Obama, JFK, and FDR
I wanted to point you to my new article at Bob Parry's site Consortium News, one of the few places that regularly posts about Real History. Here's the start of my piece, and a link:
Robert Parry recently wrote of how President Obama's early actions might bring him a "Seven Days in May moment," referring to a fictitious coup attempt from a film of the same name, in which a popular military figure nearly took over the government.Read the rest here. And hat tip to Jim Douglass for pointing us to JFK's comments re "Seven Days in May" in his excellent book "JFK and the Unspeakable."
In Parry's piece, he compared Obama's situation to that of President Jimmy Carter. I was reminded, however, of President John Kennedy's comments regarding his own brush with the "Seven Days in May" scenario, and the dangers Obama too will face.
I was also reminded of the coup that almost came about during President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first term.
posted by Real History Lisa at 7:26 AM - Permanent Link -
1 Comments:
Lisa,
I wish I had time now to write in depth, but this will have to do for now. I was just asked about the prospects of another coup in the US, and while not dismissing the possibility, here is how I compared it to the milieu that generated JFK's murder:
1. While there certainly are a large number of powerful interests that will be aligned against BHO, the uppper strata of our power structure is not nearly as unified in its views today as it was 45 years ago. Being on the edge of the economic abyss, the reality of global warming and climate change, the reality of peak oil, and the abject failure of their own rule has fractured that bloc - for now at least. Certain segments can deny or dismiss that part of this catastrophic hydra, but none can ignore all of it, nor can all ignore a single part of it. In the final analysis, they too are human, and some must be coming to the realization that indeed they do share SOME interest with the "unwashed masses".
2. The brutal and insane cold warriors of the military class 45 years ago were true beleivers in the evil of communism, and the "battle to the death" view of the contest between east and west, thanks to several factors, including: the perceived enemy's unquestioned ability to destroy us, a skillfully constructed, Nazi-inspired propaganda campaign against communism, and the unfortunate cooperation with that propaganda by the communists themselves.
I just do not see a vast majority of the military brass taking such unenlightened and unsophisticated views to heart the way JFK's did. Some do, I'm sure. But not enough to allow a coup planner to feel secure, I don't think.
3. The nation does have a geographic area of opposition to Obama, but there is plenty of support for him within those borders, as well. And the southern opposition does not have the overwhelming political clout in their own communities they had in 1963. The Civil War Echo of 1963 was far louder and more potent than the one we are left with today. I do not believe that an entire swath of the nation will feel threatened with complete destruction of the social order by anything Obama does. Again, some will feel that way, but not the society as a whole.
Anyway, there's more, but I have to end here. I am reading "The Unspeakable" VERY slowly - in part because of time constraints, but also because I am savoring it as I go, like a fine wine. I agree that it absolutely is the masterpiece of JFK Assassination literature, and will be making a gift of it to many.
Cheers!
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