Enough Spin Already: Bush and Cheney Lied, Iran Didn't

Here's the New York Times frontpage left-hand hed from this morning: "Assessment Jars a Foreign Policy Debate About Iran." Assessment? Jars? Debate? Excuse me?

Here's Gramma Pelosi this morning: "The NIE illustrates the effectiveness of international monitoring and targeted sanctions to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." Effectiveness? Targeted? Proliferation? Excuse me?

There were many other - oh I don't know what's a judicious word - deranged? duplicitous? drugged? - reactions this morning to yesterday's devastating NIE - even to my chagrin in these august columns - spinning as no big deal a watershed moment in the so far wretched history of the 21st century America. Not one of them seemed willing to grasp a very large nettle: the axis of evil that has this great nation in its paws, has been lying about Iran at least since August and probably far longer. Has been lying to us, to our allies, to the world. Again. And not just lying but striving with all their might to nuke - or allow an ally to nuke - innocent people who posed no threat to us.

Here are the salient points from the NIE:

We judge with high confidence that the halt (in trying to develop nuclear weapons, not producing them) has lasted at least several years. (Four to be exact, a lifetime in war and politics).

We continue to assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapon. (Or has ever had one).

We judge with high confidence that Iran will not be capable of producing and reprocessing enough plutonium for a weapon before about 2015. (Which Bush - and for that matter Gates - flatly lied about this morning implying that the NIE said they could re-up anytime).

Let's be quite clear how far the men in the White House were willing to go. In the lethal linguistic fog these warmongers and the rightwing quislings who enable them, have plunged us, reasonable people seem to have lost sight of what we're talking about. Nuclear weapons aren't a bigger better version of Daisy Cutters. Nuclear weapons aren't just more bang for the buck. Nuclear weapons are the most cowardly killing devices ever devised by our benighted species. Nuclear weapons are instant genocide. Nuclear weapons are designed to murder as many unarmed noncombatants as possible, by the hundreds of thousands if not millions. Using nuclear weapons - even throwing around the threat to use them - was is and always should be unthinkable. Yet the monsters, yes monsters in the White House were willing to lie through their teeth - again - to get the chance to use them. On innocent people who posed no threat to us.

You say they didn't lie because they didn't have the current NIE? Bullshit. They said they knew that Iran had nuclear weapons, that Iran was about to start World War III. At the barest minimum they knew that was a lie. At the barest minimum they had no evidence to back that up - just as they had no evidence to back up their assertion that Saddam had nukes - yet they said that they did. They said they knew. That's called lying. And they were willing to murder on a monumental scale - again - based on those lies.

In reality - not the barest minimum - it's inconceivable that this intelligence has not been available to them since August, that some of it has not been known far longer. It's inconceivable that Israel which has the most reliable intelligence services in the Mid-East did not develop some intelligence in four long years, that Iran had no nuclear weapons and was no longer even trying to acquire them. It's inconceivable - surely - that if Israel had such intelligence, it would not pass it along. At some point in four long years. To someone in the US power structure.

Waking in New York this morning and reading the responses to this Force Nine news story, I felt as if I should try again to wake myself up. I don't mean that as a figure of speech: it was one of those experiences where you wake up in a dream and then try to really wake yourself up. Reading the New York Times was truly like being a character in a Kafka short story. For a while the world was making no sense. The acceptance of this shattering exposure of duplicity, appeared totally impossible for even well-informed, responsible journalists.

It's plausible that we've reached the point where we just cannot face that Americans, elected Americans, who talk in familiar accents, who grew up in familiar places, who wear familiar clothes and look not terribly unlike us, could be as evil as it increasingly appears George Bush and Richard Cheney really are. Americans simply aren't that evil, are they? They can't be. There must be some good intentions somewhere. But there aren't and there never have been.

And we cannot face the fact that the threat to our security and integrity as a people, is not in Tehran despite the blatherings of its ludicrous (and largely powerless) President, anymore than it was in Baghdad. Nor is it in the gullies, caves, hilltops and villages of the North-West Frontier. Threats from there - hot air and light weaponry - are nugatory compared to one we must now confront.

The threat to America is right here at home, sitting in two chairs in Washington right now, not faces on a screen, not characters in the tawdry television drama we call politics, but two actual human beings, their buttocks warming the leather of their seats, plotting how to cover up their crimes - the ones we don't know about yet - plotting how to avoid accountability for the crimes they can no longer conceal, plotting even now in the fading twilight of their reign of lies, theft and murder, how by any means necessary, they can get still their hands on most of the world's oil and pass the proceeds along to their cronies.

