03-25-2004, 07:27 AM
What Richard Clarke is saying is nothing new. It has been known for a long time by those who get their information from sources other than right-wing propagandists that members of the Bush administration had dreams of invading Iraq as the first step towards a much greater goal. Do the words New American Century ring a bell to anyone? If they do, then you know what I'm talking about.
The war against Iraq was sold to the American public on a platform of baldfaced lies. It was never marketed as a humanitarian gesture, as Kosovo was, but as a case of self defense against an immediate and deadly threat. In September of 2002, Dubya actually claimed that the IAEA believed Iraq had nuclear weapons since 1999. Forged documents were presented as proof of the ominous menace of Saddam. The American public was threatened with the spectre of a "mushroom cloud" if they hesitated to invade.
Unfortunately for the Dubster, many people actually object to being lied to so openly and disdainfully. It's true! The Bush administration, wanting to invade Iraq, knew that mere pleas for humanitarian intervention wouldn't be sufficient to mobilize support and quash dissent, so they came up with fabricated tales of cooperation with al-Quaeda and a threat so horrific that we couldn't even wait the three extra months UN inspector Hans Blix claims would be needed to make a conprehensive assessement of Iraq's weapons capabilities. No, we had to go now! NOW! Terra! Mushroom cloud!
When someone is allowed to lie so openly and unashamedly, there needs to be repercussions, otherwise you can be assured that they will lie again whenever it is expedient. It is a triumph of propaganda and a testament to the ignorance and apathy of the American public that attempting to hold the Bush administration accountable for its myriad of open lies is considered tantamount to being pro-Saddam or treasonous in some circles. But here we are over a year later, 200 billion dollars drained from our treasury, over 500 of our finest men and women flown home at room temperature, our longtime allies wanting little or nothing to do with us, Osama bin Laden nowhere to be found, not to mention those phantom Weapons. There's no reason to believe we're any safer from terrorists than we were in the days preceding the war, and in fact a message has been sent to the Muslim world that we are a threat to their way of life, which can only increase the number of people willing to die to fight what they see as the Great Satan. And by changing the focus of our military action from the people who attacked us to a nonthreatening state, our president has trampled on the graves of the 3,000 who died on 9/11 and spit in the faces of the families and friends they left behind.
Fuck Dubya, he doesn't give a rat's ass about national security. His actions prove it. He's shown more concern for fighting gays, abortion, and stem cell research, than he ever has for making sure Americans are safe from all threats foreign and domestic. He's a disgrace.
The war against Iraq was sold to the American public on a platform of baldfaced lies. It was never marketed as a humanitarian gesture, as Kosovo was, but as a case of self defense against an immediate and deadly threat. In September of 2002, Dubya actually claimed that the IAEA believed Iraq had nuclear weapons since 1999. Forged documents were presented as proof of the ominous menace of Saddam. The American public was threatened with the spectre of a "mushroom cloud" if they hesitated to invade.
Unfortunately for the Dubster, many people actually object to being lied to so openly and disdainfully. It's true! The Bush administration, wanting to invade Iraq, knew that mere pleas for humanitarian intervention wouldn't be sufficient to mobilize support and quash dissent, so they came up with fabricated tales of cooperation with al-Quaeda and a threat so horrific that we couldn't even wait the three extra months UN inspector Hans Blix claims would be needed to make a conprehensive assessement of Iraq's weapons capabilities. No, we had to go now! NOW! Terra! Mushroom cloud!
When someone is allowed to lie so openly and unashamedly, there needs to be repercussions, otherwise you can be assured that they will lie again whenever it is expedient. It is a triumph of propaganda and a testament to the ignorance and apathy of the American public that attempting to hold the Bush administration accountable for its myriad of open lies is considered tantamount to being pro-Saddam or treasonous in some circles. But here we are over a year later, 200 billion dollars drained from our treasury, over 500 of our finest men and women flown home at room temperature, our longtime allies wanting little or nothing to do with us, Osama bin Laden nowhere to be found, not to mention those phantom Weapons. There's no reason to believe we're any safer from terrorists than we were in the days preceding the war, and in fact a message has been sent to the Muslim world that we are a threat to their way of life, which can only increase the number of people willing to die to fight what they see as the Great Satan. And by changing the focus of our military action from the people who attacked us to a nonthreatening state, our president has trampled on the graves of the 3,000 who died on 9/11 and spit in the faces of the families and friends they left behind.
Fuck Dubya, he doesn't give a rat's ass about national security. His actions prove it. He's shown more concern for fighting gays, abortion, and stem cell research, than he ever has for making sure Americans are safe from all threats foreign and domestic. He's a disgrace.