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Although many of the core Bush neo-cons, including Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, have been pushed out of the administration, and recent weeks have witnessed the emergence of a more conciliatory posture toward America's "enemies" that is the antithesis of neo-conservative policy proposals, neo-cons remains a force to contend with. So how do they do it? One partial answer to this puzzle is the continued strength of neo-conservatism and its standard-bearers in the nation's media, a point made recently by Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times. "The problem is that so many of them are journalists."
Calling neo-conservative media pundits "journalists" is a stretch -- the fact is, most don't report, they spin -- but Rachman's point is a good one. From top to bottom, from tabloid TV like FoxNews to powerhouse newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post, neo-conservatives have extraordinary presence in the nation's media. And Washington always seems to be listening
Cartoon adapted from Rube Goldberg
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U.S. Army Sgt. Sammy Burkett stands guard after a rocket attack on an oil pipeline near Kirkuk, Nov. 27, 2006. (PHOTO: USAF/Samuel Bendet)
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Before he ascended to the Vice-Presidency, Dick Cheney told the Institute of Petroleum Engineers in 1999 that, when it came to satisfying the exploding demand for oil, "the Middle East, with two thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies." The mysterious Energy Task Force he headed on taking office in 2001 eschewed conservation or developing alternative sources as the main response to any impending energy crisis, preferring instead to make the Middle East "a primary focus of U.S. international energy policy." As part of this focus, the Task Force recommended that the administration focus on convincing Middle Eastern countries "to open up areas of their energy sectors to foreign investment" -- in other words, into a policy of reversing 25 years of state control over the petroleum industry in the region.
While we cannot be sure that this planning itself was instrumental in setting the U.S. on a course toward invading Iraq, we can be sure that plenty of energy was being expended in Washington, planning for the disposition of Iraq's massive oil reserves once that invasion was successfully executed. And the prize in Iraq is certainly worthy of almost any kind of preoccupation. Indeed, Iraq could someday become the most important source of petrochemical energy on the planet.
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On March 3, the Cherokee Nation voted to expel many black members, some from families dating back to the Trail of Tears
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"Capital Goes Gaga over the Queen for a Day," read the Washington Post headline
Iraq shadow falls over Blair, Britain's historic triumphs
Centrists join far right-wing voters to make controversial social conservative president
Had full rights under famous 1866 treaty
FDA creates new post after discovery contaminated wheat gluten given to hogs, chickens
Protesting against companies buying Sudan's oil exports
Nothing more than a" bookkeeping inconvenience" for Khartoum
Supporters pack Federal Appeals Court hearing
As UK seeks extradition of ex-Russian agent for murder of Putin critic
177 prisoners put to death in 2006
Death row inmate took 34 minutes to die
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Developers hope to turn nuclear war bunker into bomb shelter chic
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Stalin's Bunker to Become Putin's Mall
Once top-secret bunker 22 floors beneath Moscow to become giant leisure complex and hotel
Ship workers brought from India to work for Mississippi company
Latinos, Asians least pessimistic
After 15% of youth said suicide bombing "often" (2%) or "sometimes" justified
Also played major role in coarsening the political dialogue in this country
Name-calling more than once every seven seconds in 'Talking Points Memo'
The religious right is known for short answers that fit in a soundbite
"This is not a closure of the station; it is non-renewal of the license"
Deployment of federal troops is pushing drug trafficking from hot spots into other areas of the country.
Ill still hopeful of cure by swallowing rice paper with enscribed prayers
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THE WAR IN IRAQ
POLITICS AS USUAL
