Robert L. Terrell

I hope I am not the only one stunned by the frequently arcane and irrelevant dimensions of the current presidential campaign. I am stunned because neither the candidates, nor the herds of journalists, bit players and commentators directly engaged with the process, seem to be rooted in objective reality.

This is significantly due, of course, to the fact that commentary relevant to presidential politics during this high imperial era is hemmed in by rituals and obligations associated with the essentially unmentionable U.S. empire. Thus, the dominant candidates from the major parties chatter on and on regarding ways in which they intend to tinker with certain policies and practices, but not one of them is consistently addressing the bald reality of empire, and the inevitably disabling consequences that such status demands.

One of the most important demands that comes with the territory, as it were, is the unavoidable necessity for dominant empires to engage in near constant warfare, and at the very least, preparation for wars, real and imagined, just over the horizon. Given the broad, asymmetrical, culturally obtuse, global footprint of the U.S. empire, the biggest surprise to me during this particular phase of the nation’s “Grand Game” engagement is the fact that it is only engaged in two simultaneous wars. Members of the military responsible for strategic planning almost certainly agree.

I make this assertion because I am convinced that any cautious and perceptive scan of the current geopolitical scene clearly and immediately reveals any number of sectors of the U.S. empire that are vulnerable to developments that might require a military response. When such moments occur, and they almost certainly will, where will the troops necessary to meet the challenge come from? Nobody seems to know, and there is little in the commentary of the presidential candidates’ that indicates substantive comprehension of the precarious nature of the nation’s current geopolitical posture. Furthermore, my strong suspicion is that psychological blowback, moral confusion and unacknowledged, collective fear engendered by the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are significantly inhibiting presidential campaign commentary regarding both geopolitical and domestic affairs.

At a time in the nation’s history when intelligent, forthright, nimble, practical thinking is sorely needed, the people with the best possible chances to become the next president of the United States are as much concerned about each others alleged religiosity as they are about what to do regarding the economic tsunami headed this way from India, China and other sectors of the world due to the integrated global economy. My key point is that the presidential campaign’s out of focus take on reality and the problems facing this nation portend extremely tough times ahead for those of us who call this nation home.