Before I go off to my fourth annual march protesting the madness of the Iraqmire, I picked out some quotes from an article by Norman Solomon you might not have seen.
The quotes are from Fearless Chickenhawk Pundits who, as Solomon observes, bear as much responsibility as our Fearless Chickenhawk Leaders for all of this.
These few quotes are so choice I thought they should be seen in isolation. Let them represent all the unholy bilgewater that passes for commentary, and all the moronic drone that is our media’s substitute for intelligent writing and talk.
Richard Cohen, columnist (still has his job, by the way) Washington Post, Feb. 6, 2003:
“The evidence he [Sec. of State Colin Powell] presented to the United Nations – some of it circumstantial, some of it absolutely bone-chilling in its detail – had to prove to anyone that Iraq not only hasn’t accounted for its weapons of mass destruction but without a doubt still retains them…Only a fool – or possibly a Frenchman – could conclude otherwise.”
—-MORE—
(crossposted at Daily Kos)
Jim Hoagland, Washington Post Feb. 2003:
“Colin Powell did more than present the world with a convincing and detailed X-ray of Iraq’s secret weapons and terrorism programs yesterday. He also exposed the enduring bad faith of several key members of the UN Security Council when it comes to Iraq and its ‘web of lies,’ in Powell’s phrase…To continue to say that the Bush administration has not made its case, you must now believe that Colin Powell lied in the most serious statement he will ever make, or was taken in by manufactured evidence. I don’t believe that. Today, neither should you.”
Christopher Hitchens, TV and print gasbag, Feb 13, 2003:
“Those who are calling for more time in this process should be aware that they are calling for more time for Saddam’s people to complete their humiliation and subversion of the inspectors.”
Chris Matthews, Hardgas, MSNBC April 2003:
“We’re all neo-cons now… “We’re proud of our president. Americans love having a guy as president, a guy who has a little swagger, who’s physical, who’s not a complicated guy like Clinton or even like Dukakis or Mondale, all those guys, McGovern. They want a guy who’s president. Women like a guy who’s president. Check it out. The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president. It’s simple.”
Alan Colmes, Hannity & Colmes, FAUX News, April 25, 2003:
“Now that the war in Iraq is all but over, should the people in Hollywood who opposed the president admit they were wrong?”
To which I can only say: Good night, and Good Luck.