Building An Empire
by
James O'Hara
Letter to the Editor:
In 2002, a congressman asked why President Bush wanted to invade Iraq. Paul Wolfowitz of the Defense Department responded, "Get real. We're building an empire!" He added Iraq will be just the beginning of generational wars.
Wolfowitz was one of Bush's many staffers who studied under Professor Leo Strauss at the U. of Chicago. Strauss' speciality was knowing how empires succeed. Shadia D. Drury, in her book, LEO STRAUSS AND THE AMERICAN RIGHT, says, "Strauss is the philosophic guru of Washington's neoconservatives whose influence on the Bush administration is nothing short of profound."
Strauss laid out several requirements for an empire. First, deception is a necessity; Bush must be able to deceive his followers, known as "the Beasts". Second, though Strauss hated organized religion, he said "the Beasts" must be herded into dogmatic religions, such as Christianity, so they can be controlled. Third, personalize your enemy. Bush said we are going to war against Saddam Hussein, not against Iraq. Fourth, Strauss said if you are not at war, start one - tell "the Beasts" you are protecting their security. and they will obey you. The elite rule, the Beasts follow.
As tragic as 9/11 was, Bush and his staff said it gave him the opportunity to put his empirical doctrine to work. Congress ordered an investigation to determine how our intelligence permitted 9/11 to happen. A cursery investigation cleared Bush and his staff of any wrongdoing. However, Congress is being forced to reinvestigate that issue.
For Bush, 9/11 justified a glancing blow at Afghanistan and a full assault on Iraq. Bush's popularity soared. Now that Bush's ratings are falling, the neocons are busy devising some way to restore Bush's popularity. These are the same ones who created the deceptive Iraq WMD stories. What dastardly deed will that be? And will we Beast believe them and Bush again?
James M. O'Hara