you make a good point: IF this congressman would kick up a shit storm, a real one. But even the best of them never do. They give speeches, but they never put their jobs or reputations with their fellow club members on the line. You would think, in reference to our two wars, that since some people are willing to die for their country, some of these so-called representatives would be willing to engage in acts of civil disobedience (hell, we don't even need that in this case: all we need is civil obedience) in congress. Imagine congressmen on hunger strikes in the chamber until the law is enforced: a Gandhian fast to the death. Or what if scores of them resigned in protest at the brokenness of the system, to drive home to the public how screwed up things are? But it is a farce.

That I can not understand how some nations feel they have the (moral) right to tell other nations what weapons they can and can not have (especially when they have them themselves). It seems to me any sensible Iranian leader in this world would seek to have nuclear weapons as a deterrent: it seems to be the only way to avoid being invaded at the whim of the more powerful nations. Of course I understand it in terms of the logic of empire, where might makes right, and justice is doing good to our friends and evil to our enemies, etc. But all the self-righteous language, attempting to couch it in moral terms, makes me want to puke. Makes me think of the ancient Athenian empire—which had the virtue of occasionally speaking plainly (see Thucydides, the Melian Dialogue, etc.:

For ourselves, we shall not trouble you with specious pretences- either of how we have a right to our empire because we overthrew the Mede, or are now attacking you because of wrong that you have done us- and make a long speech which would not be believed; and in return we hope that you, instead of thinking to influence us by saying that you . . . have done us no wrong, will aim at what is feasible, holding in view the real sentiments of us both; since you know as well as we do that right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.

Melians. As we think, at any rate, it is expedient- we speak as we are obliged, since you enjoin us to let right alone and talk only of interest- that you should not destroy what is our common protection, the privilege of being allowed in danger to invoke what is fair and right . . . And you are as much interested in this as any, as your fall would be a signal for the heaviest vengeance and an example for the world to meditate upon.

Athenians. The end of our empire, if end it should, does not frighten us . . .We will now proceed to show you that we are come here in the interest of our empire, and that we shall say what we are now going to say, for the preservation of your country; as we would fain exercise that empire over you without trouble, and see you preserved for the good of us both.

Melians. And how, pray, could it turn out as good for us to serve as for you to rule?

Athenians. Because you would have the advantage of submitting before suffering the worst, and we should gain by not destroying you.

And do it goes. Obama is our Pericles, I suppose. Probably our fall will be as terrible. I hope it is past the generation of my children and their children. but who knows when Nemesis will fall?

During the Iran hostage crisis I was actually a recruiting NCO in my local army reserve unit, along with other duties, and attending Louisiana State University as an undergraduate (and reading Thucydides and learning Greek). And there were these huge patriotic rallies by the frat houses, calling on us to invade Iran, etc. So Iwas put in a sort of Monty Python mood by the sight of all these . . . hmmm . . . young men waving flags and calling for war, so I put on my uniform and went out to the rally with some enlistment forms on a clip board and a pen for the signatures, and started asking these folks to enlist, since they were so anxious to send me away from my studies in this good cause. The many excuses I got to NOT enlist were quite moving (in that I felt moved to puke). But they would be proud of me, they said. So proud.

I then went back to translating Thucydides--focusing on the Melian Dialgoue--and thinking about all these things.Still thinking after all these years.

Like I tell my students: read the text.

You wrote: The conservatives, on the other hand, those who seek to secure and stabilize the American system as it has been given to them by history, can be found in the Democratic Party. By American system I refer to the ogre generated by the Reagan Revolution reformation of the New Deal state.

That is well said, sir. It sums up my feelings about the kind of politics Obama represents, which the stimulus affair makes clear (Wall street in charge, etc.) When I voted for Obama I thought I would be voting for an intelligent corporatist technocrat who had a better chance of keeping our boat from sinking than McCain, who unaccountably chose a lunatic as a running partner. But clearly the American experiment has ended in a strange and surrealistic failure.