As Vietnam wore on, critics developed the "Guns Versus Butter" argument: We are wasting endless resources on foreign military expenditure (guns) instead of needed domestic expenditures (butter.) It's happening again. Trump, Cruz and Clinton's rhetoric against Iran and Russia are much more aggressive than Sanders. Since the President dominates foreign policy, their rhetoric, acted on, under austerity, would mean relatively more guns and less butter than under a Sanders presidency.
An election should be a chance for dialog, not just a personality contest. Congress failed to limit our bipartisan "defense of freedom" in Vietnam. Can voters, through party leaders, stop the mission creeping cretins of Washington? Bush's destruction of Iraq set fire to the always smoldering Muslim Middle East. But the Middle East, with 1.4 billion Muslims, though burning, won't go away, nor will the deepening Muslim hostility to us and to an expansionist Israel.
True nationalist conservatives, moderates, conscientious liberals and progressives should insist the parties refuse further funding for "regime change." A party can switch to a policy of strategic disengagement. Cease fire unless fired upon; remove all U.S troops while evacuating threatened minorities (willing to leave with resettlement support.) Call a world conference for Peace and Repartition.
Our regime changes and drone bombing bring revenge terrorism home. Washington's bipartisan policy has already cost $1-2 trillion. Under austerity that money does not fund domestic jobs, build infrastructure, fund public scholarship for higher education, etc. It makes for stinginess about health care, Social Security payment cuts, and even food stamps for the poor. The mosaic of American identities cracks and parts grind resentfully against one another. Can we limit this one evil first, and hope for a peace dividend?
Voters never got to vote on any step of our "mission creep." Neither party's candidates will get my vote(s) unless they adopt a platform plank that forbids further funding for Middle East regime change. Ms.Wasserman -- Schultz, Mr.Priebus, etc.: how, otherwise, will this end? How will it not get ever worse? Starve this metastasizing cancer! Clip all hawks wings!
