Yesterday at the Tea Party Rallies that took place across the United States the message being driven home ranged from a broad denouncement of government spending to a call to audit the Federal Reserve.

The rallies set a great precedent for bringing these topics to the forefront of the American conciseness, but the discussion needs to continue.

When talking about defect spending, foreign adventures by the Pentagon have to be included in the conversation.

The fact that a rapid end to the United States military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan is not being openly considered by the Obama administration is mind-boggling. Especially when one considers President Obama’s campaign promises on Iraq, it would only make sense, given the economic crisis to accelerate a complete withdrawal from Iraq. Instead the withdrawal is trudging forward at a place slower than originally promised. And when you add to Iraq a significant increase in spending being planned for Afghanistan, it becomes time for the American people to demand some answers as to how long the US can continue their current empire.

Last week when the military budget was continually referred to as a cut when in reality it was a 4% increase overall was also shocking.

Having the economy as story one, two and three every night on every news outlet, is just not healthy.

The Iraq Occupation, for example, might as well be over as far as the MSM is concerned. Obama simply gives a rough time table that includes a substantial residual force, and it becomes a forgone conclusion that the occupation is winding down. Some mainstream news organizations are even considering pulling out of Iraq completely.

The underlying problem is that the spending overseas is not being discussed because according to the mainstream press, for peace activists or people who just simply don’t want the money spent overseas, Obama is the best and only option they have, so they better be happy with what he decides to give them.

This ties into why it was so upsetting to see the Tea Parties hijacked by the Limbaugh and Fox News, because then of course the wars will not be mentioned. The right wing establishment is more than happy to treat the spending over seas and domestic spending as completely different issues, which are not connected in anyway.

While the left side of the establishment believes that they own the moral high ground when it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan, so it need not be disgusted in relation to spending. They essentially sell the line: “Obama’s doing his best.”

It’s difficult not to be fascinated by the gymnastics performed by the corporate press to avoid this issue.