The questions of the hour:
Can former Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, husband of Valerie Palme and Col. Larry Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, ex Secretary of State, lead us to the truth and out of the darkness that has become the Iraq debacle and the Cheney hijacking?
Why was Saddam Hussein and his weakened army, boxed in by American and British air power, considered an imminent threat?
What was the role of key players; Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice - why did they persist in lying to the American people?
more after fold
For those who may have missed the Wilkerson interview on
PBS, Lehrer Newshour yesterday, 11.04.05 and the discussion that followed take a moment to view the video and read the transcript of the discussion that followed with Magaret Warner, David Corn and Randy Scheunemann.
Video at CrooksandLiars http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/11/05.html#a5718...
PBS transcript is a must read
http://www.pbs.org/...
Wilkerson, to his credit admits, "My defense..."There is a part of me that regrets I didn't resign."
After Wilkerson's interview, the discussion centers on his charges: Pre-War planning, Post-War planning and torture. I'd say it puts into focus the hijacking of our government.
As for Cheney's role on torture, big Dick doesn't give up; only this week he's been trying to crush McCain's bill against torture.
But here's Corn replying to question on "Politicization of intelligence"...how the elected officials sold it to the public, the role of Powell and Rice.
Corn: ["...] I mean Powell says now that he feels like he was duped and he's quite angry about this.....I find it fascinating that the White House has admitted that the president and Condoleezza Rice, she was national security adviser at the time, never even read the full national intelligence estimate before deciding to take this country to war." [snip]
Ermm. I ask you. You'd think they'd read it? No, why that would be a waste of time. 'Hurry up Bushie dear, we're running late for the war.' It's just like going out to a movie.
Fascinating? I find it criminal.
But I agree with Corn that clearly Condolezza Rice failed in her obligations to reign in (Cheney) the lies on Atta, on Niger, mushroom cloud. Instead, we saw her in action. She aided and promoted the lies in the march to an illegal war.
And my final questions. What ever happened to Condi's responsibilities for the post-war phase - reconstruction of Iraq? Remember that gig? Never mind. She, like others, got promoted.
Kudos to Margaret Warner for deflating Scheunemann and his GOP talking points - talking points that are so, so tired and in need of refreshening.