A huge debate within the broad Left continues on Obama's politics and philosophy and what it means for the future. Linda Burnham the author of Women, Race and Political Power maintains that Obama

represents the possibility of "substantive change" and that he has "wrenched the Democratic Party "out of the clammy grip of Clintonian centrism." On the other side Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report responds "remnants of the Black and left movements have been neutralized by imperialism's Black champion." He also points out that Obama built his Cabinet "a house as Clintonian as anything Bill ever built, with plenty of room reserved for the Bush gang."

I will argue that the pro-Obama Left wants to attach itself to Power and not Confront it with a military budget, much larger than Bush's, with the escalation in Afghanistan/Pakistan, with another 75.8 billion supplement, not including many millions for the "Black Programs" such as space based spying and the Blackwater mercenary killers. Obama will provide more money for the corporate agenda abroad,

such as more billions to Israel and more prisons and money for FEMA, that pointed weapons at the victims trying to flee Katrina. Who are some of the key architects in the White House helping Obama to support and maintain political economic and military hegemony for U.S. imperialism? Obama is in

favor of keeping the military tribunals, he went to Appellate Courts, like Bush did to keep secret the CIA rendition connections, he talks about human rights and supports an extension of the Patriot Acts and with his silence supports FISA that spies on US citizens.

First there is Robert Rubin. Secretary of the Treasury during the Clinton regime, worked hand in hand with the IMF and implemented the neo-liberal "shock doctrine" that worsened the crisis that in South East Asia, Russia and Latin America. Under Rubin, the Glass Steagal Act of the 30's was repealed which erased the separate functions of commercial and investment banks which became a huge factor in the sub prime problem, the main trigger for the "economic crisis" for people not the banks. Then comes Larry Summers, the chief economist for the World Bank in 1991. He is now Director of the National Economic Council inside the White House. He wrote an internal note saying that the under populated countries of Africa are "under polluted" compared to Mexico City or L.A. and that there should be a greater migration of pollutant industries to the least developed countries.

Tim Geithner former chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York and now Secretary of the Treasury following his mentors Rubin and Summers when he was under Secretary and helping to provide trillions to the Banks, AIG, Goldman-Sachs and other financial institutions. Robert Gates, former C.I.A. Director under GHW Bush and now Secretary of Defense who follows his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld in theory and practice. Just the other day Obama in the spirit of "bi-partisanship" added the Republican Governor of Arizona, and a high ranking campaign consultant to John McCain as Ambassador to China. But he is fluent in Mandarin.

Obama opposes a single payer health insurance saying it is "ideologically driven." When asked by Diop Olugbala of the Uhuru Movement about targeting of the African and Latino communities with

Predatory "sub prime" mortgages which enabled Obama's chief financial advisor Penny Pritzker to strip those families of billions Obama's answer, "the problem has been around for a long time."

When asked about his response to the shooting by police of unarmed Black people he said he supported the judge's acquittal of the cops that murdered Sean Bell. At the behest of Israel Obama refused (and encouraged other countries not to attend) the Durban Review Conference on Racism correctly expecting Zionism to be branded as a racist ideology.

Is it any wonder that before Obama was favored to beat Hillary Wall Street provided him with more cash. Why not? He is more intelligent and better able to use military and diplomatic means to protect the Corporate imperialist interests.

May 16, 2009