Good News!

by Lisa Ann Pierce, WAMM

Cheney Fails to Gain Arab Support Against Iraq

By all Middle Eastern accounts, Dick Cheney's recent visit to the region failed in its attempt to gain Arab support for an action against Iraq. Newspapers from Israel to Iraq reported Cheney's failure in securing allies against this member of the "axis of evil." The Arab nations are reportedly angry over the Bush Administration's willingness to stay on the sidelines of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict while taking on Iraq full bore (BBC News Online, March 21, 2002).

U.S. and British Leaders Finding Their Voices Again

After months of toeing the line, Senate Democrats are beginning, if tentatively, to challenge aspects of the Bush Administration's "war on terrorism." Their criticism comes late and remains weak but may signal a chink in the Washington armor of manufactured consensus. Sen. Robert Byrd (Dem., WV) criticized Bush's war plan, Sen. Tom Daschle (Dem., SD) spoke against a rush to war with Iraq, and Sen. John Kerry (Dem., MA) also spoke out against the proposed attack. In addition, Kerry took some shots at Bush's "axis of evil" remark during the State of the Union address (MotherJones.com, March 4, 2002).

Meanwhile, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Dem., OH) has been more bold. In a recent speech, Kucinich took a strong stand against the Patriot Act, the continuing "war against terrorism," and the resulting war economy. In closing, he said, "The defense budget grows with more money for weapons systems to fight a cold war which ended, weapons systems in search of new enemies to create new wars. This has nothing to do with fighting terror. This has everything to do with fueling a military industrial machine with the treasure of our nation, risking the future of our nation, risking democracy itself with the militarization of thought which follows the militarization of the budget."

The murmurs of dissent have been much louder in Europe, with the possible exception of Britain, where Prime Minister Tony Blair's government has remained loyal to the Bush Administration. But March saw an emerging dispute in the British Parliament regarding the war. British MP Peter Kilfoyle led the debate against the deployment of 1,700 commandos to Afghanistan for "mop-up" of the fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The former defense minister warned Blair's government that "it is a very murky, messy picture that we are putting our troops into. Of course, the precedent for the situation we find ourselves in is Vietnam and of course Harold Wilson, under great American pressure, kept us out" (BBC News Online, March 20, 2002).

BP Will Halt Its Political Contributions Worldwide

"BP, the world's third-largest oil company, announced [February 28] that it will halt all of its political contributions worldwide. The decision appears to reflect a desire to avoid accusations of influence peddling in the era of Enron, and could set a precedent for other companies. It could also be seen as a triumph for anti-globalization activists and other organizations, which BP CEO Sir John Browne said had 'intensified scrutiny' on corporate activities. Browne said the company would continue to engage in policy debate, but would not fund any political activity or party. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, BP, which makes about half of its money in the United States, spent $1.1 million on the 2000 U.S. elections, with two-thirds of the total going to Republican candidates. BP was the first major oil company to acknowledge the threat of global warming" (Good News Agency, March 8, 2002).