Thursday, May 3, 2007

The Israeli Lesson


Can we learn from the Israelis?

Four and a half years ago, the Bush administration sold the Iraq war to the public with embellishments and faulty information (to be polite about it). Now Democrats in Congress are finally trying to hold the administration accountable.

The House oversight and government reform committee, chaired by Democratic Representative Henry Waxman, authorized a subpoena last week requesting that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testify in front of the committee about one of the administration's false reasons for war‚ "that Iraq was trying to acquire uranium from Niger. Not only has Rice said she will not respond to the subpoena, Republican committee members are nay-saying the subpoena. "I understand why the Democrats want to kick Bush, but what would it achieve?" said Representative Chris Shays, a Connecticut Republican, according to The Hill.

Compare this to the Israeli model. A commission appointed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert released a report this week that blasted Olmert's handling of the month-long war last year in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. As AP put it, the report accused the prime minister of "hasty decision-making, failing to consult others and neglecting to assess the chances that his goals could be accomplished." Sound familiar? The report has prompted tens of thousands of Israelis to protest and demand Olmert's resignation.

There have been investigations in the United States of the intelligence failures that preceded the invasion of Iraq. The Senate intelligence committee and a presidential commission both lambasted the CIA for botching the intelligence on WMDs in Iraq. But there have been no investigations of Bush's decision to invade Iraq, his failure to plan adequately for the post-invasion phase, and his poor management of the war effort in the years since. Olmert messed up less than a year ago, and a panel (that he created) has already investigated his actions and rendered a harsh and official judgment of his actions. In the United States, there has been no such accountability. Can you imagine Bush appointing a panel to investigate his decision to invade Iraq and his handling of the war and the post-invasion challenges in Iraq?

Posted by David Corn at May 3, 2007 05:26 PM

9 comments:

David B. Benson said...

No!

I can't imagine it.

capt said...

Mr. David Corn,

I swear I heard something about "Phase II" and "pre-war" questions and answers.

Maybe someone will think to start up a "blue ribbon" panel of ex-hacks to play as dumb as Dumya.

Thanks for all of your work!


Kirk

capt said...

"Iniquity, committed in this world, produces not fruit immediately, but, like the earth, in due season, and advancing by little and little, it eradicates the man who committed it. ...justice, being destroyed, will destroy; being preserved, will preserve; it must never therefore be violated." : Manu 1200 bc

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The powerful have invoked God at their side in this war, so that we will accept their power and our weakness as something that has been established by divine plan. But there is no god behind this war other than the god of money, nor any right other than the desire for death and destruction. Today there is a "NO" which shall weaken the powerful and strengthen the weak: the "NO" to war.: Subcomandante Marcos - Source: No to war, 2/16/03

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"The vested interests - if we explain the situation by their influence - can only get the public to act as they wish by manipulating public opinion, by playing either upon the public's indifference, confusions, prejudices, pugnacities or fears. And the only way in which the power of the interests can be undermined and their maneuvers defeated is by bringing home to the public the danger of its indifference, the absurdity of its prejudices, or the hollowness of its fears; by showing that it is indifferent to danger where real danger exists; frightened by dangers which are nonexistent." Sir Norman Angell 1872 - 1967

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"The ideal setup by the Party was something huge, terrible, and glittering - a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons - a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting - three hundred million people all with the same face." George Orwell, from the book 1984

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists" J. Edgar Hoover

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Patriotism in its simplest, clearest and most indubitable signification is nothing else but a means of obtaining for the rulers their ambitions and covetous desires, and for the ruled the abdication of human dignity, reason, conscience, and a slavish enthralment to those in power. Leo Toystoy

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capt said...

Dear Kirk,

Some people have reported difficulty accessing the MoveOn impeachment poll using the embedded link in my last message. If you weren't able to get it to work, you can simply copy and paste the following URL into your browser:

http://pol.moveon.org/bushsurvey/a.html?id=10229-4599041-uA6iZW&t=1

Or CLICK HERE

It's a long one, so make sure to copy the entire thing into your browser's address bar.

Peace,

Jacob Park
A28 National Coordinator


*******

The link I made should have worked as I changed it from a "click through" which causes some problems.



capt

David B. Benson said...

capt --- I could never have imagined using a quote from J. Edgar Hoover again George XLIII and his Court...

capt said...

We truly are living in some very strange times.


capt

David B. Benson said...

Oops. against not again.

Well, maybe again and again against.

Anonymous said...

Executive privilege, the right to privacy (secrecy) for the President and his advisors, in matters of national security is a BIG obstacle for David Corn's preferred method of guvmint. Write the bill, I'll writ my Rep to support it.

capt said...

New Thread!