Dark Lord of the Neocons
From Middle East Online:
Perle added that “we are absolutely certain” that weapons of mass destruction are hidden in Iraq – Washington’s motive for launching the offensive against Baghdad – but that it may take dozens of years to find them.
“We don’t know where to look for them and we never did know where to look for them,” he admitted.
Asked by a reporter when he thought the evidence of those weapons may be found, Perle joked: “I hope this will take less than 200 years.”
Mother of God.
We have young men and women dying for a pack of lies, and this scum has the temerity to joke about it.
And meanwhile, all three networks lead tonight with “the death of a beloved figure in America”–Bob Hope. The press lionize a has-been “comedian” who was a willing tool for legitimizing another immoral war. This while families mourn their dead sons and daughters or fall apart with worry about their well-being.
I was grocery shopping this afternoon and paused in the take-out section of the store to check out CNN on the store’s TV. Shrub was holding forth in a taped speech about how his tax-cutting will improve the economy and “create jobs for working families.” The silverhaired gent sitting in front of me, whom I took to be about my father’s age, snorted and shook his head in disgust. From my place several feet from him, I said softly, “You sound like you don’t believe him.”
“Why should I?” he said. “He’s throwing our money away overseas, to Africa, Israel, every country that asks for it is getting a handout. Meanwhile working people get their pensions and benefits cut. I have three daughters who will be retiring and there won’t be anything left in Social Security for them.”
“Don’t you think he’s done a good job fighting terrorism?” I said.
“It’s going bad over there,” he said. “I’m glad I don’t have a grandson in the military. This clown doesn’t know what he’s doing, and our boys are getting killed. And for what? So he can get bragging rights? So he can give his rich friends tax cuts and screw the working people.”
“Are you a veteran?” I asked.
“I fought in two wars,” he said. “And now I hear he’s cutting veteran’s benefits, too,” he said, indicating Bush, who was gesturing from the podium on the tape. “And this is the thanks the government gives us. So much for helping our armed forces. And he’s cutting Medicare and other programs and now the towns have to pick up the tab. It’s disgusting. Sure, he cut taxes–and gave the money to his rich friends. They’re all crooks–Clinton too.”
“At least Clinton didn’t sign up and then go AWOL,” I said.
“He did that?” the old man demanded.
“Yes, he did.” I said. “He pulled strings to get into the National Guard and then didn’t show up. And the reason our guys are getting killed over there is because Bush and his friends thought they could do the job on the cheap. They didn’t send enough forces over there to finish the job and now the ones who are there are paying the price. And the most outrageous part is that the Iraqis had nothing to do with 9/11.”
“Huh,” he said, and settled back in his seat. He looked up at me. “Who did?”
“The terrorists were from Saudi Arabia, and there’s evidence that the money to pay them came from there, too. But all references to that were cut out of the report about the attacks. Bush doesn’t want the Saudis to get mad at us and shut off the oil spigot.”
“Well, Clinton was a slick son of a bitch, but at least he didn’t spend our money overseas and ignore people here who need help. That idiot–” he gestured at Bush on the TV “–never had to work a day in his life. And he ‘s taking money out of our pockets and from our towns and schools and veterans. ‘Never vote Republican,’ my dad told me years ago. ‘Republicans don’t care about working people.’ I should have listened to my dad. Well, I’m not going to vote for this idiot when the time comes. That’s for sure.”
This man’s anger was palpable. Of course one conversation does not a trend make, but it’s clear that in the minds of many, especially those who lived through the Depression and WWII, that it’s still about the economy, stupid–the economy and supporting the military. It would appear that the “support our troops = support the Prez” mantra doesn’t wash with those who see evidence in deeds, not words.
In a related matter, Sam Dash, former Chief Counsel of the Senate Watergate Committee, and former Nixon crony Jeb Stuart Macgruder spoke on the PBS NewsHour tonight on the anniversary of that momentous time. When asked for a summing-up, Dash said that the whole crisis showed that even with the Constitution under threat, “the system still worked.” When asked by anchor Gwen Ifill why, he said “The two houses of Congress did their job. They recognized the threat and dealt with it.” When she asked if such a threat would be recognized today by Congress, he said no–because he didn’t think that the present Congress was “paying attention.”
Those who can’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
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