General Hayden Revises History In Iraq

We gave this particular moment some special attention on our Sunday Morning Liveblog today, but it deserves some special attention and scrutiny. We're speaking of the moment where Tim Russert asks General Michael Hayden is the recent violence in Basra is going to have an impact on the political reconciliation that was promised when the "Surge" was launched. Hayden's answer was to ignore all the various promises the American people were made in the run up to war and beyond - of quick battles, occupancies that would last mere months, cakewalks, missions accomplished, last throes, and imminent drawdowns - and insist that the current state of play is something that we were always told was going to happen. Naturally, despite his tendency toward having plenty of "gotcha!" style clips on hand to trip up his quarry, Russert couldn't even manage a thin breath of puchback on Hayden's obvious inveigling.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you think this military activity in Basra is a setback for political reconciliation in Iraq?

GEN. HAYDEN: You, you know, Tim, this was something that we all knew we had to go through. This was inevitable. This had to be resolved. You just can't have the second major city in the country--economically, the most important city in the country--beyond the control of the government. And so, although, you know, there, there's a certain sense of--what's the right word, Tim?--disappointment in, in that--the fact that violence is increasing, we knew we couldn't get to where we had to be for the Iraqi state, for a modern democratic Iraqi state, without going through this.

Yeah. I have no idea who this "we" is that Hayden is talking about, but if they search their vocabulary for the right work to describe Iraq and can only come up with "disappointment," then they can't have been paying much attention.

[WATCH.]

Comments

[Barky]

11:46 PM on 03/30/2008

Amazing. All these guys seem to be reading out of the same hymn...or is it a nursery rhyme book. So where was the famed Russertian query..."Well General, I'd you to look at these quotes from George and Dick and Paul and ....and yourself....that said that the surge was neccessary ...blah blah blah".

Oh well. I suppose Timmy doesnt want the general not to visit again.

I am getting to the point frankly where I believe the country deserves what it is getting by allowing these moronic liars to feed this crap to all and not be held accountable...and that includes members of congress. Today Basra, tomorrow Baghdad or will it be Mosul...and another set of effing excuses and lies.

[timeforachangenow]

10:57 PM on 03/30/2008

well...at least I wasn't the only one paying attention this morning when he sat there and LIED through his teeth....8(

good to see it was noticed by others...8)

I was sitting there with my jaw hitting the ground and trying to figure out how they thought we were going to buy into this....8(

only other thing I noticed was that we have an ex NSA chief that is now heading up the CIA...8(

isn't it proof that now the military is running our country.....8(

I keep thinking that the American people will notice this and DEMAND a change...ya think!

it IS truly TimeforachangeNOW...

and I DON'T mean Obama!

[springsm]

11:53 PM on 03/30/2008

I think I heard a likeness of that statement about always knowing..quite a while ago...but it wasn't this gd administration saying it...it was the people in the street were and are against this war. Anybody knowing anything about this area of the world should not have been shocked at this latest violence. So this Hayden wants to rewrite history...gawd. I have also said many times that someone needs to write an honest rendition of these war crimes and results and put them in a time capsule in a safe corner of some building....to be unencapsulated 30 years from now...or even earlier. Several of those need to be put in several places, several cities, several states. These bush/cheney clans should be known for their disgraceful ways..and the public needs to have the truth. NOT the presidential libraries...bush's will be a coverup.

[PierreLeClerke]

10:50 PM on 03/30/2008

ABOLISH this government on April 19th Patriots Day in the City of Philadelphia , Independence Hall 9am.

[RTOTrainer]

11:41 PM on 03/30/2008

How will you manage that?

[batgirlevi]

10:40 PM on 03/30/2008

Take off those ribbons and he looks exactly like Elmer Fudd.

[Dannydel]

09:57 PM on 03/30/2008

Just another member of the most rotten, corrupt and criminal administration in this nations history. No shame.

[TheHandyman]

09:55 PM on 03/30/2008

Why is the head of a civilian agency still wearing a military uniform? Who does he think he is, Mushareef? Hayden has no honor and integrity but Russert has even less.

[RTOTrainer]

11:40 PM on 03/30/2008

By law, the Director or the Assistant Director may be a commissioned military officer (though never both). It's been that way since the CIA was established in 1947 and was also true of the predecessor Central Intelligence Group in 1946.

