by Patrick Lang (bio below)
“St. Patrick,” as Fitzgerald is being referred to in some quarters, pronounced on Friday that it was up to the Congress to find out if the country had gone to war in Iraq in a righteous way.
Today, the senate exploded as the Democrats made a serious move to get something moving to learn the truth about that.
In the best tradition of Washington statesmanship the two parties erupted into an orgy of mutual spite and recrimination over procedure and party interest. “You can’t do that,” one group cried! “That breaks the rules!”
“Gotcha?” The government is about “Gotcha?” and “Let’s change the subject?” That’s what the US government is about? “Gotcha?” The briadcast media wer filled with such trash tonight.
Evidently, the Democrats and the Republicans and the media people still want to play political games with each other while American soldiers are having their arms and legs blown off in the service of a country they thought loved them as they love it? Is that the truth? Can that really be the truth?
Tonight, I listened to Ken Mehlman, the RNC chairman spin and spin and dance in defense of his PARTISAN INTERESTS while Christopher Matthews, “a being darkly wise and rudely great,” tried to discipline himself into not focusing on political bull. He did a creditable job of pushing Mehlman into a corner and demanding substantive answers. After a while Mehlman babbled pitiably and detestably and moaned on with the bag of non sequiturs available to him in today’s talking points. … Continued below:
Meanwhile the Democratic Senate Minority Leader, Harry Reid, has actually called for an accounting into what the Bush Administration has done to us in Iraq. His motives are debatable, but the action is not.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) produced an investigative report a year and a half ago which opined that the intelligence community failed in the run up to the war in Iraq.
That was Phase 1 of the process of finding out what went wrong in the government decision to invade and occupy Iraq. The two parties agreed on that report. It is always easy for the elected government to agree on blaming the spooks. They are easy meat.
There was supposed to be a Phase 2. That phase was to clarify what the Bush Administration had done with that flawed intelligence. Had they hyped it? Had they spun it? Had they caused some of it to be created and then injected back into the information stream of the intelligence community? Had they made claims about Iraqi behavior that were untrue? That was 18 months ago. Since then, unsurprisingly, the Republican controlled SSCI has produced nothing.
I choose to believe that Harry Reid is actually angry about that. Take a look at his press conference today. You can see it on “Crooks and Liars.” I saw it live.
Below, a comment about “Joe Lunchbox Went to War”:One of my friends wrote today to comment on Alan Farrell’s poem, “Joe Lunchbox Went to War.” I quote his message below.
Thanks Pat..
My Daughter owns One of those Flags. It was Presented to her on Behalf of a Grateful Nation..
More that being Just a Flag..It is a Piece of His Soul..It Represents a Human Life..A Good Man Who Served when His Nation asked Him to..
He just wanted to Come Home for the Birth of His Son..Come Home to Hugs and Family and Friends..
We all Know What Price Rick Paid for that Flag. And All others Who Have Paid the Same Price..Because those Flags are PRICELESS. Those who Serve are Americas Finest. That is the True Price for FREEDOM..
The First Duty of Government..is to HONOR Human Life..”
“Duty Faithfully Peformed.” Surely we all believe in that, surely.
Pat Lang
……………………………………………………..
Col. Patrick W. Lang (Ret.), a highly decorated retired senior officer of U.S. Military Intelligence and U.S. Army Special Forces, served as “Defense Intelligence Officer for the Middle East, South Asia and Terrorism” for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and was later the first Director of the Defense Humint Service. Col. Lang was the first Professor of the Arabic Language at the United States Military Academy at West Point. For his service in the DIA, he was awarded the “Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive.” He is a frequent commentator on television and radio, including PBS’s Newshour, and most recently on MSNBC’s Hardball and NPR’s “All Things Considered.”.
Personal Blog: Sic Semper Tyrannis 2005 || Bio || CV
Recommended Books || More BooTrib <a href="Posts
Novel: The Butcher’s Cleaver (download free by chapter, PDF format)
“Drinking the Kool-Aid,” Middle East Policy Council Journal, Vol. XI, Summer 2004, No. 2
