Push, shove or orchestration?

There are other ways to view what took place on November 7, 2006:

"The Democrats didn’t win anything; that’s all hogwash. Bush was buried beneath an avalanche of bad news which was timed to begin with the release of Bob Woodward’s book “State of Denial”, followed by the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), Lancet’s Iraqi casualty report, the Mark Foley page fiasco, and a barrage of ethics-scandals, corruption investigations, and intensified coverage of the war. It was a carefully-coordinated coup intended to install “adults” (like Robert Gates) in positions of power, change the policy in Iraq, and remove Rumsfeld and Cheney from office. " -- Mike Whitney, Information Clearing House. Read it all here.

Whitney, like Chris Floyd, take a deeper, somber, and ultimately cynical view of the process in the 21st century USA. I have to admit, I sometimes visit there, too. But a part of me still believes that it is not all about the "old order" (Jim Baker, Bush I) and "new order" Republicans (Cheney and Co.), warring behind the scenes. And if it is true, then it has always been true, and America, since perhaps the beginning, has been Mr. Jefferson's worst nightmare.

No, I'm not ready to live there yet. And it is a nasty place to visit.

"The American power structure -- across its (extremely narrow) ideological spectrum -- will never acknowledge the true extent of the criminality, inhumanity and moral evil that the war of aggression in Iraq represents. How can they, when Bush's policies are only slightly more radical, slightly more brazen versions of the bloodsoaked arrogance, aggression and impositions of the glorious bipartisan past?"
-- Chris Floyd, Empire Burlesque. Read the whole thing here.