Stephen Lendman

Times editors reinvented war goddess/Wall Street tool Clinton into a mythical US presidential candidate of unparalleled stature, ignoring her high crimes - while bashing Trump relentlessly.

He’s a billionaire tycoon businessman with no public service record. As me-first lady, US senator and secretary of state, Clinton’s rap sheet warrants condemnation, not praise, prosecution and imprisonment, not high office.

Times editors papered it over, saying she supports “America’s (important) role in the world…hewed to (Obama’s) policies (while being) somewhat more willing to intervene militarily.”

“She was an early supporter of arming and training Syrian rebels fighting (Assad)…called for a no-fly zone to protect Syrian civilians…was a strong supporter of” ousting Gaddafi. She “believes…in diplomacy backed by military sanctions…helped put in place tough…sanctions on Iran,” supports using NATO “in addressing terrorism from ISIS and other groups.”

Fact: All ongoing US wars are illegal, waged without Security Council authorization. Clinton fully backs what demands denunciation.

Fact: She abhors diplomacy, wars of aggression against nonbelligerent states her strategy of choice.

Fact: So-called “Syrian rebels” are US-supported death squads, terrorist fighters recruited from scores of countries, murdering civilians, using chemical and other illegal weapons, committing other atrocities.

Fact: Security Council members alone can authorize no-fly zones. Clinton wants it instituted to prevent Syrian self-defense against US-backed terrorist invaders. She doesn’t give a damn about protecting civilians.

Fact: Her orchestrated war on Libya was naked aggression, raping and destroying Africa’s most developed country, part of America’s global hegemonic agenda.

Fact: Sanctions on Iran were illegal, imposed solely for political reasons, US ones largely remaining in place, flagrantly violating last year’s nuclear deal.

Fact: Clinton wants NATO used as a tool for enforcing US imperial policies, not combating ISIS and other terrorist groups it supports.

Times editors: Trump “is pushing radical nationalist and isolationist ideas…has a fallacious view of America…in decline and disrespected abroad…plans to disengage from the world, tear up trade deals and use bullying tactics (that) would be irrational and dangerous.”

His wanting NATO used largely to fight terrorism “would threaten the nation’s international role and put at risk a Western-led world order.”

His “approach would play into the hands of…Putin…eager to have NATO unravel, (giving) him more freedom to expand Russian influence.”

His questioning massive US overseas troop deployments “would profoundly affect” America’s security, reducing its global influence.

Fact: It’s unknown precisely what Trump would do as president. He has no public record providing clues. At the same time, it’s hard imagining radically shifting from dirty bipartisan business as usual.

Putting America first campaigning isn’t isolationist. It’s political posturing. Longstanding bipartisan policy endorsing “American exceptionalism” and “the indispensable nation” backs the US supremacist agenda, imperial madness, endless wars of aggression reflecting it.

Trump is right about America in decline and disrespected abroad. The late historian Gabriel Kolko believed its downward trajectory began during Truman’s early 1950s aggression on North Korea, accelerating during its Southeast Asian war, hastened post-9/11 by endless conflicts in multiple theaters.

Trump’s anti-TPP rhetoric will be tested if elected in November. Presidents back what business wants. TPP and its counterpart TTIP empower corporate interests to override national sovereignty and domestic laws - anti-consumer, ecocide measures by any standard, serving investor rights exclusively, likely including Trump’s business interests.

He differs from other presidential aspirants largely in rhetoric and style. If elected in November, expect him to be like all the rest, supporting special interests at the expense of all others.

Times editors saying he “seems to care very little about relations between nations” is absurd. He’ll try using them in pursuit of America’s hegemonic agenda like his predecessors.

He’ll pursue policies responsible for making America the most feared, widely despised nation on earth.

He’s unlike Clinton in being less likely to start WW III - an unacceptably high risk with her as president.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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