Hatred of Bush

Sam, a close friend of mine sent me an article (below) and asked me to respond to it. My response is also below.

A War Pitched with a 'Curve Ball' (by Jim Wallis)
via God's Politics on 11/5/07Watch 60 Minutes from last night or read the story. It revealed the results of a two-year investigation into the source of the key piece of information which was used by the Bush Administration as "proof" that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. This was the information that Colin Powell used in his now famous February 5, 2003 testimony at the United Nations reporting an "eyewitness" account that Saddam had a "mobile bio/chemical weapons program." The source, ironically code-named "Curve Ball," was a young Iraqi defector in Germany, who claimed he was a top student employed by a so-called seed purification plant that was really a bio/chemical weapons facility and that he saw trucks moving in and out to be armed with the weapons of mass destruction. Problem is that he wasn't, after all a "top student," wasn't there during the time he reported, got caught stealing equipment from his next employer, and there turned out to be walls at the alleged entrances and exits where the trucks were supposed to be going in and out.

For the first time, we know his name, Rafid Ahmed Alwan. Apparently, he lied because he wanted a green card in Germany, where he now lives. Turns out the Germans told the Americans that his testimony was "unconfimed," but the CIA wanted to use it anyway. Watch the 60 Minutes interview with former senior C.I. A. official Tyler Drumheller who was asked whether Curve Ball's assertion was essential to going to war with Iraq. He replied, "If they had not had "Curve Ball," they would have probably found something else. 'Cause there was a great determination to do it." But the information Curve Ball provided was the "absolutely essential case" for going to war. It was crucial to C.I.A Director George Tenet's telling the White House that the case proving the Saddam had WMD's was "slam dunk." Powell apparently believed the C.I.A.'s information, as Secretaries of State normally do, when he told the world that Saddam had a mobile bio/chemical weapons program at the same time his successor, Condoleezza Rice, was talking about "mushroom clouds." No American had interviewed "Curve Ball" nor had they visited the plant when Powell told the world about the Iraqi WMD program. Turns out that inspectors went to see the alleged WMD facility just days later, saw the walls where the trucks were supposed to be going in and out, and discovered it was a just a seed purification plant after all. But we never heard anything about that visit, and the war started a few weeks later—a war justified on false information.

I believe that Dick Cheney is a liar; that Donald Rumsfeld is also a liar; and that George W. Bush was and is clueless about being the President of the United States. And this isn't about being partisan - I was raised in a Republican family with two Republican parents that I loved more than any two people in the world. I've heard plenty of my Republican friends and public figures call this administration an embarrassment to the best traditions of the Republican Party and an embarrassment to the democratic (small d) tradition of the United States. They have shamed our beloved nation in the world by this war and the shameful way they have fought it. Almost 4,000 young Americans are dead because of the lies of this Administration, tens of thousands more wounded and maimed for life, hundreds of thousand Iraqis also dead, and 400 billion dollars wasted—because of their lies, incompetence, and corruption.

But I don't favor impeachment, as some have suggested. I would wait until after the election, when they are out of office, and then I would favor investigations of the top officials of the Bush administration on official deception, war crimes, and corruption charges. And if they are found guilty of these high crimes, I believe they should spend the rest of their lives in prison, after offering their repentance to every American family who has lost a son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister. Deliberately lying about going to war should not be forgiven.

My response -

As it turns out, the intelligence was faulty, no argument there. But how does he go from the intelligence was wrong to "I believe that Dick Cheney is a liar; that Donald Rumsfeld is also a liar; and that George W. Bush was and is clueless about being the President of the United States."? That's a bit of a leap. The decision was based on faulty information, but was the best they had at the time, and had no reason to believe otherwise. Even the previous administration believed they had WMD. The conclusion should be, the CIA screwed up, not the administration is evil. Where is the support for his assertion? There isn't one in the text, only a leap of logic.

"They have shamed our beloved nation in the world by this war and the shameful way they have fought it. Almost 4,000 young Americans are dead because of the lies of this administration, tens of thousands more wounded and maimed for life, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis also dead, and 400 billion dollars wasted—because of their lies, incompetence, and corruption."

Huh? How is our nation shamed? The Iraqi people are free, they are grateful for what we've done on their and our behalf. How have we fought this war shamefully? Again, support for his assertion? Lies of the administration? Again, support? As for Iraqi's, 1) his numbers are inflated, 2) most of that was caused by Al Qaeda and sectarian violence not our actions. Would they have been better off if we hadn't gone into Iraq? Good question, life under Saddam or life under Al Qaeda? Tough choice, but wait, Saddam is gone, and Al Qaeda is on the verge of being gone. So, the new choice is Saddam/Al Qaeda or free and stable Iraq? Hmm... Why is that money wasted? Free and stable Iraq, a democracy in a tough region, potential source of oil besides from the corrupt Saudis, etc, etc, etc. Again, proof for the lies, incompetence, and corruption???

If I were King (as the saying goes) I would have done things differently than the President, who knows, maybe in reflection he would have done things differently. But, I also have the perspective of the armchair quarterback, I know things now he didn't at the time. In those situations, you have to be able to decisively act with about 70% of the information, any less and you don't have enough, if you strive for 100% you lose your ability to act. I believe he made the best choices he knew how for the best interests of our nation, as well as the rest of the world. I don't believe he is evil, deliberately deceitful, corrupt, or incompetent.

The author seems to have a hatred for Bush unsubstantiated by the facts he cites. I tend to disregard anyone who raves on without being able to logically support their assertions. The sad truth is, we had bad information that the decision to go into Iraq was based on. The blame for that falls with the CIA, and those who handcuffed our intelligence services by reducing their funding so they couldn't operate adequately.