| I hate it when Saddam Hussein gets proved to be | | | | and that, if the presidency had to resort to |
| right ...Buried in all his pre-invasion bluster was a | | | | misleading information in order to gain support for |
| promise that Iraqis would give the Americans | | | | doing so, then they would provide it.The article, |
| 'another Viet Nam' if they tried to occupy the | | | | 'Intelligence, Policy and the War in Iraq' doesn't have |
| country. To many, this sounded like just another | | | | any new revelations. Its significance is the fact that |
| empty threat, but I took note when he said it.The | | | | Mr Pillar, a 28-year CIA operative, was directly |
| reason for my attention had nothing to do with | | | | involved in the picking and choosing of data ordered |
| Saddam or any tribal fealties in his favor. Instead, it | | | | by the presidency to make its case, rather than |
| gave me pause to recall a comment made to me by | | | | being allowed to take the more ethical and |
| a veteran foot soldier who fought in World War II. | | | | responsible path of reviewing all data and arriving at |
| We had a conversation in Geneva in the early 1980s, | | | | objective conclusions. (Lest someone attmepts to |
| just before the Cold War began to thaw. I remarked | | | | accuse Mr Pillar of being a bureaucratic malcontent, |
| about the superior weapons technology that I | | | | he was installed on the faculty for Security Studies at |
| thought gave America a distinct advantage over the | | | | the prestigious Georgetown University soon after his |
| Soviets, and the vet responded by dismissing hi-tech | | | | resignation from the CIA.)The astounding carnage of |
| armories."War is about killing your enemy one at a | | | | Viet Nam --- 58,000 American dead, over 150,000 |
| time and gaining territory a step at a time," he said. | | | | wounded; approximately 2-4million Vietnamese dead |
| "And you can only do that with the grunts on the | | | | and wounded --- still dwarfs the totals for the Iraqi |
| ground."In what's become a prolonged battle | | | | incursion, but tell that to each family who loses a |
| between the forces of technology and terrorism in | | | | loved one and see if it offers them any solace. |
| Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is the | | | | These soldiers, fighters and innocents are not dying |
| latest to challenge the old vet's advice. It's also | | | | or being maimed for noble causes, but for cynical |
| looking like he'll be the latest to rue that | | | | agenda: vague definitions of an enemy on one side |
| decision.However, such repentance will probably not | | | | and warped extreme fundamentalism on the other. |
| occur in the short term. Just as the Gulf of Tonkin | | | | The fact that the casualties in Iraq show no signs of |
| fabrication --- where the Johnson presidency alleged a | | | | subsiding make the assertions in Mr Pillar's article all |
| since-debunked North Vietnamese torpedo boat | | | | the more exasperating.A new documentary has also |
| attack on an American destroyer --- and the | | | | been recently released. 'Why We Fight' was produced |
| Watergate burglary were subordinated to the public | | | | and directed by Eugene Jarecki, who used a |
| as mere historical footnotes by the administrations in | | | | spectrum of interviews to delve into the effects of |
| power at those times, the present American | | | | current American foreign policy. These range from |
| presidency appears to believe its power of office can | | | | former Bush adminstration officials to critics to |
| trample any truth that may give the lie to its Iraqi | | | | American fighter pilots to a policeman who lost a son |
| folly.The trappings of the American presidency are | | | | when the jets hit the towers in New York.Jarecki's |
| such that the presidency's ability to do this is an | | | | premise is based on a famous 'farewell' speech by |
| established fact. Richard Nixon suppressed the truth | | | | Dwight David Eisenhower in 1961, who warned of a |
| long enough to win re-election. Lyndon Johnson | | | | shadowy 'military-industrial complex' that had the |
| ultimately saw a nation so divided by the Viet Nam | | | | potential to hijack American foreign policy without |
| issue that he chose not to seek a second term, but | | | | the public's ability to sufficiently contain it. Given |
| not before plunging the USA into a full-scale war. | | | | Eisenhower's status as the Allied supreme |
| Now, it's George W Bush who has slithered into | | | | commander in World War II as well as his presidency, |
| another four year term, based in part on his | | | | his warning was not only jarring, but prophetic, |
| administration's spin machine successfully keeping the | | | | especially coming as it did on the throes of the Viet |
| roots of his Iraqi misadventure obscure to the | | | | Nam conflict. All appearances now are that it's even |
| public.The harsh reality is that the omnipotence of | | | | more pertinent today.In retrospect, it is also ironic to |
| the world's most powerful government makes the | | | | think that it may have been the Americans who |
| task of calling it into immediate account virtually | | | | were being held in check by the balance of power |
| impossible. Before any resistance can be effectively | | | | posed by a totalitarian Soviet regime. There's no |
| raised, considerable damage --- in lives and resources | | | | doubt the reverse was true, as well, but I had |
| --- has already been irretrievably done.We already | | | | always thought the Americans realized their best |
| know that in Iraq, there were no weapons of mass | | | | global weapon was their culture; I continue to believe |
| destruction. This has been countered by the | | | | their culture, not their weaponry, caused the USSR |
| presidential argument that, well, Saddam was a bad | | | | to collapse. As such, I fail to understand why each |
| man. We also know now that there was no | | | | successive American presidency hasn't realized that |
| relationship between al-Qaeda and Saddam. Yes, said | | | | simple and obvious observation.Putting that point to |
| the presidency, but there could have been in the | | | | an unscientific test, I've asked various citizens of Iraq |
| near future; this soon became a self-fulfilling | | | | --- and Iran, for that matter --- what foreign country |
| prophecy. Furthermore, even though the presidency | | | | they most admire, and more often than not, they |
| claimed that American forces would be welcomed as | | | | cite the USA. If I follow that with a question about |
| liberators in Iraq, the locals there have so far shown | | | | which government they least admire, they cite the |
| a strange way of expressing their gratitude.How can | | | | USA. Call me simplistic, but not only does it seem |
| these retorts go so consistently uncontested, with | | | | burgers and bluejeans do a better job of making |
| the possible exception of The Daily Show, which is | | | | friends, they cause significantly fewer deaths in the |
| merely a cable comedy channel's satire of the | | | | process.However, as long as the American public |
| news?Now comes further evidence which damns the | | | | allows its presidency the inherent power of |
| dubious premises of presidential Iraqi policy, which has | | | | overbearing rebuttal to any dissenting information |
| recently appeared in the journal, Foreign Affairs. The | | | | without a constant call to justify itself, there will be |
| author, Paul Pillar, is the recently resigned CIA head | | | | no subsidence in damaged lives or diverted |
| of intelligence for the Near East and South Asia, who | | | | resources.Until then, as Saddam, the old vet and |
| held that office from 2000-2005. His job included | | | | history have combined to predict, Iraq is a grunt's |
| managing the Bush administration's secret | | | | war, fought one building at a time. And, like every |
| assessments regarding Iraq. In the article, he | | | | other war, not every grunt will come home alive or |
| contends that invading Iraq was a pre-ordained goal | | | | well. |