The Latest Episode of "Occupation Rebranded"

[Truth2Tell]

http://www.alternet.org/story/133676/

283 Bases, 170,000 Pieces of Equipment, 140,000 Troops, and an Army of Mercenaries: The Logistical Nightmare in Iraq

By Jeremy Scahill, AlterNet. Posted March 30, 2009.

Why you'll be paying for the occupation for years to come, withdrawal or not.

With last week's announced escalation of the war in Afghanistan, including an Iraq-like "surge" replete with 4,000 more U.S. troops and a sizable increase in private contractors, President Barack Obama blew the lid off of any lingering perceptions that he somehow represents a significant change in how the U.S. conducts its foreign policy.

In the meantime, more reports have emerged that bolster suspicions that Obama's Iraq policy is but a downsized version of Bush's and that a total withdrawal of U.S. forces is not on the horizon.

In the latest episode of Occupation Rebranded, it was revealed that the administration intends to reclassify some combat forces as "advisory and assistance brigades." While Obama's administration is officially shunning the use of the term "global war on terror," the labels du jour, unfortunately, seem to be the biggest changes we will see for some time.

Underscoring this point is a report just released by the War Resisters League, which for decades has closely monitored the military budget, revealing how many tax dollars are actually going to the war machine. The WRL puts out its famous pie chart annually just before tax time as a reminder of what we are doing exactly when we file our returns. Noting that 51 percent of the federal budget goes to military spending, the WRL said it does "not expect the military percentage to change much" under Obama.

http://www.alternet.org/story/133676/">More...

[SpartanDem]

1. yup

no change in foreign policy minus that whole actually using diplomacy thing.

Clinton Says Afghan Aid Needs Overhaul as Nations Meet on Plan


March 31 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama’s review of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan revealed widespread failures in development aid programs, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said before a United Nations conference today in The Hague.

There’s been “very little credibility for what’s already been invested,” Clinton told reporters yesterday en route to the Netherlands. “A lot of these aid programs don’t work.” The new U.S. approach involves “looking at every single dollar as to how it’s spent, and where it’s going, and trying to track the outcome,” she said.

The one-day summit on Afghanistan will be an opportunity to share those findings with 72 other nations and more than a dozen international organizations, and discuss how each can contribute

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7e6IRF0G2ts&refer=home