Yesterday, Tony Blair let it slip that the invasion of Iraq was a "disaster." Blair's press people say that it's disingenuous to conclude that Blair actually meant what he said.
But what would happen if people in the Bush administration slipped into "truth-telling" mode.
Alberto Gonzalez would have said, "of course, the Patriot Act, warrantless wiretapping, and data-mining are threats to freedom in the United States. I'm a threat to freedom in the United States."
And Dick Cheney would have countered, "not as big a threat as me."
George Bush would have gone on, "you don't understand that people in my administration and a lot of conservatives in general don't like freedom in the United States. Yeah, flying the flag is great, but elections, political dissent, opposition parties, poplear culture, the right to free speech, and the right to privacy--we don't believe in that anyway. That's the purpose of the war in Iraq, to get rid of all this freedom stuff and get back to the good old days like when I was a kid. "
Too bad it's been suchh a disaster."
Signing off from Philly--only a sixteen hour trip back to Morehead.
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3 comments:
Alberto Gonzalez would have said, "...I'm a threat to freedom in the United States."
And Dick Cheney would have countered, "not as big a threat as me."
[sigh]
never happen. lovely fantasy, though, and it brightened my day considerably just to read this. thanks.
Review of the interview shows, Blair did not say Iraq was a disaster. David Frost did and Tony Blair reflexively agreed and fell into a trap skilfully laid for him.
I am no apologist for Tony Blair. This much publicised sound bite does not represent any Damascene revelation for this evil lawyer. The problem is surely, that Bush , Blair, cehney, Rummy, Abizaid et al cannot see that their illegal invasion and occupation is a disaster.
They cannot see that this apparently unending conflict ( well if not unending , no-one has a plan for it's cessation - Bakers, gang of geriatrics have no key to unlock the swiftly developing Armageddon) has been driven by their illegal invasion and imperialist occupation.
What was a secular, nation with decent health systems, good education at all levels, internal communications and a functioning civil service (albeit with massive problems of corruption etc.) has descended into a murderous, nationwide civil war, whilst we sit on the sidelines as self-important, self imposed referees wringing our hands as the nation descends into a mediaeval and religious and murderous fratricide.
We should not be cheering that this fluent lying lawyer, has by a slip of the tongue, given a modest sign of recognition of the woes he has helped deliver to these benighted people - there is no evidence in their own words, deeds, or actions they initiate or promulgate that they have the slightest understanding of their folly and stupidity.
Meanwhile they have diverted their considerable energies and assets to re-create their follies further north in Afghanistan, doing nothing but to boost the drug trade whose results spread the war to our own streets, far from the battlefields as a far flung spawn of their monstrous and deluded imperialism.
There is no entertainment to be provided by transposing this carefully prepared and boosted media moment to imagine a sudden burst of honesty from the likes of Gonzalez, Cheney, Rummy, and all the rest of the villainous crew in the White House.
I'm not quite sure where we disagree here.
My main point was not to criticize Blair. Others have done that quite well.
Instead, I was using Blair's gaffe to highlight the hostility of Bush, Cheney, and Gonzalez to long-established American traditions of privacy and personal freedom.
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