“I Would Have Bombed Auschwitz” - Democratic Underground

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Mon Jan-14-08 12:01 PM
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“I Would Have Bombed Auschwitz”

“I Would Have Bombed Auschwitz”
By David Glenn Cox

Is anyone surprised that George W. Bush would make such a statement? Show of hands? Me? I’m not surprised in the slightest, especially since he said it while at the Holocaust memorial in Israel. A pandering politician working the crowd like a pandering rock star announces from the stage, “Your town rocks!” Even though maybe he’s doubtful as to what town he’s actually in.

Of course he would have bombed Auschwitz, he would have bombed Berlin in 1948 and he would have bombed Cuba in 1962. Hell, he probably would have bombed Woodstock if he’d had the chance. The President in his historical ignorance has no knowledge of the long debates that went on inside the war department over whether to bomb the Nazi concentration camps. Strange as it sounds the US military had a policy of not bombing prisons of any type with the argument that you kill more prisoners than guards.

We are talking about B-17’s not B-2’s, they would fly over with several hundred planes and drop bombs while under fire, a precision operation it wasn’t. The allies had tried concentrating on bombing the German aircraft industry out of existence, the Germans responded by decentralizing production. At wars end the Germans had more planes than pilots including two fully operational jet fighter squadrons. Something the US wouldn’t have for another decade, the allied air corps finally figured it out that bombing targets that could be easily moved accomplished very little.

Once they concentrated on the German fuel making capacity the Nazis were brought to their knees in short order. Oil refineries and coal gasification plants could not be moved or rapidly replaced. The allied leaders held this archaic notion of minimizing civilian casualties, a notion that our current leadership doesn’t share or has never known. The French civilians suffered horribly under allied bombing attacks. But the allies felt they had no choice, as it was the only way to dislodge the Nazis from military positions.

The concentration camps were prisons, bombing them would not have shortened the war by one hour. Emotionally, it sounds like a great idea but you don’t fight wars on emotion at least not successful wars. Lets say, the allies began to bomb the camps, the German’s might have responded by putting more resources into to killing more prisoners faster not including the prisoners killed in the air raids. The Nazi’s would have decentralized the camps bringing even more misery and death because the war would have been prolonged.

The camps were liberated by advancing armies forcing the Nazis back thus ending their reign of terror forever by killing the Nazi’s and not the inmates. But what can you expect from a President who couldn’t guess a number between one and ten with eleven chances? A man who as he approaches the end of his political life appears as clueless as on day one. A man who still fails to understand that war is the result of failed politicians not the successful ones.

The President’s trip is a legacy chip, so future generations will see the photo’s of the President in Israel with the caption, “President promoting his peace plan for the Middle East.” Photos which future generations may believe but those of us who have lived through it will know as a sham. The President is worried about his legacy as well he should be and as we all should be. The legacy of the presidential giants such as Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson lasts centuries while others truly successful, the Roosevelt’s, Truman’s and Kennedy last decades.

We have survived unsuccessful Presidencies before but enormity of this Presidents failures will loom large on the horizon for the rest of our days. This President came to power with a balanced budget and with no serious enemies to threaten our global supremacy. He squandered the peace dividend, he failed to protect us both domestically, militarily and economically. In almost every category imaginable America is worse off save CEO salaries and tax rates for the top 1% of the population.

Our European allies fear us, fearful of what we might draw them into. Almost every world political leader who has aligned themselves with the President has been ejected from office save the ones elected by gunfire. In Asia, the communist Chinese have free reign to do as they wish, holding the US hostage with their larder grown fat on exported American jobs. In South Asia, India fears becoming entangled in the US foreign policy web, backing away from a cheap nuclear fuel deal. Pakistan is in tatters and only time will tell if George’s buddy the unelected dictator Mushariff will survive.

In Latin America, the United States spends billions to prop up repressive regimes. The US continues to treat Latin Americans countries as American colonies with the net result of an ever-increasing number of governments hostile to US interests. The demonizing of Hugo Chavez has made him a hero in Latin America and made his efforts toward a Latin American monetary sphere a viable reality. The chances of foreign policy success in Latin America are slim to none and slim left town.

Our relationship with Russia is at it’s worst since the end of the cold war. A foreign policy designed to isolate Russia and demonize its president Vladimir Putin. Working to destabilize former Soviet Republics on one side while pointing US missiles from the other. A stupid and shortsighted policy at best, Russia is an emerging economic powerhouse and won’t be denied. The original post cold war strategy was to tightly bind the Russians to the capitalist philosophy and to merge her into the European sphere. This administration has done the opposite and has fostered the belief inside the Russian government that only by the return of A Soviet style Union can their borders be secured.

In the Middle East, Israel’s military strength has never been stronger but her political strength has never been weaker. A tottering Lebanon, destabilized by military intrigue from all quarters, assaults on Syria and the Palestinians in Gaza leaves the region a tinderbox.

In Afghanistan, the government controls barely more than the room they stand in and the military controls only as far as their guns will shoot. Like the Iraqi’s they check off the days of the calendar counting down to the end of the Bush administration. As Bush has become a symbol of intransigence and hypocrisy. With his claims of promoting democracy while foisting puppet Quisling regimes on the native peoples. Exemplified by any friendly government no matter how brutal their reign or the system of rule receiving military aid as long as it bows down and kisses the Presidents ring.

This brings us to Iran, the victim of a prolonged smear campaign. The Iranians have been accused of every thing but the Lindbergh kidnapping. Six years of a constant and relentless accusations of a clandestine nuclear program. A campaign that would move the goal post every time the Iranians made any attempt at conciliation. Then when the President is proved wrong he claims that proof of no program is proof enough that they could have had a program. Accusing the Iranians of supplying insurgents in Iraq while the United States supplies insurgents anywhere in the world a government refuses to bow down.

The President used this trip to speak to the commander of the US 5th fleet whose guided missile cruiser and destroyers felt threatened by speedboats. Speed boats that by their own admission never closed within 500 meters. Completely within the legal range of approach especially considering that it is a narrow channel. The President claims the speed boats are a provocative act forgetting that US warships ten miles off the Iranian coast might also be seen as a provocative act. The US reserves the right to stop and board any ship with in its territorial waters but the President feels provoked the Iranians drive by.

But it doesn’t matter to this administration, the Iranian speedboats could have been pulling skiers, it makes no difference. They have an ideological agenda that is totally detached from the facts on the ground. The President makes statements such as. The US should have bombed Auschwitz to say in affect that I’m a better friend to Israel than they were. Historical revisionism at it’s finest, its easy to say, 60 odd years later but a true friend works to help their friends not to flatter them.

The Bush legacy can be summed up in one word, failure, and two more terms as President couldn’t undo half the damage. Maybe next year the President will tell us at Thanksgiving, If I had been President at the first Thanksgiving, I would have invited twice as many Indians!”