[Allan from Fallbrook]

arraya: Depending on your perspective (and how you read history), you could argue that the US has always been about the almighty dollar (as were the Romand and the British).

The original draft of the Constitution contained the phrase “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Property”, which was subsequently changed. You look at the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis & Clark expedition, Manifest Destiny and Gunboat Diplomacy, and it’s increasingly hard to argue that the US hasn’t been a going concern from the jump.

I did read Perkins and that tied into what I had already seen during my time down there. US corporations (and British, Dutch, French and German as well) exert a huge amount of influence in that part of the world, along with the other parts of the world that are rich in natural resources. The military becomes, in essence, the policing force behind the corporate extraction of resources.

Check out Walter Lefeber’s “Inevitable Revolutions: The US in Central America” (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393309649). Talk about eye opening. The section regarding the US “support” of the Guatemalan coup of 1954 will drop your jaw.

I read a revisionist history of the Spanish-American War of 1898 that argued it was solely for control of the resources of the Caribbean Basin and the US recognized that Spanish influence was on the wane and we wanted to pre-empt any new comers and thus the war.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: The link above opens the Bloomberg article (by Jonathan Weil) about Obama’s appointments and includes bio/historical info about each.

It’s quite educational and provides links and background on each. I’d suggest reading it and I’d be curious as to your response following.

You are offering up an interview in clear support of Obama’s positions on energy, Detroit/Big 3 and foreign policy, but admit ignorance as to the people he is placing in charge of these various mandates.

Read the article. Then opine. As I said, I would be curious as to what you think after seeing the juxtaposition of his interview responses and the appointments made.

As for taking Bill over Bush, that’s another non-answer. What about Clinton’s lack of new policy, especially given his wonkiness? He was sold to us as “new” in many of the same ways that Obama was. Any thoughts there?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: The link above opens the Bloomberg article (by Jonathan Weil) about Obama’s appointments and includes bio/historical info about each.

It’s quite educational and provides links and background on each. I’d suggest reading it and I’d be curious as to your response following.

You are offering up an interview in clear support of Obama’s positions on energy, Detroit/Big 3 and foreign policy, but admit ignorance as to the people he is placing in charge of these various mandates.

Read the article. Then opine. As I said, I would be curious as to what you think after seeing the juxtaposition of his interview responses and the appointments made.

As for taking Bill over Bush, that’s another non-answer. What about Clinton’s lack of new policy, especially given his wonkiness? He was sold to us as “new” in many of the same ways that Obama was. Any thoughts there?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: The link above opens the Bloomberg article (by Jonathan Weil) about Obama’s appointments and includes bio/historical info about each.

It’s quite educational and provides links and background on each. I’d suggest reading it and I’d be curious as to your response following.

You are offering up an interview in clear support of Obama’s positions on energy, Detroit/Big 3 and foreign policy, but admit ignorance as to the people he is placing in charge of these various mandates.

Read the article. Then opine. As I said, I would be curious as to what you think after seeing the juxtaposition of his interview responses and the appointments made.

As for taking Bill over Bush, that’s another non-answer. What about Clinton’s lack of new policy, especially given his wonkiness? He was sold to us as “new” in many of the same ways that Obama was. Any thoughts there?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: The link above opens the Bloomberg article (by Jonathan Weil) about Obama’s appointments and includes bio/historical info about each.

It’s quite educational and provides links and background on each. I’d suggest reading it and I’d be curious as to your response following.

You are offering up an interview in clear support of Obama’s positions on energy, Detroit/Big 3 and foreign policy, but admit ignorance as to the people he is placing in charge of these various mandates.

Read the article. Then opine. As I said, I would be curious as to what you think after seeing the juxtaposition of his interview responses and the appointments made.

As for taking Bill over Bush, that’s another non-answer. What about Clinton’s lack of new policy, especially given his wonkiness? He was sold to us as “new” in many of the same ways that Obama was. Any thoughts there?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: The link above opens the Bloomberg article (by Jonathan Weil) about Obama’s appointments and includes bio/historical info about each.

