Thursday, February 14, 2008

Condoleeza Rice still a liar

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice heatedly denied knowingly making 56 false statements, to bolster support for an American attack on Iraq, in the run up to Operation Iraqi Conquest. In doing so, she made False Statement # 57:
No one wants to go to war.
Now read that last sentence again, without laughing.

If "no one wants to go to war," then why have those who cautioned against the current debacle been forced from office, slandered, had details of their personal lives leaked to the press, and their very lives jeopardized? Why have those who were so wrong about this episode received honors and promotions? Why is Paul Wolfowitz, so wrong about Iraq's weapons program and whose ethical lapses as head of the World Bank lead to his firing, now back at State as head of a -- wait for it -- arms control project?

Clearly, the Bu'ushists wanted war with Iraq. Dubya himself admitted as much, when he said that, even knowing that all the "reasons" he provided the American public were wrong, he would have invaded anyway. So, what was his real reason and why won't he tell us?

LBJ clearly wanted war when he lied about an attack on American warships in international waters off the Gulf of Tonkin, and lied to Congress that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was only an authorization for a limited, one-time retaliation: "We seek no wider war."

FDR clearly wanted war prior to December 7, 1941. Woodrow Wilson clearly wanted war prior to 1917. Both men got themselves re-elected by lying to the American people, that they were doing everything possible to keep our country out of Europe's conflicts. Both men understood the value of war in expanding the size and scope of federal power.

The political and economic elites, who lied about the explosion on the USS Maine, clearly wanted war.

The military-industrial-Congressional complex clearly want war. They have very little bottom line without it.

But maybe Condi is right: maybe no one wants to go to war.

Maybe they just want to send others.

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