| Topic: |
Science > Prophecies-Of-Nostradamus |
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"=?utf-8?B?4pi6IC7CtzoqwqjCqCo6wrcuwrc6KsKowqgqOsK3LiAg4pmlIFVuY2xlIFdhbGx5IFJ1bGV6ICEgRlJJQ0sgeWVhaCAhIOKZoy4uLkhPT1JPTyAh4pmm4pmg4peY4peL4peZ4pmC4pmA4pmq4pmr4pi84pa6LsK3OirCqMKoKjrCty4g4pml4pi6wqnCruKEog==?=" |
| Date: |
05 Mar 2007 09:05:14 PM |
| Object: |
The drumbeat of disaster is getting louder and louder....6/3/7 |
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=3D2&item_no=3D13627=
6&version=3D1&template_id=3D46&parent_id=3D26
The drumbeat of disaster is getting louder and louder
Published: Monday, 5 March, 2007, 09:29 AM Doha Time
By Michael Goodwin
NEW YORK: The other day, a friend asked, =E2=80=9CIs it just me, or are the
wheels coming off the world?=E2=80=9D It=E2=80=99s not him =E2=80=94 the wh=
eels are coming
off. And that was true before reports of an assassination attempt
against Vice President ***** Cheney in Afghanistan.
The drumbeat of disaster is getting louder. Events in Iran and Iraq
only grow worse. Pakistan and Afghanistan would apparently rather
fight each other than Al Qaeda. We seem on the verge of a new Cold War
with Russia. China is mad at us because Cheney expressed concern about
its growing military strength. I=E2=80=99m no fan of Cheney=E2=80=99s, but =
I share his
China worries.
The attempt on his life, which killed more than 20 people, including
two Americans, came despite an information blackout about his trip to
Pakistan and Afghanistan. That the terrorists reportedly knew he was
at the Bagram base, even though American news organisations were sworn
to secrecy, is a chilling reminder of the nature of this war. We don=E2=80=
=99t
know who the enemy is, but they know where our leaders are.
So much for the bad news.
The good news is ... well, there isn=E2=80=99t any good news.
Unless you feel better knowing that Congress is still debating whether
to debate Iraq. Or perhaps you=E2=80=99re one of those people who feels smug
for keeping your money under the mattress instead of in the stock
market. Many on Wall Street are convinced that last Tuesday=E2=80=99s plunge
is the start of a serious downturn in global markets, and maybe the
economy.
If the pessimists are right, we=E2=80=99re headed for the dismal combo of
fighting World War III and facing an economic crisis =E2=80=94 at the same
time.
And who will rise up and lead us out of this mess? Certainly not
George Bush, who every day drives us deeper into the muck. The White
House repeatedly denies it plans to attack Iran, but I don=E2=80=99t believe
it. The constant ratcheting up of pressure appears aimed at forcing a
confrontation. Even the new =E2=80=98summit=E2=80=99 in Iraq smells like an=
attempt to
make the case for war.
Better that Bush listen to the counsel of caution from Fouad Ajami,
the Mideast scholar and author who says, =E2=80=9CIran is a radical player =
in
the world of states, to be sure, but we should not overstate its
power.=E2=80=9D Writing in US News & World Report, Ajami warns that =E2=80=
=9CIt is
important that we do all we can to thwart Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear ambitions =
and
to checkmate it in arenas that count, but we should always remember
that this is a society swimming against the tide of history and
confronting the limits of its capabilities. There is an Iranian role
in Iraq, but it should not be exaggerated.=E2=80=9D
That=E2=80=99s the sort of smart, strategic thinking we in America have a
right to expect from the baker=E2=80=99s dozen of candidates pining for Bus=
h=E2=80=99s
job. But we=E2=80=99re not getting it. We=E2=80=99re getting small talk and=
tactical
political manoeuvres. One reason is that Bush=E2=80=99s failed presidency h=
as
stilted all debate into a knee-jerk response: You=E2=80=99re either for or
against whatever Bush is doing at the moment. It=E2=80=99s a bind that
inhibits independent approaches and creative thinking, not to mention
bipartisan cooperation.
We=E2=80=99re going to need all those things to work and fight our way out =
of
this global crisis. We can start by realising that a divided America
is a weakened America. The rest of the world already knows as much.
That=E2=80=99s why there is a growing list of those against us instead of
those with us. =E2=80=93 MCT
* Michael Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New
York Daily News.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
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| User: "mukyuk" |
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| Title: Re: The drumbeat of disaster is getting louder and louder....6/3/7 |
06 Mar 2007 12:36:52 AM |
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Do not trouble yourself with such things, for this life is just a temporary
shadow and will one day be over, regardless.
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