Other Military DCIs:
RADM Sidney Souers, USNR January 23, 1946–June 10, 1946
LTG Hoyt S. Vandenberg, USA June 10, 1946–May 1, 1947
RADM Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, USN May 1, 1947–October 7, 1950
GEN Walter Bedell Smith, USA October 7, 1950–February 9, 1953
VADM William Raborn, USN (Ret.) April 28, 1965–June 30, 1966
ADM Stansfield Turner, USN (Ret.) March 9, 1977–January 20, 1981

[thebeerdoctor]

09:41 PM on 03/30/2008

If someone invaded this country and occupied it, we would fight like the dickens to get them out of here. I thought these chaps said they were Christians? You know? Do unto others as they would have them do unto you? Moktada al-Sadr is not an Iranian agent. He is an Iraqi nationalist trying to rid his country of a foreign occupier. You hear it said that if the United States gets out there will be problems. Yes there will be. Theirs, not ours. You can not justify something that was rotten to begin with. No Bush, no Cheney, no Clinton can change that fact.

[dogman44]

11:52 PM on 03/30/2008

Most Americans, like most civilians everywhere, if occupied would just hide from the fighting as
best they could. And when the fighting was over they'd suck up to the victors. Most people don't
have the stomach to fight. The masses are just cattle.

[VosVos]

09:01 PM on 03/30/2008

Yea I'm "disappointed." Hey, but whats a couple of trillion dollars, 4000 American lives, tens of thousands of injured American Soldiers, millions of dead/wounded/displaced Iraqis and lost respect from the entire world? Just a "disappointment." You just want to beat this guy like a baby seal!!!

[cnick]

08:52 PM on 03/30/2008

This man lied from the beginning of the interview to the end. Russert sat and listened and didn't call him on it once, just like the media did during the run up to the war. He actually expects us to believe that he and all the others knew nothing about and had nothing to do with the current action in Basra. This was a surprise sprung on them by the Iraqi government. He still talks about the WMD that Hussein had developed. Why is this delusional man in his silly uniform still allowed to sit there and try to brainwash the citizens of this country????

[clearvoyant]

08:50 PM on 03/30/2008

The events in Basra have nothing to do with the "surge" or any other screwup Bush has made IN IRAQ. Again I will point out the nature of Al Sadr or Mooky as I like to call him. Mooky is an Ayatollah! He inherited the position from his father. He wears the black turban which indicates he is a descendant of Ali and Mohamed. That would be thru Fatima, Mohamed's daughter Ali's wife. He had no sons and Ali was a nephew. Now with that background Mooky is Shiite royalty and he can do what he wants to as long as he has the military or economic where with all to accomplish it. No Shiite will judge him, in fact they will die for him and they are doing it as we speak. He is also by the fact that he is an Ayatollah an ally of Iran,period. What is happening is the destabilization of Basra so our military can not use the port as the main jump off point to mess with Iran. Basra is more strategic than Baghdad. It is the gateway to the country and is on the border with Iran. I hope someone in the government can figure this out . It is a chess game and they have time on their side.

[fact finder]

07:54 PM on 03/30/2008

We have meet the enemy and they are our lying ignorant politicians who conspire with the wealthy to rape the resources of the world and to hell with the people.

[dogman44]

12:01 AM on 03/31/2008

Our political and economic pigs know they rule children who will go along with whatever they
say or do. They have no respect for the people they rule. And the ruled deserve no respect.
No fight, no heart.

[fact finder]

10:06 AM on 03/31/2008

dogman; Amen.Truer words have never been spoken.

[woundedduck]

07:53 PM on 03/30/2008

Russert only has follow-ups when the stakes are non-existent. For instance, he's always ready with a "gotcha" when it's a he said/she said, but when it involves actual policy, he's just another corporate eunuch waiting for his MSNBC check to clear.

[NoahVail]

07:24 PM on 03/30/2008

It would have been far better if they had just let them have their civil war, and it would be mostly over at this point. Instead, it has not yet begun. Bush and Cheney won't be happy until they at least match the war dead in Viet Nam.

[Marlyn]

07:20 PM on 03/30/2008

"I have no idea who this WE is that Hayden is talking about." ??? perhaps Bush and Hayden?

[sailmaker]

06:59 PM on 03/30/2008

Maybe someone should ask him what more we 'know' we will have to go through before there is peace in Iraq, just to get a current benchmark on the administration's idea of the war. Interested parties, like the taxpayers would like to know.

[RTOTrainer]

08:04 PM on 03/30/2008

An insurgency, on average, lasts 9 years. We've known that for a long time.

[JM51]

08:39 PM on 03/30/2008

Please list five insurgencies and their duration.

[TheHandyman]

09:59 PM on 03/30/2008

Who the hell is this we you are talking about and where did you get this 9 years? Out of your personal methane gas digester?