Madness, I Tell You: Saber Rattling at West Point

"Under the 'Veterans Choice Plan' being promoted by Rep. Andy Harris (Republican of Maryland), veterans could either choose to continue receiving care through the VHA or go to a private provider of their choosing. In what amounts to a voucher system, the federal government would cover the cost of insurance premiums and some out-of-pocket costs, depending on a veteran's priority ranking...

"The moves to privatize veterans' health care underscore the hypocrisy of the bipartisan glorification of soldiers and veterans. It also sets a precedent for privatizing Medicare and Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor." (VA secretary resigns amid push to privatize US veterans' health care, World Socialist Web Site)

Is there any doubt that Obama forced General Eric Shinseki to step down so he could start to dismantle the VA? And if Obama cares so much about veterans, then why hasn't he spoken out before about other veteran-related issues like the epidemic of suicides, rapes, traumatic brain injury or PTSD? Obama's phony outrage is just a headline-grabbing gimmick to conceal what's really going on, which is the VA is being handed over to America's insatiable health care tycoons on a silver platter.

Obama again:

"For the foreseeable future, the most direct threat to America, at home and abroad, remains terrorism, but a strategy that involves invading every country that harbors terrorist networks is naà ¯ve and unsustainable. I believe we must shift our counterterrorism strategy, drawing on the successes and shortcomings of our experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to more effectively partner with countries where terrorist networks seek a foothold."

Obama's comment absurdly implies that the US has learned from its past mistakes and has fine-tuned the art of counterterrorism so it doesn't involve the squandering of valuable resources. What a joke. It's like listening to a Mafia hit-man boast that he 's learned how to save money on ammo by strangling his victims with his bare hands. This is also a good example of how the Dems think they're more effective (and discreet) in executing the elitist/corporate agenda than their rivals in the GOP. As if that was the purpose of the party!

Obama also made a few perfunctory remarks about closing Guantanamo, ending indefinite detention and taking steps to address climate change. But clearly these had nothing to do with the main thrust of the speech which was to announce his intention to expand the wars abroad. Citing hotspots in Syria, Ukraine and the South China Sea, Obama promised to "lead" with the military, asserting, by implication, dominion over these regions where the US claims to have "national interests."

Obama is as committed as his predecessor, Bush, to rule by force of arms even though his current adversaries (Russia and China) are not ragtag militias in sandals, but nuclear-armed nation-states who could level the better part of the planet with a flip of the switch. Even so, Obama is determined to pursue the same provocative strategy whatever the risks increasing the probability of a miscalculation that ends in a mushroom cloud.

It's madness.