the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 26, 2009
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the new President of the U.S. has been presented in the media as the beginning of a new era–an era of “change,” as Obama himself has repeated countless times.
Undoubtedly, one part of the world toward which the U.S. desperately needs change to its policy is the Middle East. Just before the New Year, the Israeli military launched a massive attack, bombing and invading the heavily populated Gaza Strip.
So what did Obama say when civilians were being killed and their homes razed to the ground in Gaza? “We cannot have two administrations at the same time simultaneously sending signals in a volatile situation.” He avoided taking a position, in other words.
That’s not like the Barack Obama who did not hesitate a moment to take a position in support of the shameless, trillion-dollar bailout of Wall Street. Nor is it like the Barack Obama who said that workers have to sacrifice to help out the auto bosses.
It was only a way to say that Bush and Obama have the same policy on the Middle East.