Washington's Criminal Class Is Bipartisan

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Whichever right wing of the US war party wins in November, or if it's a split decision, dirty business as usual will continue like always.

On issues mattering most, undemocratic Dems and Republicans are on the same page.

Duopoly rule supports forever wars, corporate empowerment, and harsh crackdowns on nonbelievers.

They back the power of money to make more of it by exploiting ordinary people everywhere. 

They're for controlling world resources and markets, along with replacing sovereign independent governments with pro-Western puppet ones.

They're hostile to world peace and stability, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and other democratic values.

They reject beneficial social change over the dismal status quo.

The choice for US president in 2020 is between a militarist, pro-war, anti-populist, ecocide-supporting racist incumbent and an array of Dem aspirants largely looking more like a police lineup than legitimate candidates for high office.

Though imperfect, Tulsi Gabbard differs from other Dems for her progressive/anti-war agenda.

To a far lesser degree, so does Bernie Sanders rhetorically, his voting record another matter entirely, belying his public advocacy.

Voting along party lines most often, time and again he says one thing and does another.

He's America's most popular con man, fooling many people some of the time, his supporters virtually always — a progressive socialist in name only, never the real thing, especially not on foreign policy issues.

They adversely affect vital domestic ones by spending countless trillions of dollars on endless wars, other hostile actions, the Pentagon's global empire of bases, and so-called homeland security — at a time America's only enemies are invented.

No real ones existed since WW II ended, no justification for a bloated military, industrial, security complex — draining the nation's resources at the expense of vital domestic needs gone begging.

Instead of prioritizing world peace, stability, equity, social justice, the rule of law, and other democratic values, both right wings of US duopoly rule support endless wars on humanity at home and abroad.

It's an agenda that's furthering America's decline while China, Russia, and other nations are rising. It also transformed the US into an increasingly totalitarian police state.

Tulsi Gabbard aside who has no chance to be Dem standard bearer in November, I've been asked if I support Sanders over alternative choices.

I do not, though prefer him to dismal other choices, an array of pro-war, anti-progressive, dirty business as usual party hacks.

Each election cycle, the process is rigged to assure continuity — the same true for both parties. 

If Sanders defies the odds to become Dem standard bearer — what's highly unlikely but possible — it would show he's been bought off to support same old/same old domestic and foreign policies.

The late Gore Vidal put it this way, saying:

Under US-style democracy, "elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates…most people drudg(ing) along (and) get(ting) nothing in return" from the nation's ruling class.

He also said anyone who's become "presidential material (has) been bought ten times over."

Sanders' untrustworthiness and foreign policy views are most disturbing.

His "Feel the Bern" website covers where he stands on the issues.

He supports the US-dominated NATO killing machine that's all about offense, not defense, smashing one nation after another after Soviet Russia dissolved nearly 30 years ago.

Against US involvement in Afghanistan today, he supported Bush/Cheney's aggression against the nation, the Taliban, and bin Laden.

They had nothing to do with the 9/11 mother of all false flags that opened the gates of hell for US forever wars still raging.

Sanders supports the myth about bin Laden and "crazed Arabs" being responsible for what happened on that fateful day that changed the course of history for the worst.

Bin Laden died of natural causes in December 2001. He was seriously ill in a Pakistan hospital on 9/11, his 2001 death reported by the NYT, the BBC, even Fox News at the time.

Yet Sanders turned truth on its head, saying he "remained at large until May 2, 2011, when he was finally tracked down and killed by US forces at a hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan" — a bald-faced Big Lie. Whoever was killed wasn't bin Laden.

In unjustifiably justifying his September 2001 AUMF support, an unconstitutional act, Security Council members alone permitted to authorize war, never preemptively, only in self-defense, Sanders said the following:

"I will vote for this resolution because I believe that the use of force is one tool that we have at our disposal to fight against the horror of terrorism and mass murder."

It's what state terrorism by the US and its imperial allies are responsible for, along with ISIS, al-Qaeda, and likeminded jihadists — created and supported by the US, using their fighters as imperial proxies.

Sanders supports US phony war on ISIS. He wouldn't dare reveal the dirty truth about the jihadist group.

He's hostile to Bolivarian Venezuela, the hemisphere's leading social democracy — falsely accusing President Maduro of electoral fraud and "waging a violent crackdown on Venezuelan civil society" — bald-faced Big Lies.

Earlier he falsely blamed Hamas for Israeli high crimes. He called  on the UN to rescind the damning Goldstone report – exposing Israel's December 2008-January 2009 mass slaughter and destruction in Gaza.

He's hostile to Iran, Russia, China, and other nations on the US target list for regime change, supporting illegal sanctions war on these countries – instead of forthrightly denouncing what's going on against these and other nations.

He called for "a unified stance with our international allies in order to effectively address (nonexistent) Russian aggression" – ignoring the real thing supported by nearly all Republicans and Dems, including himself, forever against humanity.

He called for "the entire world…to stand up to Putin."

He said his "top priority (is) prevent(ing) Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon" it doesn't have, doesn't want, and seeks to eliminate everywhere to eliminate the possible doomsday scenario these weapons pose.

He falsely calls US aggression in Syria "civil war," blaming Damascus for US high crimes, wanting Bashar al-Assad deposed.

Time and again, his voting record shows he's on the wrong side of one issue after another.

Yet among leading Dem presidential aspirants, he's the least worst of the deplorable bunch.

Each election cycle, US voters get to choose between death by firing squad or hanging — anti-war, progressive choices excluded.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html