Are actions in the Middle East and October surprise?

The weekly rant by Terrie Albano

Was right-wing Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon's visit to Temple Mount this election's October surprise? That question couldn't be asked if not for the 1980 Ronald Reagan and George Bush campaign.

The story goes that Reagan/Bush were afraid President Jimmy Carter would secure the release of the 52 American hostages held in Iran before the 1980 elections. So they entered secret negotiations with the Iranians. Reagan/Bush bribed Iran with money and illegal arms if they delayed the release of the hostages until after the U.S. elections.

Like most good conspiracies, it worked. But there was enough suspicion and evidence to warrant a House investigation. There were witnesses who put Bush Sr. in Paris dealing with the Iranians.

Many argue that big oil interests colluded with the CIA, the Republicans and foreign intelligence services to unseat President Carter.

These forces were angry that Carter wasn't generous enough towards the CIA and was too concerned with human rights.

The Reagan/Bush election unleashed an anti-labor, anti-people corporate offensive. Reagan made clear his intentions to bust unions when he fired the air traffic controllers. As a vehement opponent to civil rights, Reagan went to Philadelphia, Mississippi the place where Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner, three heroic civil rights workers were killed in June 1964 and never mentioned their names or struggle.

The Reagan/Bush and Bush/Quayle years developed the "shadow government" made up of CIA and National Security Council operatives who directed government policy out of the basement of the White House. Under Reagan and Bush, CIA covert operations proliferated. Billions of taxpayer dollars were poured into CIA projects, including death squad operations throughout Central America and Africa.

Is this "deja vu all over again?" The right-wing is salivating to get back into the White House. Eight years of Clinton/Gore is more than they can deal with. So they nominate Papa Bush's son, Dubya, and a Reagan/Bush Secretary of Defense and big time oil exec, Dick Cheney.

This ticket is literally cut from the same right-wing, big oil, finance capital cloth. In the People's Weekly World expose of Cheney (8/19/00), author Ray Leos wrote: In an October 1998 speech to an oil exploration group in Corpus Christi, Texas, Cheney drew parallels between his role as CEO and his role as defense secretary saying there was no difference between the two jobs. "In the oil and gas business, I deal with the same people," he said.

Chaos in the Middle East means big oil and military profits, monopoly corporate interests which the Bush/Cheny ticket would represent well.

It also wouldn't be unprecedented for the Israeli right-wing to have a self-interest in U.S. elections. In a 1992 congressional investigation, Carter testified that Israel's Likud government had opposed his re-election. Notes from that investigation quote Carter as saying "I felt Israel cast their lot with Reagan," because of a "lingering concern ... that I was too friendly with Arabs."

Everyone knew there were problems in the peace process. The recent Camp David talks were not successful. The Palestinians were aggravated that things hadn't significantly changed with still large numbers of the population living as refugees, in extreme poverty with few rights. The Barak government was coming under heavy fire from the very vocal and powerful Israeli ultra-right.

So on an October day, Sharon, staged a provocation which was like throwing a match on a powder keg. Intersecting interests? Sabotaging the peace process and influencing the U.S. elections in a right-wing direction all in one shot?

Even if you don't believe in "vast right-wing conspiracies," the fact remains that a right-wing victory in November will set back the cause for social justice. The Reagan/Bush and Bush/Quayle years led to a pro-corporate onslaught that set back labor, civil, women, human and democratic rights. They perpetrated terror on people throughout the world with their CIA covert operations. It led to the biggest growth of corporate welfare, deficits, and military incursions in recent history. It led to the most violent government corruption, including officials involved in illegal drug and arms trades.

Let's deal a November surprise and defeat the Republican right.