I was treated this morning to a propaganda preview of the fall election, should Sen. Obama become the Democratic nominee.
I was informed by former Republican Congressman turned political pundit, Joe Scarborough, that Obama will lose the national security argument against McCain because he wasn't in the Senate in 2002 making the DIFFICULT decision to start a war with Iraq. Yes, that's right, Scarborough posits that voting against the war was the EASY, politically expedient decision in the fall of 2002, and voting "yes" on the Authorization to Use Military Force was the act of courage.
Say what?
I hope, if Sen. Obama runs against Sen. McCain in November, he will use all of the resources available to him to prevent this type of propaganda from taking hold in the American psyche.
One way to do that is to enlist the help of former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla), who was Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee 2001-2003. Sen. Graham was one of TRULY courageous Senators who voted "no" on the AUMF. AND BOB GRAHAM WAS PRIVY TO THE ACTUAL INTELLIGENCE.
Graham writes in the Washington Post in 2005:
At a meeting of the Senate intelligence committee on Sept. 5, 2002, CIA Director George Tenet was asked what the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) provided as the rationale for a preemptive war in Iraq. An NIE is the product of the entire intelligence community, and its most comprehensive assessment. I was stunned when Tenet said that no NIE had been requested by the White House and none had been prepared. Invoking our rarely used senatorial authority, I directed the completion of an NIE.
Tenet objected, saying that his people were too committed to other assignments to analyze Saddam Hussein's capabilities and will to use chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons. We insisted, and three weeks later the community produced a classified NIE.
There were troubling aspects to this 90-page document. While slanted toward the conclusion that Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction stored or produced at 550 sites, it contained vigorous dissents on key parts of the information, especially by the departments of State and Energy. Particular skepticism was raised about aluminum tubes that were offered as evidence Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear program. As to Hussein's will to use whatever weapons he might have, the estimate indicated he would not do so unless he was first attacked.
Under questioning, Tenet added that the information in the NIE had not been independently verified by an operative responsible to the United States. In fact, no such person was inside Iraq. Most of the alleged intelligence came from Iraqi exiles or third countries, all of which had an interest in the United States' removing Hussein, by force if necessary.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Now, if I ever found myself in the same room with John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, or any other Senator who voted "yes" on the AUMF, I would ask them "Did you pick up the phone and call Bob Graham to ask how he was intending to vote on this resolution before you cast your vote? If not, why not?"
Please, please, please, Senator Obama, don't let the Scarborough-esque propaganda machine turn this issue on its head this November. Bob Graham would be a great VP choice, but he is the same age as John McCain, so that might not be the best decision.
However, I'm sure he would come out of retirement to help with the campaign. Give him a ring when you win the nomination. Get him on the air, early and often, talking about JUDGMENT and the Iraq War.