Loose cannons

Making the issues move forward

"The idea is that you want to have a legitimate Iraqi interim authority in place because it makes the issues move forward more quickly, including the pumping of oil." — US State Department official, quoted in April 25 New York Times.

Now that Iraq's under his heel

"In the days and months ahead there will likely be a rearrangement of the footprint [of US forces] in the [Persian Gulf] region." — US General Tommy Franks, commander of "Operation Iraqi Freedom", April 27.

Living in denial

"The great thing about the American empire is that so many Americans disbelieve in its existence... They think they're so different that when they have bases in foreign territories, it's not an empire. When they invade sovereign territory, it's not an empire." — New York University economics professor and self-confessed "neo-imperialist" Niall Ferguson addressing the US ruling class Council on Foreign Relations think-tank, April 28.

Hard time

"The US is having a hard time figuring out how to wield its colonial power, how to balance collegiality with coercion, how to savor the fruits of imperialism without acknowledging its imperialist hubris." — New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, April 30.

From Green Left Weekly, May 7, 2003.

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From GLW issue 536