If you won't impeach now Gramma, you're on your way to being as guilty as they. Those who enable high crimes and misdemeanors - including never let us forget, treason - become as culpable as the perpetrators. If you don't impeach now, you will be an accomplice as will be all the others who stand with you - those who voted to declare the nuclear-free armed forces of a sovereign nation 'terrorists' for example, or one of your leading candidates for President who refused to take 'off the table' the 'option' of nuking innocent people who posed no threat to us, just so that she could look as tough as war-criminals.

Enough. This is the moment of enough. This is the moment where we lose or win back what was once and still can be again a great nation. Use the Constitution or lose the Constitution.

Comments

[sugarmoes]

we are witnessing the hardly noticed slide... into "the abyss"... so slow, subtle and denied that most don't notice the motion... a few grip against it... and a fewer still thrust along the course with glee... for they are criminals and that's what criminals do - tear things down.

[sugarmoes]

"Enough. This is the moment of enough. This is the moment where we lose or win back what was once and still can be again a great nation. Use the Constitution or lose the Constitution."

i noticed that moment when i surveyed the yearning glint in the chimp's eyes when he throatily roared "warrrrrrrrrrrrrr" directly following the attacks of september 11, 2001.

[tdbach]

I'm appalled by almost everything about this administration, including its MO of lying its way into wars. The case against them is strong enough based on the facts; there's no need to exagerate - it only weakens our case by compromising our own credibility. Bush and Cheney never said Iran or Iraq HAS nuclear weapons, only that they are in hot pursuit of becoming nuclear nations. That was the lie. It's still a crime.

[Vajara]

I think that the Senate and House should call a joint investigation committee and call in the CIA operatives, administrators, NIE, Secretary of State and ask them when they told Bush & Cheney the facts about the Iran Nuclear shutdown. If Bush lied then both he and Cheney must be impeached. It is the only way that our nation will ever get all of the truth or facts about their escapades during the past 7 years or more. They can also re-open the Plame investigation and get the reports from the Prosecutor that are being held by Bush.

Seems to me that one lie is connected to another and another, so lets get on with it Congress!!!

[katok]

Pelosi believes her Party will sweep into power in November 08, so why would she give up these expanded powers by impeaching those who created them just about when she is about to inherit them? Come to your senses people. This is not about Democracy or Justice. It's about power, absolute power. Time to turn the other cheek.

[Ron]

Even with the truth about Iran coming out, they still are trying to spin it and put out talking points to demonize Iran, and to justify another pre-emptive attack. I am scared they'll now do something against our own troops or people, and blame Iran to promote an attack. As far as impeachment goes, this administration may be using threats, or illegally gained information against enough people to prevent it from happening.

[Bobby]

It looks like Dumbya & Cheney were trying to lie their way into a war with Iran, based on the NIE's report on Iran having stopped it's nukes program in 2003. Wasn't it last month when Dumbya brought up WWIII and Iran in the same sentence. These treasnous bastards were trying to do the same thing with Iran, that they did in Iraq. Why? War profiteering and oil. A conflict with Iran will cause the U.S. to stay in the Middle East for decades. As it is, the U.S. is building SUPER bases in Iraq. Why? Because Bu$h wants us to stay there for a LONG, LONG time. To protect the oil that will be given to Exxon and the boys. 75% of the oil will go to big oil. And poor Exxon only recently had a $40 BILLION dollar profit in a QUARTER!!! Finally, I also believe that Dumbya Bu$h is the most deranged world leader since Hitler. Ironic, since granddaddy Prescott, invested in and profited from the Hitler war machine. Dumbya wants Armageddon. He doesn't care about how many bodies are put in the ground. He just doesn't give a shit. He cares more about his Scottish terrier. Just like Hitler cared more about his German shepard than the millions he killed. Hitler ended up in a bunker. He stopped listening to his Generals and kept firing them if they disagreed with him. Sound familiar?

[agnostic1]

Grams Pelosi has her own problems. What they involve, I doubt that we will find out. But she took impeachment off the table for a reason, probably a personal one, not a constitutional or congressional one.
Of course, that means that we Americans have problem, a rather large one. With Nancy Pelosi refusing to take on her constitutional duty with respect to impeachment, we have two totally dysfunctional branches of government. Come to think of it, with Scalia, Alito, Thomas, and Roberts, make that THREE dysfunctional branches. In summary, our country is all screwed up, and we see little chance of fixing it unless and until we clear out all of them from office.

