Why has our government made other countries "friends" or "enemies".
I used to think that it was whether the governments of those countries played ball with large and powerful corporations - like the "oil"igopoly or the factory farmigopoly, etc.
After all, Iraq was a friend when Reagan/Bush Cheney/Rumsfeld were trading arms for oil with Saddam Hussein, even though he was torturing and maiming his own citizens. But then he became an enemy and we "had to take him out".
Iran was bad under elected Mosadek, good under the brutal Shah but bad under the crazy Mullahs.
And take Columbia CORRECTION Colombia - there's been a lot of brutality there but we've cut deals with them going back a ways under Dems and Repugs.
But lately I've been wondering about what Prince Bandar, former Saudi ambassador to U.S. on 9/11/2001 said on Larry King live.
King asked him about all the building in Saudi Arabia, and the wealth of the Sheiks vs the masses and what about the corruption.
Bandar smiled a wry smile and said we have the standard rate of corruption, 20% - which I took to mean that the "elite" got 20% of what the taxpayers spent on new projects.
And I've wondered how many American administrations and Canadian, British,etc, etc expected the same benefits as president and elected officials.
Mulroney of Canada had his finger in some pot - there was a suit filed against him although I don't know the outcome and when Reagan was president, Mulroney was pushing Canadian taxpayers to pay $1 billion for ONE nuclear submarine to patrol the arctic -- ONE F.......G Submarine???? I wondered how one patrols the Arctic waters with one submarine, lol.
I do not think that Obama is corrupt...but I have no problem believing the Bushes and Cheneys and others considered themselves elite entitled to a piece of the action.
So I'm tossing out this for a laugh, willing to bear the slings and arrows sure to come my way for a frivolous, meaningless diary...I welcome the recipes...not a good cook.