Regime Change

For a country founded on the concept of democracy, we have become distressingly comfortable with overthrowing other countries' governments. You remember democracy, don't you? You know, people voting to install leaders of their own choosing?

The idea of democracy is that the people -- not some foreign power, not some despot, not some dictator -- decide who guides their ship through the sea of politics.

We decided Iraq's leader (you remember Saddam Hussein, right?) had morphed from friend to foe, and started a war with the stated and achieved objective of regime change.

We figured we could take out Muammar Qaddafi in the name of regime change ... and look how that worked out. Libya is in ruins and its people are fleeing like roaches when the lights come on.

We're pissed off at Venezuela for refusing to genuflect at our command so we have the CIA select, train and deploy an opposition leader to implement regime change against a democratically elected leader. And before you condemn Venezuela's election of Maduro as fraudulent, remember the U.S. election of 2000 where the brother of the presidential candidate threw his state's votes to his brother, ensuring victory by "hanging chad." Glass house -- no stones.

We've never gotten over the Shah being deposed forty years ago, and are itching to start a war with Iran with the stated goal of ... you guessed it ... regime change. And lest you say "but what about Iran's terrorist activities?" let me remind you that Saudi Arabia has sponsored more terrorists (who have actually attacked Americans on American soil) than Iran, but we're just fine with that regime.

The U.S. has a long and tawdry history of mucking around in other countries' affairs. Assassination, inciting dissent, fomenting unrest, running disinformation campaigns, training and arming dissidents -- exchanging governments like ugly Christmas sweaters -- all in the name of regime change.

Has it ever occurred to anyone in the hallowed halls of American government to ask by what right they meddle with other nations' leadership? By what sense of noblesse oblige do we preach democracy, yet disregard the will of the people in those countries where we exert our own will?

Come to that, how ironic is it that Russia has engaged in a little regime change in the U.S.? What else do you call it when you throw an election in favor of your chosen patsy -- who didn't win the majority of the popular vote? Electoral college be damned, majority vote of the people is kind of a cornerstone of democracy.

I think it's time for the U.S. to practice what it preaches, and let the people of other countries choose their own leaders. And I think it's time for some of that regime change at home.