Washington Post Staff Writer
Early on the morning of Nov. 13, 2006, members of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group gathered around a dark wooden conference table in the windowless Roosevelt Room of the White House.
For more than an hour, they listened to President Bush give what one panel member called a "Churchillian" vision of "victory" in Iraq and defend the country's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. "A constitutional order is emerging," he said.
Later that morning, around the same conference table, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden painted a starkly different picture . . . . Hayden said "the inability of the government to govern seems irreversible," adding that he could not "point to any milestone or checkpoint where we can turn this thing around . . . "
"The government is unable to govern," Hayden concluded. "We have spent a lot of energy and treasure creating a government that is balanced, and it cannot function."
^^^
Hayden's bleak assessment, which came just a week after Republicans had lost control of Congress and Bush had dismissed Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, was a pivotal moment . . . and it helped shape its conclusion . . . that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating."
Click here for the complete text.
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Hayden spoke of the things that matter to this government: 'energy and treasure.'
Well, since he didn't see fit to mention them-- since they seem to be irrelevant to this government --I will. What about the lives that have been spent, Mr. Hayden, Mr. Cheney, Mr. Bush?
What of the American and Iraqi, British, Greek and Spanish lives that have been maimed or snuffed out in the eight months since that November morning when Mr. Hayden gave an assessment that amounted to a complete and dismal failure --which everyone already knew was the case before they sat down?
Here is the crime. Here is the unpardonable, unfathomable, irrefutable crime. The meeting occurred. And everyone in that room and everyone in the new congress that was about to take its place in its chambers and in history did nothing.
And all those people still do nothing except allow this administration to stumble on pushing its agenda, getting away with murder.
And Hayden didn't even mention the lives.
. ..
.
6 comments:
Unless it costs them money, human lives don't mean much to these guys(and gals). At this point, they might actually be more interested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions than in protecting peoples lives/reducing casualties...and we know they don't care about the environment.
But I wonder if in some dismal future, there will be death credits where countries will swap the right to kill a given quota of people. Perverse, but then right now they have no limit whatsoever.
Oh...those pictures! People in this country need to see the reality of war. The little child on the right looks like my granddaughter. That's a memory that will haunt me.
Great minds, TC.
hi, A C --
you may be right about reducing gas emissions being more important than lives these days. only because their feet are finally being held to the fire, tho. and no one is doing that about the lives lost--except in the abstract sense of 'get our kids home!'
interesting idea about 'death credits.' it wouldn't surprise me at all if that were to happen.
you write novels, right? how about some futuristic tale built on that idea?
^^^
and, drinking as I type this. thx for the remind!
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sorry, ME
the dead toddler is a horrific pic. and the little girl screaming while the soldiers [and the photographer] just stand around and watch tears me up inside.
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haven't gotten to your site, yet, TC
Hey two crows
Not sure if this is what you want but otherwise feel free. I am honored.
Now this absolutely stunned me when I heard it this morning on WBZ Radio. In regard to Bush in my mind declaring "mission complete" on the aircraft Carrier after the initial surge into Baghdad I have to think about that but knowing for years now Bush has been advised by many that he cannot win militarily in Iraq as we know and he still insists on keeping our troops in this growing civil war, I heard this and it blew me away.
We always hear Iraq being compared to Vietnam but this morning I heard that Lyndon Johnson was told he could not win militarily for the first time in 1966. 95% of all the names on the Vietnam war "wall" memorial were put on there as a result of continuing the war after he was told he couldn't win militarily in 1966.
Bush is mirroring Vietnam and worse in every way, including in this respect.
hi, SQ--
yes they must. but----when?
thanx, AAP--
I hope to put something up in the next few days--
though I've got a fair backlog at the moment.
I hate it when that happens. it always means Bush & Co. is up to its crazy shenanigans even more than usual.
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