It’s quite educational and provides links and background on each. I’d suggest reading it and I’d be curious as to your response following.

You are offering up an interview in clear support of Obama’s positions on energy, Detroit/Big 3 and foreign policy, but admit ignorance as to the people he is placing in charge of these various mandates.

Read the article. Then opine. As I said, I would be curious as to what you think after seeing the juxtaposition of his interview responses and the appointments made.

As for taking Bill over Bush, that’s another non-answer. What about Clinton’s lack of new policy, especially given his wonkiness? He was sold to us as “new” in many of the same ways that Obama was. Any thoughts there?

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: But you didn’t answer the question. Yes, he is extremely intelligent and his responses clearly support that. However, what about his appointments? You know as well as I that actions speak louder than words, and now we’re confronted with appointments that would seem to indicate a “business as usual” posture.

What about that? As I said earlier, I’m curious to hear what you think. Which means, don’t continue posting snippets of the interview, but weigh in yourself as to what you think his appointments represent in terms of “change” versus the status quo ante.

You mentioned Clinton earlier and that’s interesting. Interesting, because for an unabashed policy wonk, Clinton came up with very little in terms of new policy during his tenure. He was someone inarguably prepared to be President, from his Rhodes scholarship to his work as governor of Arkansas, but he produced little in terms of substantive policy. There might be some parallels here worth considering.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: But you didn’t answer the question. Yes, he is extremely intelligent and his responses clearly support that. However, what about his appointments? You know as well as I that actions speak louder than words, and now we’re confronted with appointments that would seem to indicate a “business as usual” posture.

What about that? As I said earlier, I’m curious to hear what you think. Which means, don’t continue posting snippets of the interview, but weigh in yourself as to what you think his appointments represent in terms of “change” versus the status quo ante.

You mentioned Clinton earlier and that’s interesting. Interesting, because for an unabashed policy wonk, Clinton came up with very little in terms of new policy during his tenure. He was someone inarguably prepared to be President, from his Rhodes scholarship to his work as governor of Arkansas, but he produced little in terms of substantive policy. There might be some parallels here worth considering.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: But you didn’t answer the question. Yes, he is extremely intelligent and his responses clearly support that. However, what about his appointments? You know as well as I that actions speak louder than words, and now we’re confronted with appointments that would seem to indicate a “business as usual” posture.

What about that? As I said earlier, I’m curious to hear what you think. Which means, don’t continue posting snippets of the interview, but weigh in yourself as to what you think his appointments represent in terms of “change” versus the status quo ante.

You mentioned Clinton earlier and that’s interesting. Interesting, because for an unabashed policy wonk, Clinton came up with very little in terms of new policy during his tenure. He was someone inarguably prepared to be President, from his Rhodes scholarship to his work as governor of Arkansas, but he produced little in terms of substantive policy. There might be some parallels here worth considering.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: But you didn’t answer the question. Yes, he is extremely intelligent and his responses clearly support that. However, what about his appointments? You know as well as I that actions speak louder than words, and now we’re confronted with appointments that would seem to indicate a “business as usual” posture.

What about that? As I said earlier, I’m curious to hear what you think. Which means, don’t continue posting snippets of the interview, but weigh in yourself as to what you think his appointments represent in terms of “change” versus the status quo ante.

You mentioned Clinton earlier and that’s interesting. Interesting, because for an unabashed policy wonk, Clinton came up with very little in terms of new policy during his tenure. He was someone inarguably prepared to be President, from his Rhodes scholarship to his work as governor of Arkansas, but he produced little in terms of substantive policy. There might be some parallels here worth considering.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Breeze: But you didn’t answer the question. Yes, he is extremely intelligent and his responses clearly support that. However, what about his appointments? You know as well as I that actions speak louder than words, and now we’re confronted with appointments that would seem to indicate a “business as usual” posture.

What about that? As I said earlier, I’m curious to hear what you think. Which means, don’t continue posting snippets of the interview, but weigh in yourself as to what you think his appointments represent in terms of “change” versus the status quo ante.

