Obamas Cruise Missile DiplomacyStephen Lendman Invented pretexts initiate conflicts. Defending the indefensible repeats with disturbing regularity. Obamas the latest in a long line warrior presidents. Imperial lawlessness defines his agenda. One war after another rages. No end in sight looms. War is glorified in the name of peace. Its been that way from inception. Violence is a way of life. Pacifism is considered sissy and unpatriotic. America isnt beautiful. It never was. For sure it isnt now. Rule of law principles dont matter. Democratic values, common dignity, personal safety, and general welfare are illusions, not reality. Violence defines US culture. Its reflected at home and abroad. America has the highest homicide rate among all Western countries. Militarisms a way of life. Syria reflects a countdown to disaster. A rush to judgment suggests imminent bombs away. Belligerent diplomacy doesnt work. It never did. It wont now. Conflicts assure more of them. The so-called war to end all wars led to more war. New ones follow earlier ones. They do so one after another. Washington bears full responsibility. Israel and Britain share major guilt. With America, they represent the real axis of evil. Theyre responsible for embroiling the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia in endless conflicts. Demagogues take full advantage. Imperial madness follows. State terrorism is official US policy. Americas killing machine never rests. Enemies are invented to feed it. War profiteers benefit most. Violence and conflicts persist. Peace is a convenient illusion. Its unachievable. Warrior nations prevent it. Americas by far the worst. Neocon extremism drives US policy. Its true under Democrats and Republicans. Not a dimes worth of difference separates them. Duopoly power runs America. Monied interests control things. Whatever they want they get. They crave waging war on Syria. Proxy death squads have done it so far. Obamas expectant cruise missile diplomacy changes things. He risks biting off more than he can chew. Rick Rozoffs an activist/anti-war supporter. Hes the Stop Nato web site editor. He documents global militarism. He opposes waging war on humanity. He sees tragedy unfolding in Syria. He calls American leaders madmen. They poised for war on any pretext. They crave it. They lurch from one to another. Hundreds of cruise missiles target Syria. Theyre ready to be launched on orders. Tomahawk diplomacy is longstanding US policy. Its a cowards way of waging war, said Rozoff. Ready, aim, fire. Do it safely offshore. Do it from overhead drones. Slaughter innocent civilians in the process. They pay the greatest price for wars. They have no place to hide. Obama reflects the worst of rogue leadership. He spurns international law. Hes circumventing Congress. He does whatever he wants. Hes judge, jury and executioner. Syria, Lebanon and Iran are the only regional countries not partnered with Americas imperium. Others provide launching platforms for war. Doing so facilitates US dirty work, said Rozoff. Until a larger number of world nations choose peace over armed barbarism, what country will say no to Washington, he asked? Doing so risks being the next target. Going along makes them complicit with imperial lawlessness. Internationalizing war on Syria risks inflam(ing), exacerbat(ing), and worsen(ing) things, said Rozoff. Russias been warning about this all along. It especially does now. Escalating conflict on Syria risks a major regional conflagration. It risks spilling it cross borders. It risks expanding it globally. It risks possible WW III. One country after another risks getting involved. Whats ongoing reflects a possible end game. Rozoff calls it perhaps a culmination of Americas longstanding plan to redraw North Africa, the Middle East and Eurasia. Doing so may destroy it. America may perish at the same time. Perhaps mushroom shaped cloud finality awaits. On August 27,Pat Buchanan asked: Who deputized the United States to walk the streets of the world pistol-whipping bad actors? Who made Barack Obama the Wyatt Earp of the Global Village? Obama claims Congress doesnt have a whole lot of core responsibilities. Perhaps hes right. Consider its broad assent to war on Syria, said Buchanan. It hasnt attacked America. It hasnt threatened to do so. Why does Obama plan cruise missile diplomacy? Where does (he) come off drawing red lines and (daring) nations not to cross them? Who gave him the right to do so? Who made him sole authority? Who placed him above international, constitutional and US statute laws? Who appointed him imperial czar? Wheres the evidence justifying belligerent intervention? Inventing it doesnt wash. Congress is currently on summer break. Speaker Boehner can reconvene it quickly. It can stop Obamas war. It can do so straightaway. It can stop all wars. It has appropriation powers. It can cut off all funding. It ended Southeast Asian fighting this way. It can do it again now. It doesnt have the moral backbone to do so. It shares guilt with Obama. Its complicit in imperial crimes. On August 27, Phyllis Bennis and David Wildman headlinedMoral Obscenities in Syria, saying: The threat a reckless, dangerous, and illegal US or US-led assault on Syria is looking closer than ever. Doing so looks unstoppable. Accusing Assad of chemical weapons use provides pretext. Doing so doesnt wash. Allegations are easy to invent. Theyre fabricated to facilitate policy. So-called evidence is manufactured out of whole cloth. Bombs away follows. Later disclosures come too late to matter. Another country lies in ruins. The smell of death and human misery permeate everywhere. Imperial conquest alone matters. Does anyone really believe war on Syria will help things, asked Bennis and Wildman? Do policymakers or others think it will save any lives? Do they imagine the way to end conflict is by more of it? What about circumventing international law to do it. What about calling lawlessness legal? What about turning fundamental laws and standards on their head? What about democratic values? What about preaching one thing and doing another? What about demanding what we say goes. Waging war on Syria assures more of it. Bennis and Wildman urge tough diplomacy, not politically motivated military strikes. Launching them assures making horrific war (much) worse. A Final Comment On August 28, Russia Today headlined Its coming: US finalizing plans for military strike on Syria, saying: Two unnamed White House officials said targets to be struck are being finalized. War looks inevitable. Kerry, Biden and other US officials lied claiming undeniable proof Assad used chemical weapons. No evidence whatever proves it. So-called intelligence is fake. Strike forces are in place to attack. They await orders to do so. Obama plans resolving things his way. War is peace reflects official administration policy. So does destroying humanity to save it. Attacking Syria is madness. Doing so risks greater conflict. It looms anyway. Obama defends the indefensible. Business as usual continues. Rogue states operate that way. Americas by far the worst. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.His new book is titled How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/ 