The Ghaffar Khan Society Congratulates President Obama!

Now, Mr. President, end the Empire and Revive the Republic!

Obama Trauma (or, Keep On Rockin' in the Free World)

Yes, I know that the man has not even taken office yet and I have not the slightest clue what an Obama Administration will eventually mean for this country. What I do have, however, are some sensible concerns. And these concerns have been raised by the line-up of the "team of rivals" with which the new President has decided to surround himself. In the remarks to follow, I will focus on one member of Obama's team: one of my favorites, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Listening today to HRC's statements concerning Hamas in her confirmation hearing gave me absolutely no reason to hope for a sane and just U.S. policy in the Middle East under the new Obama Administration.

In her remarks, Mrs. Clinton does not appear to recognize that the one free and fair election to have taken place in the Arab world thus far in history was the one with which the Palestinian people voted Hamas into power in Gaza (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4650300.stm). She seems to have overlooked this "miracle" of democracy in the Middle East. And by overlooking this fact, she fails to acknowledge that the rule of Hamas in Gaza is lawful and legitimate. Probably more lawful and legitimate than either of the Bush terms, given the unconstitutional manner in which the Bush Administration took power in 2001 and the voting improprieties in Southern Ohio that made the re-election of Bush in 2004 suspect to anyone who actually cares about democratic process.

As is well known, the Bush Administration and the State of Israel, lovers of democracy that they are, refused to accept the results of the free and fair Palestinian election that put Hamas in power; and, as is well known, ever since that election, the United States and Israel have acted in concert to cripple Gaza by means of a military embargo.

HRC has already stated that there will be no discussions with the representatives of Hamas until that organization forswears violence. This position is absolutely absurd, not to mention downright "Bushian."

Since Hamas is functioning as the government of Gaza, it has the right, indeed, the responsibility, to control the means of perpetrating violence within its territory. That's what governments do. And one major way in which they do that is to reserve for themselves the right to engage in violence on behalf of their constituencies.

Now, I am a Pacifist. That is, I am opposed in principle to the use of violence to settle disputes. Therefore, I do not approve of Hamas lobbing missiles into Israeli territory in retaliation for the Israeli military blockade--which is itself a form of violence against the people of Gaza.

But I, like most intelligent human beings, find hypocrisy disgusting. When the United States government and the government of the State of Israel refuse to forswear violence but demand it of others, I find that hypocritical.

I do not know what is going on in Obama's inner circle. All I can do is look at what is shown to me as a member of the public and make judgments based upon what I see. And what I see thus far is this: the Plutocratic War Party that rules this nation--an informal party composed, in the United States, of Democrats and Republicans--appears to have the Obama Administration well in hand.

In this last election cycle, the American public was promised change and voted for it. What I fear we will be witnessing in the coming months, however, is more of what we have seen already year in and year out from Administration after Administration, Republicrat and Democan alike. Oh, yes, I expect it will be a "kinder, gentler machine gun hand" (in the immortal words of Neil Young) pulling the triggers. Tell that to the hundreds of men, women, and children murdered in cold blood in the streets of Gaza City or the handful of Israeli families losing loved ones either as a result of Hamas rocket-fire or their participation in Israel's machiocracy.

The Plutocratic War Party that rules the United States and the State of Israel does not want to see a just peace prevail in the Middle East. Why would it? A just peace there (or anywhere) would be a first step towards putting it out of business.

HRC is a lifetime member of the PWP-U. S. branch. In her Senate confirmation hearing, she dutifully sang (in a weirdly deep alto) from the PWP's hymnal regarding Hamas. From where I sit, BHO is looking like their latest recruit.

Prove me wrong, Barack. I dare you to prove me wrong.