Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Through The looking Glass
Into The Distorted World of Donald Rumsfeld
Yesterday Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gave speech at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. That is I think it was yesterday. If we only go by what he said it could have been December 1991, January 1998, September 2001, or probably any day between December 1991 and December 2005 or even December 2020. The message is always the same; Iraq is a mortal threat to the United States. It intends to attack America and destroy ‘our’ way of life. Now that wasn’t true in December 1991, January 1998, or September 2001 and isn’t true today. Considering how badly the Bush Administration
is screwing up who knows if it will be true in 2020?
Here are some quotes from yesterday’s speech.
1. “If we do not succeed in our efforts… to defeat the terrorists in Iraq this is the kind of mayhem these terrorists emboldened by a victory will bring to our shores. Let there be no doubt.”
2. “Simply put, defeating the extremists’ aspirations in Iraq is essential in protecting the lives of the American people.”
3. If we allow al Zarquari and bin Laden to seize power Iraq would serve as the base of a new Islamic Caliphate to extend throughout the Middle East and would threaten the legitimate governments of Europe, Africa, and Asia. This is their plan.”
I have provided a video link for the SAIS speech and ensuing question and answer period. It lasts for just over an hour.
I have a few problems with Secretary Rumsfeld’s theories. Statement number one sounds a lot like the days of Vietnam when we had a choice of confronting the Godless Communists in Southeast Asia or on the California beaches. His understanding of Iraq is no better than his lack of understanding Vietnam. An even bigger problem is when and how did terrorists end up in Iraq?
Saddam Hussein was/is an evil vicious man. He’s a man to whom human life means nothing. To call him scum of the earth is to put scum in bad company. He supported terrorists during his entire reign of terror. However the scope of his activities changed after the first American-Iraqi War. He no longer was involved on an international scale as he was in the 1980’s. With one exception his terrorism became regional in nature. His regime has not attempted an anti-Western terrorist attack since its failed plot to assassinate former President Bush in 1993 in Kuwait. Hussein gave financial support to Hamas and other Palestinian groups. He aided Iranian dissident groups like Mujahedeen-e-Khalq and the PKK a separatist group fighting the Turkish government. Iraq never again reestablished its prewar international terrorism.
This in no way is meant to lessen the horror and viciousness of the groups he supported. But it makes totally false the assertion that Iraq would participate in attacks against the United States. In fact he may have helped prevent them. After the first war he did provide sanctuary to some terrorists such as Abu Abbas of the 1985 Achille Lauro incident, Abdul Rahman Yasin, the 1993 bomber of the World trade Center, and mass murderers Abu Nidal, and Abu Ibrahim. However rather than give them funding and support they were placed under a house-like arrest and were not allowed to leave the country. But when Rumsfeld, Bush, and Cheney say we are now fighting terrorism in Iraq, they are correct. They planted the seed. They gave it life.
Never let it be said that I am not willing to compromise. So in that spirit let me say that quotation number 2 is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. America will not be safe until the war mongering extremists are defeated.
Granted there might need to be some discussion as to just who the extremists are and just what their agenda and aspirations are.
Rumsfeld as always tries to use the Administration trick of tying bin Laden to Iraq. It is now the only way to legitimize the invasion. There were no weapons of mass destruction. They tried to manufacture evidence but got caught at that. They have no options but to lie about bin Laden. Lying is not a second nature to Bush and crew, it is their only nature. America will not be any safer until they are gone.
Rumsfeld Part 2
The Bush Credo - No Sacrifice Is Too Great For Others To Make.
Into The Distorted World of Donald Rumsfeld
Yesterday Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gave speech at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. That is I think it was yesterday. If we only go by what he said it could have been December 1991, January 1998, September 2001, or probably any day between December 1991 and December 2005 or even December 2020. The message is always the same; Iraq is a mortal threat to the United States. It intends to attack America and destroy ‘our’ way of life. Now that wasn’t true in December 1991, January 1998, or September 2001 and isn’t true today. Considering how badly the Bush Administration
is screwing up who knows if it will be true in 2020?
