Lacking Intelligence May Be A Lot Worse Than Lying
Lying about intelligence is bad enough, but lacking intelligence may, in the end, be a lot worse.
The really big story: Bush's Iraq policy of attacking a country representing no threat to our security has left this country in a weakened position to deal with a very real threat in North Korea, among others. We are weaker from the loss of life, the monetary drain of the war, the loss of our reputation in the world, and the loss of the morale of our armed forces, for starters.
Practically the whole world told Bush there were no weapons in Iraq. The CIA told him so many times they finally gave up.
Meanwhile, North Korea continues to issue threats of developing and using nuclear weapons. Are we vulnerable to NK nukes? Do they really exist? Apparently the Bush administration has suddenly decided to act like an OJ Simpson juror and claim it is not sure. Are they lying about this one too? If we get hit, are they going to claim they didn't know?
But NK is known as one of the biggest exporters of arms in the world. That's what you would call a "weapons program." All of the alleged grounds given for attacking Iraq exist in North Korea.
It seems that Bush only knows about threats to our security that don't really exist (Iraq) and doesn't know about the risks that do. (Al Quaeda, North Korea). Lying about intelligence is bad enough, but lacking intelligence may, in the end, be a lot worse.
I'm not saying that we should attack North Korea like we attacked Iraq. I'm saying that our war against a country which represented virtually no threat to our security has left us in a weakened position to deal with what seems to be real threats like North Korea. That's the real issue. And what the administration did in Iraq was really really dumb. And we are a lot worse off for it.
These US soldiers belong to the Third Infantry Division, famous for seizing Baghdad with lightning speed. Three months later they're still here, still dressed as combat soldiers, and still under fire almost every day. They were meant to go home around about now, but today they were told to stay even longer. Men usually loathe to grumble on camera are now openly bitter.
US 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION SOLDIER: I used to wanna help these people and now, I don't really care about 'em any more. I've seen so much, you know, little kids throwing rocks at ya and once you pacify an area, it seems like the area you just came from turns bad again.
SOLDIER: If Donald Rumsfeld was here, I'd ask him for his resignation.
ANOTHER US 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION SOLDIER: It's just like they're exhausted. They're mentally and physically exhausted to the point that some of 'em hope that they will get wounded so that they can go home. Willing just to "Hey, shoot me, I wanna go home."
SOLDIER'S WIFE: I think with the war being so successful that we kind of had high hopes that you know, OK good, like that was quick and successful so you know, maybe this other part will be the same and it's turned out to be a lot longer and a lot more work.
In the chapel at Fort Stuart, they remember the fallen and celebrate the flag each day, much like the rest of America. Their patriotism remains undaunted, so does their support for what they saw as a just war. But the doubts are mounting about the price and the point of occupying Iraq.
Story on NPR yesterday about the 3ID extension of deployment interviewed some family members in Georgia. One spouse said she had gotten a letter from one of the 3ID officers about the extension, and the letter said not to contact members of Congress or other elected officails about it. She said the families are disregarding that, and writing the president, their members of Congress and others.
BLOCK: Did you get the e-mail from Major General Blount?
WIFE: No, I didn't. I received one from Colonel Schwartz. He's training general of our brigade.
BLOCK: And what did he say in that e-mail?
WIFE: That it had been delayed and not to write our senators, not to write our congressmen. This is all Donald Rumsfeld's doing.
BLOCK: Have you taken that advice or have you written or called anyway?
WIFE: Nope. I've gone ahead. I've e-mailed the president, I've e-mailed Rumsfeld. I have family and friends who are e-mailing and writing their congressmen and their senators.
BLOCK: And why did you think it was important to do that?
WIFE: To try to get my husband home. To let them know that these are elected officials. We elected them and they're not listening and they don't care.
Marvelous quote from the LA Times. They don't want us there and the longer we stay the worse its going to get. Bremer has got to hold elections within the next six weeks and get out whether or not Wolfowitz's handpicked guys win. Their homegrown anarchy is better than our imported anarchy and is the only longterm hope.
