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Iraq-Jordan
Mileposts of progress
2004-03-15
from Wash Times. EFL / Fair Use.
It has been almost exactly a year since Operation Iraqi Freedom began, a good time to assess the progress that has been made and the problems that remain.
...
Jack Kelly, a syndicated columnist, is a former Marine and Green Beret and a former deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan administration. He is national security writer for the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette.
Another one year wrap-up - a popular topic amongst the columnists. This one recaps fairly well across the board what is, by any account, good news... and the author is a Non-Idiotarian, so it’s honest. Dragon Fly gets the first shot!
Posted by:.com

#4  Actually, Kay didn't find WMD, just WMD Programs that were in hiatus pending the lifting of sanctions.

It's like after inspecting the coop, complaining that there are no eggs, but ignoring the fact that the place was stuffed to the rafters with hens...
Posted by: Ptah   2004-3-15 7:21:44 PM  

#3  Your point is fair - and unless we hear otherwise from the Bush Administration or Iraqi government, I have to accept that we have not found wmd's v/s believe they remain classified to assist the investigation.

However, I still maintain that the most dangerous lies are built on truths. While I agree with what you say - propaganda is what is going to make or break this war on terror - and right now America is getting their *&^ kicked on this front.

The Bush successes are of biblical proportions, yet this article leads with the premise that his credibility has been damaged. It's only damaged if you choose to accept the false and silly premise that because we didn't find wmd's his credibility is damaged. It's a circular argument. They say it should matter and therefore his credibility is damaged...and just like that, we are supposed to accept it as so.

If you step back, why should we simply accept the premise that his credibility has been damaged? It reminds me of high school, when a jealous rival of the high school queen manages to actually convince half the school's population, that contrary to previous opinion, the prom queen is, in fact, ugly. With enough press and buy in, it becomes true...but only because someone chose to make it so.

Bush's credibility has not suffered a blow - for the reasons I listed above. Yet this lie gets repeated, and repeated and repeated until everyone believes that the war on Iraq damaged his credibility.

I don't think the prom queen is ugly, and if enough of us would point it out, maybe we could prevent the jealous rivals from making it so.
Posted by: B   2004-3-15 1:47:28 PM  

#2  B - Hmmm. Let's be completely honest. The fact is that there was a world-wide intelligence failure regards the WMDs, since every major intel service was in agreement that Saddam had them before and must still (at the time of the war), or (possibly) we missed their removal - one supposes to Syria as their sympathetic Ba'ath Party buddies - as was rumored before the end of the war.

That said, I don't much care if other intel orgs agree with the assessments of our agencies - we should have the best intel because we need it, we can afford it, and (if we flush the system of the cowardly politicians inherent in most large orgs) we can think creatively. As for solid Iraq intel, we didn't have it. We DO need better intel. We DO need to recover from the gutting of the CIA and the internal promotion of those who are able to overcome the institutional fear inculcated by the Church Committee witchhunt & purge as well as recruiting new blood - untainted critical thinkers. We DO want to know who, what, when, where, and how -- so we minimize wasted motion.

Press flaps about non-issues they create themselves (e.g. the lie that WMDs were the all and the everything behind the war) so they can then publicly lambast any admin they don't approve of could thus be eliminated -- and eliminate the need for this thread.
Posted by: .com   2004-3-15 10:34:18 AM  

#1  It's a good article, but I think that he is just feeding this lie, helping to make it become the truth.

The failure (so far) to find stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has been a blow to the credibility of the Bush administration, and an embarrassment to the CIA.

By putting truthful information after feeding this lie, he does far more harm than good with this article. Jeesh..don't these people understand that?

Here is the truth - please stop feeding the lie, folks. The war not was not a blow to the credibility of the Bush administration or the CIA. This is one of the greatest military victories in history.

We conquered their country in weeks, - not years - so why should the CIA be embarrassed? Bush rid a country of a brutal dictator who was pursuing WMD's, exposed the underground network of nuke production, exposed the UN corruption and exposed AQ connections to Sadaam. That's hardly and embarrassement or blow to his credibility.

I'm getting sick of the pandering to this lie. This article does far more harm than good by simply accepting this lie as a truth.
Posted by: B   2004-3-15 9:39:33 AM  

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