Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
#0Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 12:56am
But, where were these voices three years ago? Why couldn't anyone have the courage to tell the American public the truth before thousands of American's and probably tens, if not hundreds of thousands Iraqis suffered for the silence:
"In a scathing attack on the record of President George W. Bush, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Mr Powell until last January, said: “What I saw was a cabal between the vice-president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made."
Cheney 'cabal' hijacked foreign policy
Updated On: 10/20/05 at 12:56 AM
#1re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 1:07am
Unfortunately even if they had come forward, the American public was unready and unwilling to listen. 75% of the American public supported the war before the PR push about weapons/ect. was even launched. (Then that gained them another 6%.)
Rational thought was lost in the fog of "war on terror" and the lack of hard journalism and other ways to learn that the Neo-cons always wanted us to run the world and never really wanted other wise. The day Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld met Bush to "teach" him foriegn policy was the day this war started. Any attack on that was called "political posturing."
But the fact remains if they continue to speak out now, maybe Bush will be forced to bring the troops back, or at least not move on to Syria, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Lenbanon.
#2re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 1:34am
While it is good that they are speaking out now, I would have had much more respect if someone had actually broken ranks and tried to get someone, anyone to really look at things objectively. Jesus Christ, if someone, anyone could have explaiend that the hijackers came from Saudi Arabia and not Iraq, that would have helped.
So much has been lost by people being too afraid to speak the truth when it needed to be told. The fact that they are doing it now, well, that is fine, but a day late and a dollar short.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#3re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 1:37amI would point your attention to what happened when Mr. Powell had the temerity to 'buck the system' - it wasn't pretty. I agree that their personal integrity might be held in a higher light, but reality was what it was.
#4re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 2:00am
I totally agree that it would have been better to speak the truth then, the fact is the American public (or a large section of it, wanted this gung ho approach, because they did not believe there would be a cost.)
What I am saying is that it is not a day late and a dollar short, because this thing is not over, everyone must continue to speak out because this war is still happening and the people in charge still want more.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#5re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 2:14am
Amen, Smart.
It's because you're a penguin 
#6re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 10:33am
You are right. It is not over. It just frustrates me.
I am sure like you, before this whole fiasco started in Iraq I was screaming to anyone who would listen how wrong it was, how there was no connection, how this was nothing more than an attempt at Empire Building . . .
I kept explaining over and over again to people that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. And, I kept shaking my head in my hands at how stupid people really are, and how gullible we all are.
Powell, who I once respected greatly, is tremendously diminshed, and played the good soldier to a fault. For people to speak out now, when it is much easier to do so, if fine, just seems like not only the easy thing to do, but the politically popular thing.
It is not over. You are right. And voices of protest and clarification are better late than never. I just keep thinking about what could/should have been if anyone among those now pointing fingers at the Cheney Gang had true leadership and loyalty to their country at the time it all happened.
#7re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 11:01am
I think alot of the public support before the war and since then has been the "they're all alike" philosophy that many people have of the Middle East and foreign countries in general--my grandfather a WWII vet, held grudges against people of German, French, Asian descent until the day he died...if they look alike and dress alike Americans reason that they all must hate us and wish to destroy us. It's a fear of Islam and foreign faiths and simple ignorance--I doubt that many people, myself included, could tell you the tenents of Islam, or Buddhism, Shintoism, et al.
#8re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 11:22am
Unfortunately you are totally right YWIW?, people are speaking out in many cases now because it is the "politically popular" thing to do. From the begining until quite recently those of us against the war were vilified in every possible manner. Yet it is still inconcievable to so many that we have done the wrong thing here that it remains a dicey proposition, public opinion can easily change back, so people stepping out now are still taking some measured risk. Unfortunately most of the people speaking out now either spoke out in private and took the "dissent is bad in public" route (like Powell), actually agreed with the policies at the time, (like the Colonel), or are only doing it now to gain political viability. (I put Senator Hagel in this category, although he always expressed some doubts. He is certainly turning the heat up now in preperation for an anti-neocon presidential run.)
lildogs, Those sentiments are a huge part of the problem, along with the way in which the agenda of the people in power deliberately plays upon those fears in order to justify their new American Empire. Zenophobia, racism, and Religious hatred are the tools being used to create support for an unparralleled US world dominance.
#9re: Better Late Than Never - But Not Much
Posted: 10/20/05 at 12:37pm
I personally think that this Administration, and government in general, prefers an ignorant electorate - it is easier to manipulate.
And, don't even get me started on how I believe "No Child Left Behind" may actual be a plot to develop a permanent underclass of individuals, who, through public education, are not taught critical reasoning skills, but instead, how to take a test, thereby limiting their ability to really question authority and challenge the ruling infrastructure - most, if not all of which will be sending their kids to private schools not subject to the same rote learning requirements.
At some point, someone has got to realize that we, as a country, are pretty ignorant and backwards (which explains why religion plays such a strong role in the social fabric). We cannot, generally discern distinctions among those different from us, and still view the world in a Wild West Mentality.
It is pretty sad, when you really start to think about where this country is going, as compared to where it could be given the proper leadership and allocation of resources.
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