In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
In the same blind, but out of the loop
Bob Herbert calls it the Wrong War, quoting Richard Clarke's new book, "Against All Enemies":
"I expected to go back to a round of meetings examining what the next attacks could be, what our vulnerabilities were. . . . Instead, I walked into a series of discussions about Iraq. At first I was incredulous that we were talking about something other than getting Al Qaeda. Then I realized with almost a sharp physical pain that Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz were going to try to take advantage of this national tragedy to promote their agenda about Iraq."
Soon would come the now-famous encounter between Mr. Clarke and President Bush in the White House Situation Room. According to Mr. Clarke: "[The president] grabbed a few of us and closed the door to the conference room. `Look,' he told us, `I know you have a lot to do and all . . . but I want you, as soon as you can, to go back over everything, everything. See if Saddam did this. See if he's linked in any way.' "
"I was once again taken aback, incredulous, and it showed. `But, Mr. President, Al Qaeda did this.'
" `I know, I know, but . . . see if Saddam was involved. Just look. I want to know any shred. . . .' "
The president wanted war with Iraq, and ultimately he would have his war. The drumbeat for an invasion of Iraq in the aftermath of the Qaeda attack was as incessant as it was bizarre. Mr. Clarke told "60 Minutes" that an attack on Iraq under those circumstances was comparable to President Roosevelt, after Pearl Harbor, deciding to invade Mexico "instead of going to war with Japan."
Here's what some New York Times letter writers think about Clarke's testimony to the 9/11 commission:
To the Editor:
It was a particularly cynical ploy for Richard A. Clarke to apologize to the families of the 9/11 victims, a small proportion of whom were present (front page, March 25). Exploiting their misery was a theatrical ploy beyond decency.
The simple fact is that the 9/11 attack on America was the most audacious terrorist action since the Trojan horse. No one of either political party could have been expected to anticipate it.
All the finger-pointing in the world will not change that fact. Let's get on with the war on terrorism, and base our votes in the coming election on which party is more apt to succeed in protecting us.
JACK B. SHAPIRO
Beachwood, Ohio, March 25, 2004
Wonder whom he's voting for? Notice the usual Continental Divide: never mind the facts when all things are political. Never mind that we wouldn't even have an investigation if it weren't for four suburban moms who lost their families and got nothing but stonewalling and utter apathy from this arrogant administration; it's forever Us versus Them -- even when Americans of every political stripe lost their lives on American soil, along with international visitors who had every reason to feel safe -- or thought they did. Now it's the familiar piping tune, "Let's move on" as if this were all water under the soon-to-be-blown-up bridge.
It bears repeating: As entirely predicted, the Bush attack comes full force, but this time there's a difference: people are under oath, and it's a bipartisan investigation about facts -- in other words, allegations that either are or are not backed up. In this context, the kneejerk Republican smear tactic may seriously backfire, and their scrambling makes it worse and worse. Under oath makes everyone look like a liar, especially when someone says something true, like "I failed you."
What're gonna say to that, "No he didn't"?
The cynical attempt to turn this into Them versus Us is also unconvincing: If it were Clinton's fault for not acting quickly or efficiently enough to thwart ominous warnings, well, how come? Because he WAS BEING IMPEACHED at the time. The blame machine in this case turns into a two-way Finger Pointer.
"Trust us" --- Um, two skyscrapers are down and a jumbo jet crashed into the Pentagon --- "we know everything": You do? Then how come you didn't do anything to prevent the catastrophe?
I think the Republican right wing should constitutionally amend their political mantra to "We know everything, except when we didn't know anything, we're in the same blind, though not always in the loop, trust us."
- Michael 11:39 AM - [PermaLink] -
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