[ReasonableBill]

I am not only tired, but mad the powers that be leak stories to the New York Times, who than prints the story and than the Washington Administration when questioned for media coverage or a Meet the Press"appearance quotes the story that has been reported by the New York Times, an authority of truth? Wake up America, we have and are being had by the "Compassionate Conservative" spin machine and its members.

[rabun666]

sADAAM hUSSEIN WAS TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT WMD's in Iraq, Bush and Cheney were the liars, so this is just business as usual and SOP for them to lie first and never ask or answer questions afterwards that contradict their lies since "god told us to do it" which deflects responsibility, the pretend christians way, making them above reproach. Now,if what I write here doesn't make any sense, it's what has happened during the Bush/Cheney pResidency it only makes sense to the oil industry and those who are implementing a soviet-fascist government for the USA, such as publicly funded private Republican party Armies like Blackwater.

[vincent123]

Kudos on an excellent albeit frightening essay.

[JohnCitizen]

The day the BUSH/CHENEY WAR OF TERROR on the American people died! Shocking, Darth Vater can no longer make up the intelligence he needs to match his beliefs and ideology. Thank you, Bob Gates. Bush/Cheney will have to live in the real world, the rational world. UNBELIEVABLE, IMPOSSIBLE!

[Purple Girl]

First and Foremost if the Admin's mouth is moving- they're lying.
It appears as though Pelosi's mouth is moving- but is too garbled to comprehend- get off your knees Nan !! (biggest draw back to Impeaching & Indicting the entire Admin- would she'd be next in line to sit in the Oval office-need to get rid of her too!)
Why does DICK think WE are as stupid as the Pres?? they've been getting updates, they've known there is no threat. that's why the big push to call the Iranian Military Terrorists (their foot was allowed to slip in the door)
They are still planning to go for it!!!
they start a war on Iran- nad they will have more than they bargined for here at home.
It will be purley a war to benefit the Saudis & the Isreali's, certainly not US.
HOW MUCH HIGH TREAON MUST WE ENDURE????

[zjr909]

Who said Bushco couldn't learn the lessons of history? Maybe the NIE came out because he wanted it to. No, I haven't just taken Kool Aid. Consider, if you will, that the knowledge of Iran's abandonment of a nuclear weapons program would inevitably come out after any attack. We know how well that horse after the cart worked for Bushco in Iraq. So, how about maybe they deliberately let the information surface in order to gauge the nation's outrage. If the brouhaha dies down in a couple weeks (as it no doubt will), then it may very well be a "go." The truth is, I don't put even rational thinking once in a while beyond the neo-cons in their never-ending effort to take over the Middle East. Right now, they can remove their bad cop mask to slip on their good cop mask, trying diplomacy and all that rational stuff. Then, a few months down the line, they can manufacture some other absolutely necessary reason to attack Iran. Don't think for a moment this NIE has stopped them in their tracks. The neo-cons are relentless in their ambitions.

[lastams]

And while we’re at it, how about an examination of not only the White House spin regarding Iraq and it’s neighbors, but the groupthink mentality of a media that parrots the Bushco world view.
One has to wonder how it is possible to have a serious discussion about Iraq and the “regional conflict” while leaving out the majority player, Saudi Arabia.
While we are supposedly fighting for a new democracy in Iraq, the Saudis posses what is arguably the most repressive regime in the region.
While this administration points to the Iranian influence, Saudi Arabia and Libya were the source of about 60 percent of the foreign fighters who came to Iraq in the past year to serve as suicide bombers or to facilitate other attacks.
And why is it that every analysis of oil prices blame each and every increase on market conditions,
or some unforeseen disruption in the region, and never once mention the Saudis, who virtually OWN OPEC.
The Saudis dictate oil policy to ALL members of OPEC, impose quotas, and set the price of oil at every wellhead in the Middle East.
And least we forget, a handful of terrorists, mostly Saudi, attacked us on 9-11, prompting a massive infusion of funds into “National Defense” and an invasion of Iraq, but no action whatsoever against “The Kingdom”.
So when do we start getting the straight story about our good buddies the Saudis?
One would think we’d be less worried about the Iranians and more concerned about the real threat to our national interests, a repressive totalitarian fundamentalist Moslem nation that supports the insurgency in Iraq and has it’s foot on our collective throats.