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