Five years of not-so-straight talk
It's not just the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. It's also the fifth anniversary of misleading or plain wrong statements about it and the war on terror. Here's a few.
"This long-term struggle [against terror] became urgent on the morning of September 11th, 2001. That day we saw clearly that dangers can gather far from our own shores and find us right there at home.... Understanding all the dangers of this new era, we have no intention of abandoning our friends, or allowing this country of 170,000 square miles to become a staging area for further attacks against Americans."
--Vice President Dick Cheney
(Making the 9/11 connection is a more delicate dance than it was five years ago, but Cheney keeps finding ways to make the leap.)
"I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you...in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks."
--President George Bush
(Warfare as romantic? No one's bought this line in five years, or for that matter, five decades.)
"Well, it’s common knowledge and has been reported in the media that Al Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran. That’s well known. And it’s unfortunate."
--John McCain
(Iran certainly trains extremists and ships 'em to Iraq, but they're not affiliated with Al Qaeda.)
"The surge is working. And as a return on our success in Iraq, we've begun bringing some of our troops home. The surge has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around -- it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror."
--George Bush
(Salon does it better than I could.)
For a few bloviator blasts from the past, see Christopher Cerf and Victor S. Navasky's Op-Ed.
And of course, not everyone was off....
The Times editorial board wrote on March 14, 2003:
In a post-9/11 world, the president argues, things are different. The nation must protect itself. Yes. So the question becomes, would an invasion of Iraq make the United States and the world safer? If the world community unites to do it, yes. But a U.S.-led invasion, without sanction from the United Nations, would make this nation and the world at large more dangerous....
The Bush administration's months of attempts to justify quick military action against Iraq have been confusing and unfocused. It kept giving different reasons for invasion....
The administration tried mightily, and failed, to show a connection between Hussein and the 9/11 perpetrators, Al Qaeda. Had there been real evidence that Hussein was behind the 9/11 attacks, Americans would have lined up in support of retaliation....
Throughout the Middle East, a postwar occupation of Iraq would become part of the myth of an American empire come to wreak havoc on the Muslims. This refueled resentment would not make the world safer. It would not make the streets at home safer. The cost of war would be high, perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars. Add on costs to occupy Iraq while rebuilding it and the price tag would be higher still. Without U.N. support, these tremendous expenses would be borne largely by American taxpayers.
OK, Bush and McCain don't understand the complexities of the Middle East. Bush claims the surge is working, but senior military commanders from the Pentagon announced today that they need to put off plans for further reductions of troops in Iraq (at least until the end of the summer).
McCain believes al Qaeda and Iran will work together, not understanding the hatred between radical Sunnis and the Shiite population.
Yet the LA Times writes, "Iran certainly trains extremists and ships 'em to Iraq..." There is no evidence of this. Iran has an interest in stability on their border. So would we. Iraq attacked them for nearly a decade in the 1980s. We assisted Saddam in that violent action. Iran does not train extremists. They are not extreme, violent or war-mongering.
They did not support the creation of Israel. They do not believe the 1948 UN/US decision was in the best interest of the Middle East. I do not either. The people have been fighting over God for thousands of years.
God does not want us to fight. God did not promise any group land on this earth. God wants us to share this bountiful land, learn to respect differences and tolerate our various beliefs and cultures.
I look forward to the day that people in the USA will begin to speak honestly to the masses.
Posted by: Scott Goold | March 22, 2008 at 09:40 AM
President Bush has no idea the strain thats put on the friends and families of service members that are currently deployed. I have been to Iraq two separate occasions and each time my family spent a lot of sleepless nights watching the news seeing if I would be another useless casualty for this useless war. To top it off as soon as we are back home we can just as easily be sent right back after no more than a year at home. And you will get that year if you are lucky.
Posted by: Lee | March 22, 2008 at 08:54 AM
HOW DARE YOU publishBush's horsedropping remarks that "...He's a little envious..." of our troops fighting in Iraq. This chickensh-- chickenhawk HAD the opportunity to serve in Vietnam, but he chose to hide behind Barbara Bush's skirt, until daddy's puppet masters could get him into the Texass 'Guard' - where there is NO proof he actually did his 'DUTY.' This arrested development, snot-nosed child has NEVER faced reality, nor consequences for his ignorance and privileged upbringing...'You're doing (done) a heck of a job, Barbara!'
Posted by: robert No longer in L.A. | March 22, 2008 at 08:35 AM
Interesting that when brave sir Shrub had his chance at "romantic" warfare, back during that Vietnam thing, he spent his time chasing women and getting drunk and shirking his modest duties in Texas and Alabama. what a pathetic excuse for a human being. what a chickenhawk. what a disgrace.
Posted by: ran | March 22, 2008 at 08:09 AM
We went to war in Iraq because they had weapons of mass destruction ; as it turns out there were no weapons of mass destruction. Now we are not in a recession the economy is just fine. Another fallacy perpetuated by our president.
Posted by: Tammi Butts | March 22, 2008 at 06:00 AM
Osama bin Laden must be so pleased that his plan worked just as he'd hoped, bankrupting us and winning us the world's scorn. It's nice that we've cooperated so completely in our own demise as a world power, having learned no lessons from history and having elected such an idiot as Great Leader.
The question now is, are we going to be fooled again on Iran? Bush is just aching to start a war with them, too, you know he is.
This Empire's ending, just like all the rest. (h/t Randy Newman)
Posted by: Susan | March 22, 2008 at 04:18 AM
"I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you...in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks."
If it's all that romantic and wonderful, why wasn't he on the front lines when he had the opportunity to go, instead of doing everything he could to avoid it?
Posted by: P J Evans | March 21, 2008 at 07:45 PM
"I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you...in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks."
--President George Bush
"I also remember that I had the chance during the Vietnam War to help that country attain democracy but instead I chose to join the national guard and stay in Texas because well frank my daddy said I could. And so good luck to all of you soldier. Don't get killed now. The American people thanks you and they elected me. I thank you. God bless you."
---President George Bush
Posted by: nick | March 21, 2008 at 07:30 PM
To those of us paying attention, 911 was clearly a false flag attack.
Posted by: Joseph | March 20, 2008 at 03:39 AM