BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

So, Obama went to war. Well. Sort of. Obama launched a bunch of missiles against Libya and is trying to get out of it as quickly as possible. Or at least that's the "let's not call it war" way of presenting it. Past protests of Bush and his followers not withstanding, launching missiles on an army is war. So Obama went to war.

Somewhat predictably, those who are always against war no matter what instinctively moved to condemn American hegemony (as did those who are against America doing pretty much anything no matter what). Some of the criticism is valid in my opinion. Some of the argument against action, notsomuch.

Ethan Bonner of the (soon to be paywalled) NYT has penned a piece called "Crackdown Was Only Option, Bahrain Sunnis Say".  And the meme is apparently being spread all over the media.  It goes like this:

Some of us were kinda/sorta with the protesters early on, but now they are threatening us!  Asking for too much!  Banking stability is what matters most, and Bankers are worried about keeping Bahrain stable, meaning the Gulf Coast Council is worried at keeping a Sunni hegemony for their members, all of whom have now sent troops to Bahrain to help quell rebellion.

What was once not altogether a Shiite rebellion may BE one now, given that regional Sunnis have joined the fight.  Good God. And of course, the Masters of the Universe give the US a pass, as the Fifth Fleet is there, and we ain't gonna do anything to upset the Saudis or challenge them past Obama and Clinton urging 'maximum restraint' and (assumedly) not firing on peaceful protesters.

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

Mr. Kuhner,

My name is Eric L. Wattree. I'm Black, and I’ve been a independent voter all of my voting life. I was recently referred to an article that appeared in your publication, written by Tracey L. Wells, entitled "Why black Americans reject the conservative movement."

After reading the article I was both insulted and appalled. Not only did I find the article to be a gross generalization of all Black people, as though we lack the ability to engage in independent thought, but the tone of the article was grossly condescending toward the Black community and totally lacking in any substantive facts to support her thesis. In fact, the article itself serves as a monument to why many Black voters reject the conservative mindset.

Last December it was quietly announced by the US Air force that part of the $60 billion arms deal the Obama administration had secured with the Saudis included the training of pilots and flight crews for the 84 new F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets included in the package.  The planes can reach speeds of Mach II and can pack missiles, bombs and 20mm cannons.  They are capable of air-to-air or air-to-ground combat.

The deal has not been finalized, but it has been announced that the pilots will be trained at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.  The first pilots are due to arrive in 2013, and training is schedule to run from 2014 to 2019 with the possibilities of a program extention.

Going to use this thread to post information on topic in comments rather than clog up the "In the News" section with multiple posts. And others are welcome to contribute if they'd like.

First item from Al Jazeera's Libya Live Blog:

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

Now that we've reached the anniversary of 9-11, I am consumed by one thought - in light of what I've seen over the past year I find myself much more afraid of Bush, Cheney, and Ashcroft than I am the Al Qaeda. While I understand that terrorists strike without warning to destroy life and property to promote their own agenda, it has become increasingly clear that Bush and his cohorts threaten to be even more destructive by attacking life, liberty, and the very foundation of this nation in the promotion of theirs.

Over the past year these conservative war mongers have been playing the American people like a fiddle. Now they want to sacrifice American lives for nothing more than their own political advantage. Just ask yourself, what does Saddam Hussain have to do with 9-11? Absolutely nothing. Evidence of that can be found in the fact that if Saddam had been involved in 9-11 the administration would have gone after him initially. So why is it suddenly so imperative that we invade Iraq now? I'll tell you why. Since Bush was unable to produce the head of Osama Bin Laden, he now needs another villain to take Bin Laden's place in order to keep his numbers up in the polls - and if that means having to sacrifice a few American lives and ignite even more terrorist activity on American soil in the process, so be it.

For those who are neither economists nor actors who play them on tv, it is not as easy as it is for Paul Krugman. With a Nobel under his belt, his Princeton and New York Times credentials intact, and maybe with an eye to not having to run naked through the streets, he tells us he has