This diary will surely be unwelcome, but I think it needs to be said.
The Salon article penned by Karen DeKwiatkowski, a former Defense intelligence analyst who worked intensely on the Iraq threat during the runup to the Iraq Debacle, is simply, a mess. The link - http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/03/10/osp_moveon/
Now, anyone who has read my posts and diaries on Iraq knows that I feel that the Iraq Debacle is the greatest strategic blunder since Vietnam, with far-reaching and potentially disastrous consequences.
And let me make this clear, I believe the frightening tale Ms. deKwiatkowski describes. But I believed it before I read the article.
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The problem is I don't think it will convince anyone who didn't believe it before.
The article is short on specifics, coherence and dispassion. Frankly, it is no better written than a Hitchens article. And that is unacceptable.
To convince, arguments, facts, narrative and coherence are essential. Particularly when, as here, the hard truth is not palatable to the American public. All of these things were lacking.
In addition, there was too much 'neocons hate their enemies' and 'Iran-Contra group' to provide even the semblance of fairness. Not to say that the descriptions were unfair, but the case needed to be laid out before making the charges. This was not done.
Finally, many will gnash their teeth and wonder why the Media is not picking up on this. If our arguments are delivered in this fashion, the Media will have the perfect excuse to not cover these issues. We must avoid this 'preaching to the choir' approach if our arguments are to resonate.