Think [6], and that the new state intervention is Trying to Save Capitalism from Itself [7]. Check 'em out.
See our last posts on Barack Obama [8], October Surprise [9] paranoia, and our last Exit Poll results [10].