Here are some quotes from yesterday’s speech.
1. “If we do not succeed in our efforts… to defeat the terrorists in Iraq this is the kind of mayhem these terrorists emboldened by a victory will bring to our shores. Let there be no doubt.”
2. “Simply put, defeating the extremists’ aspirations in Iraq is essential in protecting the lives of the American people.”
3. If we allow al Zarquari and bin Laden to seize power Iraq would serve as the base of a new Islamic Caliphate to extend throughout the Middle East and would threaten the legitimate governments of Europe, Africa, and Asia. This is their plan.”
I have provided a video link for the SAIS speech and ensuing question and answer period. It lasts for just over an hour.
I have a few problems with Secretary Rumsfeld’s theories. Statement number one sounds a lot like the days of Vietnam when we had a choice of confronting the Godless Communists in Southeast Asia or on the California beaches. His understanding of Iraq is no better than his lack of understanding Vietnam. An even bigger problem is when and how did terrorists end up in Iraq?
Saddam Hussein was/is an evil vicious man. He’s a man to whom human life means nothing. To call him scum of the earth is to put scum in bad company. He supported terrorists during his entire reign of terror. However the scope of his activities changed after the first American-Iraqi War. He no longer was involved on an international scale as he was in the 1980’s. With one exception his terrorism became regional in nature. His regime has not attempted an anti-Western terrorist attack since its failed plot to assassinate former President Bush in 1993 in Kuwait. Hussein gave financial support to Hamas and other Palestinian groups. He aided Iranian dissident groups like Mujahedeen-e-Khalq and the PKK a separatist group fighting the Turkish government. Iraq never again reestablished its prewar international terrorism.
This in no way is meant to lessen the horror and viciousness of the groups he supported. But it makes totally false the assertion that Iraq would participate in attacks against the United States. In fact he may have helped prevent them. After the first war he did provide sanctuary to some terrorists such as Abu Abbas of the 1985 Achille Lauro incident, Abdul Rahman Yasin, the 1993 bomber of the World trade Center, and mass murderers Abu Nidal, and Abu Ibrahim. However rather than give them funding and support they were placed under a house-like arrest and were not allowed to leave the country. But when Rumsfeld, Bush, and Cheney say we are now fighting terrorism in Iraq, they are correct. They planted the seed. They gave it life.
Never let it be said that I am not willing to compromise. So in that spirit let me say that quotation number 2 is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. America will not be safe until the war mongering extremists are defeated.
Granted there might need to be some discussion as to just who the extremists are and just what their agenda and aspirations are.
Rumsfeld as always tries to use the Administration trick of tying bin Laden to Iraq. It is now the only way to legitimize the invasion. There were no weapons of mass destruction. They tried to manufacture evidence but got caught at that. They have no options but to lie about bin Laden. Lying is not a second nature to Bush and crew, it is their only nature. America will not be any safer until they are gone.
Rumsfeld Part 2
The Bush Credo - No Sacrifice Is Too Great For Others To Make.
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Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz and the other Bush administration men who conceived and pushed the Iraq invasion as the answer to terrorism have underestimated the sustained effort to expose their raw power lust. The corruption of the non-bid contracts and their procurement policies are turning up now because alternative and foriegn sources wouldn't let the story die. The attempt to close the circle and keep our funds in their hands has put the lie to nobility of purpose. It IS about oil and favors and war as their path to one party rule. It IS a protection racket as a foriegn policy.
Bush's repetitive bleating is thin now even to non-readers. It took so long to unravel because he had the memory of 9/11 to shock us with.
Tom Purdy
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Bush's repetitive bleating is thin now even to non-readers. It took so long to unravel because he had the memory of 9/11 to shock us with.
Tom Purdy
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