For years, the Bush Administration was denounced for the false statements and intelligence that led to the Iraq invasion. Even after it was shown that there were no weapons of mass destruction, many Americans continued to believe that Iraq was being invaded as a response to the 9-11 attacks. Now, in the latest morphing of the Bush and Obama Administration, our new Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wasted no time in re-casting Iraq in the same flawed image. In a public appearance, Panetta told troops that they were in Iraq because of the attack on 9-11.
At Camp Victory, Panetta told troops that “[t]he reason you guys are here is because of 9/11. The US got attacked and 3,000 human beings got killed because of Al-Qaeda. We’ve been fighting as a result of that.” As his boss transformed into Donald Rumsfeld before his eyes, Doug Wilson, Panetta’s spokesman, ran forward to tell reporters that “I don’t think he’s getting into the argument of 2002-2003.” Instead, he insisted that statement was just one more example of “a plain-spoken secretary.” The last time I heard “plain-speaking” as an excuse for chronic misstatements was a guy named Donald Rumsfeld, the “plain-speaking” Defense Secretary under George Bush. Of course, Rumsfeld was an award-winning plain speaker.
Panetta also later said that we were close to the final destruction of Al Qaeda. Presumably he meant in Afghanistan. However, his aides had to retract a statement by Panetta that the U.S. would keep 70,000 troops in Afghanistan until 2014 — in contradiction to statements by the President.
One could actually hope that our Secretary of Defense would be at least up to speed on the reason for one of our current wars as well as the previously announced plans for the withdrawal of thousands of troops from another war under his administration. Of course, there are so many of them, it may be difficult to keep track.
Source: Yahoo
Worth the read, IMHO. (There’s a link to a Panetta clip near the end of the article.)
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/07/13/arabs/index.html
Thanks for the Al Jazeera link, Jill.
Here is the link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/20117118204648433.html
S.M.,
Please look into this if you have a chance: “US Defense Secretary on Iraq visit says US to act “unilaterally” against what he said was Iran’s arming of Shia groups.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that his country will act “unilaterally” to confront what he said were Iranian threats to US interests in Iraq.”
Find at al jazeera. I’ll put the link in another post because it won’t go through here.
Jill 1, July 13, 2011 at 10:42 am
anon nurse,
Thanks. Everything that we see being used overseas is being brought home by this govt. The torture of Bradley Manning is connected completely to Jeremy Scahill’s story on CIA black torture sites in Somalia. Do we really believe people to whom life means nothing will suddenly care about American lives? Of course they won’t. They are just introducing utter lawlessness, first on society’s “undesirables”–immigrants, Muslims, peace activists, whistleblowers, the poor. As too many people remain silent, the govt. knows they have been greenlighted to expand their lawlessness to ever more people. “First the came” is exactly what is happening in the US now.
==============
Jill,
The lawlessness that you’ve described is “in play” all across this country, but it’s difficult for most to fathom — it’s easier to ignore it. Many good people “do nothing” (or little) because they feel relatively powerless…, but I still choose to believe that most people are good and decent… Didn’t Anne Frank say that…?
The hallmarks of what is, clearly, something programmatic are vandalism, surreptitious home entries, theft, harassment, defamation, mail-tampering, gaslighting… The police absolutely will not help and some are involved. It’s a form of torture and has the fingerprints of the CIA’s torture psychologists all over it. It’s something akin to the FBI’s COINTELPRO…
We are a nation in deep trouble.
This is, indeed, happening in the U.S.
“Utter lawlessness” describes it well.
Thank you, anon nurse. I had a very good time in Chicago.
Hope you enjoyed Chicago, Swarthmore mom. I’ve missed your links and comments. Thanks for the above…
http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2011/jul/11/ahmadinejad-vs-revolutionary-guards Don’t think the US is invading Iran. Ahmadinejad seems to be in trouble with Ayattollah Khamenei.
anon nurse,
Thanks. Everything that we see being used overseas is being brought home by this govt. The torture of Bradley Manning is connected completely to Jeremy Scahill’s story on CIA black torture sites in Somalia. Do we really believe people to whom life means nothing will suddenly care about American lives? Of course they won’t. They are just introducing utter lawlessness, first on society’s “undesirables”–immigrants, Muslims, peace activists, whistleblowers, the poor. As too many people remain silent, the govt. knows they have been greenlighted to expand their lawlessness to ever more people. “First the came” is exactly what is happening in the US now.
