“Up through January of 2003, the cooperation was topnotch,” a former State Department official said. “Then we were going to do Iraq, and some people in the Administration got heavy- handed. They wanted Syria to get involved in operational stuff having nothing to do with Al Qaeda and everything to do with Iraq.” As Dubya accuses Syria of harboring terrorists, Sy Hersh examines the rise and fall of US-Syrian cooperation after 9/11.
Tag: War in Iraq
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
“It was the end of the world,” said one officer Thursday. “It went all the way up to President Bush and back down again on top of us. At least six of us here will lose our careers.” The Pentagon drops the hammer on disgruntled GIs who made the mistake of voicing their frustration to ABC News. Hmm. True, these guys were out of bounds. Still, I wonder how many soldiers America would have lost over the ages if we kicked out everybody who’s ever grumbled about their assignment. Whether or not you’re risking your life for your nation, apparently, it’s never wise to displease the Dubya.
Bring the Pain.
Perhaps taking a page from the Governor of Vermont (whom he declined to attack), Kerry turns up the heat on Dubya and Weaponsgate, as do the Congressional Dems. Good…the pressure from now herein should be furious and unrelenting. And under no circumstances should the Bushies be allowed to get away with lying to America by pinning it on John Bull.
Smoking Gun?
As the Bushies finally admit the Iraq-Niger link was bogus, the Dems call for an investigation into what the White House knew and when. I think it might just be independent counsel time.
A Dixie Chick’s Revenge.
Clear Channel is sued by Roxanne Cordonier, a South Carolina DJ and the 2002 state Radio Personality of the Year, for firing her for her anti-war stance. The suit also alleges that Cordonier “was forced to participate in a pro-war rally.” I’ll have to keep an eye on this one.
Armies of the Nut.
“Democracy, more than any other political system, depends on a modicum of honesty. Ultimately, it is much at the mercy of a leader who has never been embarrassed by himself.” Norman Mailer weighs in on the Iraq War, Weaponsgate, and Dubya’s aircraft carrier stunt.
Paper Cowboy.
A number of other weblogs have already pointed out the sheer idiocy of Dubya’s “Bring Them On” remark to Iraqi belligerents, so I’ll just give an Amen. I highly doubt the men and women on the ground in Baghdad every day share the President’s cavalier attitude about their lives…Amateurish to say the least.
Willful Disbelief.
Salon examines the reasons for Dubya’s continued public support despite the WMD shenanigans. “Just imagine how much shock and complaining there would be if we learned that ‘American Idol’ had been rigged. But Bush and his comrades can use deceptive means to launch a war and to pass trillion-dollar tax cuts that bust the bank — and then skate away.” In related news, the New Republic offers a concise overview of the story to date.
Card-Carrying Conservatism.
While the Democratic party as a whole continues to seem as divided and stymied by the Dubya dip as they do Weaponsgate, several of the candidates lash out on their own, including John Edwards, who calls the Dubya tax cuts the “most radical and dangerous economic theory to hit our shores since Socialism.” I’d think Eugene Debs is probably turning over in his grave at the comparison.
“I think we can ride this out.”
With the Weaponsgate furor still simmering (Dean has now called for an investigation), Dubya and his cronies try to confuse cause and effect in Iraq…apparently it no longer matters if WMDs are found or not, because Saddam was a bad man. In other words, the Bushie plan is, as per usual, to keep spouting the same propaganda until people start overlooking their leap in logic. Hmm…well, it seemed to work for the Iraq-9/11 connection, didn’t it?