Friday, November 11, 2005

Can we go to the tapes please…

I think Mr. Rove may be back at work. There’s currently spin coming out of the White House that utilizes many of the diversionary tactics of the past. The line being sold is that the current critics of Bush’s rationale leading up to the Iraq War are undertaking revisionist history. The Bush administration asserts that many of his critics also believed that Saddam was attempting to acquire “Weapons of Mass Destruction” or possibly already had such weapons.

This is the White House’s frequently used tactic of juxtaposing seemingly related information to generate a conclusion that seems logical but in fact does not hold up under close scrutiny.

Yes, many world leaders, French, German and even U.S. leaders such as Clinton included, believed that Saddam possessed chemical and biological weapons… however… that does not mean that they believed that the threat was significant enough to warrant a war. Many felt that Saddam was adequately contained and that the international community’s goals in regard to Iraq could be attained through peaceful means. Also, the fact that many world leaders believed that Saddam possessed such weapons does not mean that they also felt that those weapons were a real threat to the United States or that Iraq was a base for terrorists activities (which now, as a result of Iraqi border breakdown, it is). Additionally this does not change the fact that the Bush Administration manipulated intelligence to support its war agenda. The continued references to 9/11, the use of discredited evidence of Iraq’s nuclear capabilities, and the repeated assurances from administration officials, such as Cheney, that there would be a quick resolution to a war in Iraq, are all instances of manipulation, if not of intelligence then of the American people. The Bush Administration incited fear among the Americans in order to advance its own agenda.

We act as if we have no memory and no record of what led up to the war. We act as if it’s a “they said, we said,” situation that’s all a matter of opinion. We have the video. We have the interviews and the speeches and even a record of the arguments made opposing the war.

What I think we need is a review of the tapes. Let’s look at what was said and how it was said. I think Cheney’s interviews will be particularly interesting. Wouldn’t it be remarkable if all the news organizations stopped feeding us the canned crap they normally feed us and actually undertook such a review… hey maybe even during primetime. (Why should Dateline have all the fun?)

If Clinton was impeached for lying about sex… you get the drill… Of course congress needs to take a hard look at its own fortitude and political will…

Whether you agree with me or not, let the news outlets know what YOU want from them. Email them. You usually have to go their websites but it’s a small thing that we can do. Ask them to review what was said instead of just quoting the current rhetoric.

Email:
CBS
NBC
FOX
CNN
et. al.

(My thoughts on the reasons for the War in Iraq are outlined in the archived post from Friday, August 19, 2005, entitled:
Bush and the Reasons for the War in Iraq)

6 comments:

PoliShifter said...

Nicely Said. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. I completely agree with your assesment. You said exactly what I think but much more eloquently.

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Russ said...

Yes, let's roll the tape:

CNN'S LARRY KING: "What about enhancing this war, Senator Kerry. What are your thoughts on going further than Afghanistan, all terrorist places ..." KERRY: "Oh, I think we clearly have to keep the pressure on terrorism globally. This doesn't end with Afghanistan by any imagination. And I think the president has made that clear. I think we have made that clear. Terrorism is a global menace. It's a scourge. And it is absolutely vital that we continue, for instance, Saddam Hussein." (CNN's "Larry King Live," 12/14/01)

"In The Four Years Since The Inspectors, Intelligence Reports Show That Saddam Hussein Has Worked To Rebuild His Chemical And Biological Weapons Stock, His Missile Delivery Capability, And His Nuclear Program. ... It Is Clear, However, That If Left Unchecked, Saddam Hussein Will Continue To Increase His Capability To Wage Biological And Chemical Warfare And Will Keep Trying To Develop Nuclear Weapons." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, Congressional Record, 10/10/02, p. S10288

Rep. Pelosi (D-CA): "Saddam Hussein Certainly Has Chemical And Biological Weapons. There's No Question About That." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 11/17/02)

Sen. Levin: "The War Against Terrorism Will Not Be Finished As Long As [Saddam Hussein] Is In Power." (CNN's "Late Edition," 12/16/01)

I could go on with direct quotes from Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton, Howard Dean, Sandy Berger, Jay Rockefeller, Joe Biden and John Edwards...ALL saying that Hussein was a threat to the US.

Congress authorized the president to use force in Iraq. I'm amazed at the short term memory loss displayed by Democrats and liberals. I guess Clinton really did inhale.

laney2217 said...

Dear Russ...

Did you actually read the post before you wrote your comment?

Russ said...

Absolutely Lane. You seem to think that it's okay for liberals to say, "Yes, he has WMD's...but let's wait until he uses them on us."

Good tactic.

P.S. If you go to L's birthday party, I promise not to mention politics the whole night. I don't want to argue that night.

Russ said...

The continued references to 9/11...

Sorry Lane...I was writing an awful lot about this at the time, and I don't recall any speech I heard or read where the administration tied Iraq to 9-11.

The Bush Administration incited fear among the Americans in order to advance its own agenda.

Again...your opinion. I don't recall fear incited by anyone. Seriously...what fear are you talking about?

I like what you are trying to do here. I for one would LOVE to see what everyone had to say about the war back then. This administration, as well as the Clinton administration. Reasons, etc. Roll the tapes.

Russ said...

For instance...Google "Clinton, Iraq, 1998" and read the first story, the one from CNN, December 16, 1998. The one where Clinton orders more military strikes against Iraq.

Guess he didn't see Iraq as a threat, huh? He just wanted to kill a few Iraqis for the hell of it.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9812/16/clinton.iraq.speech/

Or check out this story about Clinton tying Iraq to Al-Qaeda:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/527uwabl.asp