VP Cheney: Gee, maybe we were wrong
Vice President Dick Cheney was on Face the Nation today and he admitted that the pre-Iraq War intelligence was wrong (even though he still defended the Bush administration's actions).
"The original intelligence was wrong, no question about it," Cheney said on the show. "But there were parts of it that were right. It wasn't 100 percent wrong. It was correct in saying he had the technology. It was correct in saying he still had the people who knew how to build weapons of mass destruction. I think it was also correct in the assessment that once sanctions came off, he would go back to doing what he had been doing before.
"Where it was wrong was said he had stockpiles, and he clearly didn't," Cheney said. "So the intelligence was flawed."
Many people - myself included - knew that the intelligence was flawed even before that illegal war began. I took part in protests, wrote about it, talked about it, argued with people - to no avail.
And I watched many of the people who were telling the truth called unpatriotic, radicals, and more.
So how did we know and the so-called experts did not? The information was out there. It was in print. People were citing it. Did Cheney, Bush and their cronies just cherry pick information to fit pre-conceived plans to invade Iraq?
Sad. Criminal.
Even more, I blame them for helping Obama get elected. Imagine what harm he is going to cause.
"The original intelligence was wrong, no question about it," Cheney said on the show. "But there were parts of it that were right. It wasn't 100 percent wrong. It was correct in saying he had the technology. It was correct in saying he still had the people who knew how to build weapons of mass destruction. I think it was also correct in the assessment that once sanctions came off, he would go back to doing what he had been doing before.
"Where it was wrong was said he had stockpiles, and he clearly didn't," Cheney said. "So the intelligence was flawed."
Many people - myself included - knew that the intelligence was flawed even before that illegal war began. I took part in protests, wrote about it, talked about it, argued with people - to no avail.
And I watched many of the people who were telling the truth called unpatriotic, radicals, and more.
So how did we know and the so-called experts did not? The information was out there. It was in print. People were citing it. Did Cheney, Bush and their cronies just cherry pick information to fit pre-conceived plans to invade Iraq?
Sad. Criminal.
Even more, I blame them for helping Obama get elected. Imagine what harm he is going to cause.
posted by A Secular Franciscan | 1:19 PM
8 Comments:
Lee,
Being wrong, i.e., mistaken, hardly makes one "criminal." If that's the case then fourteen other countries are also criminal for signing on to a U.N. resolution stipulating that Saddam indeed had weapons of mass destruction. It's the tossing off of terms like that invites others to call those opposed to the war "radical" and other things.
Actually, Cheney was convicted by an international war crimes tribunal of war crimes in connection with the Gulf War back in 91. Since we "won," there was no enforcement. Still, technically he is a criminal.
As for the current situation, it would be criminal if Cheney or others lied - or purposely disregarded or concealed facts concerning the invasion. As more comes out, it's becoming clear that there was some deception involved in the push for the war.
Whatever the case, a lot of people died because of an illegal war. Intentionally committing an illegal act is criminal.
The labels of radical and unpatriotic were accorded before terms like "criminal" were used. Simply saying - that's not true, here's some other information - was enough to be so branded. Or worse.
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It was never a just war. The reasons for the war kept changing so much that I had lost count after a while.
Other people that were against the war?
Pope John Paul II
Pope Benedict XVI
I'm sure the families of the injured and deceased soldiers liked hearing the VP making these statements.
True Interstate. Thanks for the reminder.
Oh please, Lee. Citing convictions by kangaroo courts doesn't bolster your case. Moreover, the argument against the war during the buildup generally took it for granted that the stockpiles did exist.
Interstate, the Bush administration laid out a multi-faceted case for the war. You may not have been persuaded by the argument, but that doesn't mean it changed. As to opposition by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, the Catechism clearly assigns responsibility for assessing the just war criteria to those responsible for protecting the public good, e.g., state officials and officeholders.
Rich - Kagaroo Court? It seems we only regard it as such when it gives us decisions we don't like. But when they try our enemies we support the court.
"Moreover, the argument against the war during the buildup generally took it for granted that the stockpiles did exist."
- I was one of the people arguing against the war at the time, and while some folks did accept that such weapons existed, I and a number of others did not accept that their existance was a fact.
I'm also waiting to hear what Dr. Rice has to say about the Iraq war after she is no longer secretary of state.
And if Mr.Obama believes that more troops are needed in Afghanistan, can a return of the draft be far behind? The military personnel are spread pretty thin these days.
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