Jill,
The issue of idiocy aside (though I agree), thank you for adeptly articulating the truth. That we are dealing with “evil” is unmistakable.
The domestic “agenda” of those in power is still not known to the majority of Americans but, in time, will come to light. Will it be too late, is the question.
OT, but worth watching for those who haven’t seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihHd9uZKaJg
What follows is an article about the incident:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hhUNRAsfa4FKlNnMnoCDpemPjYZA?docId=037c14c2c0fd4aab8d84a27c45b2d803
(These may not be the best of the vids or articles, but they tell the tale…)
Mike S., I think it is correct to call Panetta, his boss and the rest of the elites, idiots. They are some of the most highly educated people in our nation. They have had every privilege bestowed upon them, yet they are utterly without wisdom or compassion. They reject the use of intelligence for any purpose except to gain wealth and power. They care nothing of the crises they create for the earth and all the creatures of it.
While I would also use much stronger words to describe this complete depravity, anyone who acts the way the elites do is axiomatically an idiot.
I am referring in this particular case to the desire to invade Iran. This scenario has been war gamed many times, each time it ends the same way–world wide disaster. Only very evil people would consider such an invasion. From a strictly intellectual point of view (not legal or moral) only an idiot would contemplate it.
eniobob, “And the Band Played On” by Randy Shilts, published in 1987. It’s a great book and traces HIV/AIDS from patient 0, a Danish physician working in Africa in the late 70’s up to 1985. Follow that up with “The Hot Zone” by Richard Preston. It wasn’t an engineered catastrophe initially, just biology and politics. The politics made it worse, much, much worse. Reagan will burn eternally in hell for his, and his Administrations, response to the emerging HIV/AIDS crisis.
It was one of the most frustrating and depressing books I have ever read. It is a scathing indictment of the political response to the disease and for much of the book, most of the people you meet, and get involved with, all die. Damn, it still is a great book. I have read parts of it more than once but I can’t read it all the way through twice. His first book was “The Mayor of Castro Street The Life and Times of Harvey Milk”.
Randy Shilts was an excellent writer and an even better investigative journalist. He died in ’93 of Kaposi’s sarcoma.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_the_Band_Played_On
AY
if she inhaled it wouldn’t have been on her dress.
Panetta is a racist.
Panetta is hardly an idiot. He is a certified member of the US foreign policy elite and has been so for many years. I use elite as a description of their status, not of their perspicacity. They have been wrong for many years now and the blood of untold thousands is on their hands. They are unfortunately considered by most of our brainless media as “wise old men.”
I think wizened provides a better description of these egoists who keep failing upward.
eniobob,
I was wondering if Clinton was gonna be nabbed for Guilt by association….its a fairly bad crowd he has gotten himself into…lol….but he never inhaled….can Monica say the same thing?
AY:
Should be 43 and tha’ts why he’s not making world wide appearances.
AY:
“42 are still making world wide appearances ”
OT,.This was why he was backing the resolution for Perry in Texas not to execute the Mexican prisoner.
He didn’t want to go to Europe on a speaking tour and get arrested as a war criminal and not be able to consul with our embassy other there.
According to my new info media the radio.
anon nurse, thank you…I had just heard that on NPI….some MD from some university in England was saying how dangerous and stupid of a trick this was if it was true…..to be honest….I have very little doubt that our government did something like this and that it happened just the way you said…..
Blouise,
Of course he is….and 41 and 42 are still making world wide appearances…..
eniobob,
I had heard a rumor before the advent of the internet to the general public that the CIA was somehow or another involved in the spreading of the AIDS virus to begin with…..but what do I know….