The libertarian website LewRockwell.com contains an excellent commentary ("The Election From Hell") about the current U.S. process for picking the next frontman to be President of Ex America. This extravaganza has gone on forever. What an embarrassing, dreadful waste of time and money!

I do not use the term "frontman" flippantly, nor do I disparage the office of the President. But at this stage of American history, please understand that any occupant of the Oval Office is in a box. That person by necessity will be part of a corrupt, established system based on governance by powerful and selfish lobbies. Add to that a national agenda driven by long-held, false assumptions, and you have a problem, big time.

Thanks to these exigencies, especially with respect to foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, Uncle Sam is fast going the way of Jingo John Bull in the aftermath of World War II. Which is to say, bankrupt and clueless. Nonstop wars and over-expansion have taken their toll, just like they did for England. This ridiculous war in Iraq on behalf of Zionism and in quest of cheap oil is the last straw.

Going down a similar path not too many decades ago, certain notable characters in Whitehall, on the banks of the Thames in London, had the delusion that they could manipulate the world at large for the rest of recorded time, ostensibly to benefit humanity. They were wrong. In the run-up to the Great War of 1914--in which Russia, France and England targeted Germany--there were many intelligent English Lords who were honestly mistaken. 

For example, British Foreign Secretary,  Sir Edward Grey. He was in a position to call off the Great War before it got started. Instead, he let it happen and even facilitated it. In the run-up to World War II, 25 years later, there was no longer any excuse for such vainglory and foolishness. In any event, there were far fewer Englishmen of the old school left. The all-important concept of primum non nocere--first, do no harm, neither to yourself nor to others--was not fully understood and appreciated.

At the end of the day, it all came down to the half-American adventurer, Winston Churchill, who was simply a warmonger, a grandstanding fool, and a jackass. It was a lethal combination for the British, who were to lose everything for nothing. Churchill had been an outcast during the years since the Great War, and for good reason. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that English diplomacy had ruined the world.

In view of the horrible consequences of the “War to make the world safe for Democracy", there was no enthusiasm inside the English ruling establishment in the late 1930's for another full-scale European conflagration, which would only make matters worse. It was deemed not to be a good idea for England or for its Empire, not to mention Western civilization as a whole. The problem was, by then London was no longer calling the shots. Washington was.

Roosevelt and Stalin wanted that war for their own national and geopolitical reasons. The historical record is clear for any open-minded person to examine. World War II destroyed Europe and the British Empire. Mission accomplished. In the aftermath, Washington and Moscow ruled the world by default during a frightening era known as the Cold War. To what end? And what next? Are you happy now, gentlemen? Primum non nocere!

--Copyright 2008 Patrick Foy--