You mentioned Clinton earlier and that’s interesting. Interesting, because for an unabashed policy wonk, Clinton came up with very little in terms of new policy during his tenure. He was someone inarguably prepared to be President, from his Rhodes scholarship to his work as governor of Arkansas, but he produced little in terms of substantive policy. There might be some parallels here worth considering.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

arraya: You’re welcome on the Goethe/Faust reference. My grandma left Germany in 1935 (she was a teacher at a girl’s college near Heidelberg), and she used Goethe to illustrate quite a few morality lessons, as well as to show how a country as educated and intelligent as Germany could bring Hitler to power and ecstatically so.

On another note, and referencing another post: Have you read up at all on Smedley Butler and the US/USMC during the Banana Wars? I’d be curious as to your thoughts. I spent three years down there during the mid-1980s and it completely altered my view of the world, to say the least.

You mentioned Butler regarding uncovering a planned coup during the 1930s, but I was interested to see if you knew of his exploits during the Banana Wars. He was like the Zelig of the 1920s and 1930s, and was a driving force behind the Marine Corps’ SMW (Small Wars Manual), which has become the bible of counterinsurgency. It was written in 1940, and we were using it in the 1980s. Fascinating read.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

arraya: You’re welcome on the Goethe/Faust reference. My grandma left Germany in 1935 (she was a teacher at a girl’s college near Heidelberg), and she used Goethe to illustrate quite a few morality lessons, as well as to show how a country as educated and intelligent as Germany could bring Hitler to power and ecstatically so.

On another note, and referencing another post: Have you read up at all on Smedley Butler and the US/USMC during the Banana Wars? I’d be curious as to your thoughts. I spent three years down there during the mid-1980s and it completely altered my view of the world, to say the least.

You mentioned Butler regarding uncovering a planned coup during the 1930s, but I was interested to see if you knew of his exploits during the Banana Wars. He was like the Zelig of the 1920s and 1930s, and was a driving force behind the Marine Corps’ SMW (Small Wars Manual), which has become the bible of counterinsurgency. It was written in 1940, and we were using it in the 1980s. Fascinating read.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

arraya: You’re welcome on the Goethe/Faust reference. My grandma left Germany in 1935 (she was a teacher at a girl’s college near Heidelberg), and she used Goethe to illustrate quite a few morality lessons, as well as to show how a country as educated and intelligent as Germany could bring Hitler to power and ecstatically so.

On another note, and referencing another post: Have you read up at all on Smedley Butler and the US/USMC during the Banana Wars? I’d be curious as to your thoughts. I spent three years down there during the mid-1980s and it completely altered my view of the world, to say the least.

You mentioned Butler regarding uncovering a planned coup during the 1930s, but I was interested to see if you knew of his exploits during the Banana Wars. He was like the Zelig of the 1920s and 1930s, and was a driving force behind the Marine Corps’ SMW (Small Wars Manual), which has become the bible of counterinsurgency. It was written in 1940, and we were using it in the 1980s. Fascinating read.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

arraya: You’re welcome on the Goethe/Faust reference. My grandma left Germany in 1935 (she was a teacher at a girl’s college near Heidelberg), and she used Goethe to illustrate quite a few morality lessons, as well as to show how a country as educated and intelligent as Germany could bring Hitler to power and ecstatically so.

On another note, and referencing another post: Have you read up at all on Smedley Butler and the US/USMC during the Banana Wars? I’d be curious as to your thoughts. I spent three years down there during the mid-1980s and it completely altered my view of the world, to say the least.

You mentioned Butler regarding uncovering a planned coup during the 1930s, but I was interested to see if you knew of his exploits during the Banana Wars. He was like the Zelig of the 1920s and 1930s, and was a driving force behind the Marine Corps’ SMW (Small Wars Manual), which has become the bible of counterinsurgency. It was written in 1940, and we were using it in the 1980s. Fascinating read.

[Author]

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