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

[larryfishkorn]

I think Bush gave his WWIII line to test the waters. Sure, Cheney wants to go in, but fortunately, the American public isn't the same pen of scared rabbits we were in 2002/3. The White House used their one "Get To Start a War For Free" card, and now they know they'll need more drastic methods to kick-off the war with Iran.

I still don't know what it'll take to get those bozos called out in a meaningful way. Maybe if they were caught killing dogs...

[SeenItBefore]

Did I really read a comment from Senator Biden stating AFTER the President declared war on Iran, he would call for Bush's impeachment? Are you brain dead? AFTER!!!!! Senator Biden, with all due respect, go home, get some warm milk and cookies, put you feet up and retire from politics.
Tony, your outrage pales to mine, I live in Texas and have had to listen to the idiot Bush for 12 years. More frightening is most Texans STILL think the sun rises and sets in his asshole.

[Sundialsvc4]

Adolf Hitler was elected. Fair and square.

In fact, he was elected in a vote where the votes that were counted had actually been cast, and the ones that were cast had actually been counted.

What they were after was more than $10 trillion worth of oil. And world domination.

And what has happened to our country is that ALL THREE Branches of this Government have been usurped at the SAME time. Thus, our system of "checks and balances" has been defeated.

The press, likewise, was usurped. It became a propaganda machine.

So this is the nature of the high crimes; so many of them, and across so many "civil officers," that Impeachment trials could run for years .. except .. except that the people who would have to put impeachment "on the table" are criminals too.

Consider this: many criminal processes begin only when a Grand Jury hands down an indictment. But what if that Grand Jury had "friends?" What if it didn't... wouldn't? Well, it could thereby protect anyone it pleased from being prosecuted.

We call that "aiding and abetting." We call that "collusion­."

We call that, in this case ... Treason.

And guess .. what .. our .. Congress .. is .. doing .. and .. has .. been .. doing .. for .. more .. than .. seven .. years?

Good morning. Awake yet?

[sophie]

Oh, and another thing? Why is it okay for the U.S. to have all the nuclear weapons? Or India or Israel or Pakistan for that matter? What's going to happen when China gets in on the action too? The U.S. is the only country to have ever used nuclear weapons to bomb away thousands of people in order to show the Soviet Union "atomic diplomacy". Kind of like, they better play with us or else. Maybe more countries should force this administration to disarm the nukes before this administration tells another country they can't have one. That'll be the day though. It's okay for the U.S. to have this kind of killing power I guess and a few choice "friends".­....but not any other country - or else!

[sophie]

For years, Bush brainwashed Americans into believing that Saddam was a murderer and an evil dictator. Maybe Saddam had killed one or two people personally in his lifetime, who really knows, BUT because he ordered the murder of many of his citizens, Bush painted him a murderer and evil-doer. What's the difference then between Saddam and Bush? Bush ordered the government murders of many criminals on death row while Governor of Texas. Sure, he didn't exactly pull the switch or inject these guys, but he was behind it all the same (like Saddam). Bush ordered that Iraq be invaded, Bush is behind the killings of all the citizens and American soldiers, even though he never pulled a trigger. So what is the difference between his ordering the murders of countless people and Saddam ordering the murders of some of his own people? If you can find a difference, let me know.

[realpolitic]

The intelligence community stood up and told the truth refusing to bow down to pressure from the administration. They knew, as last time, after Iran was attacked that Bush and Cheney would unceremoniously lay the blame on them. Rational actors and truth tellers are again taking over the reigns of our government away from the grip of Bush and Cheney. Now if the press begins to stand up, assert its independence and vital role as the fourth estate, they will call Bush and Cheney for the warmongering demogogues, liars and phonies that they are.

America- this is our worst government in our history. Shall we sit back and impartially watch Bush and Cheney misuse and abuse the reigns of power. Demand action! Write letters to Senators and Congressmen demanding investigation of the Iraqi WMD intelligence manipulation and Bush-Cheney impeachment proceedings.

[leftLibertarian]

Great post Tony. Now if only the Democrats had the BALLS to impeach the criminals Bush and Cheney.

[WIDESTANCE]

BUSH AND CHENEY LIED,
IRAQ DIDN'T

there were no weapons of mass destruction and imminent threats of mushroom clouds and al-quaida operations in iraq

SECOND VERSE, SAME AS THE FIRST ...

[ProfessorDuh]

What a strange world we live in. In any rational civilization, the news that Iran is NOT pursuing nuclear weapons would be a cause for celebration. But the Fox News pundit scum and the right-wing trolls here want to cry or throw a fit because of the report. I guess that just illustrates that the interests of civilization have nothing to do with what they're really after.

[jpshotwheels]

Bush is joke, Cheney is joke, and they will be for years to come. Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid will be just as guilty here if they don't Impeach. Enough is enough, has been going on for the last 3 years, and these people just keep going and going.

[RevMetheus]

Meh, these guys lying is nothing new. The media and the people buying into it is nothing new. Threatening nations with nuclear weapons is just channeling the Great Communicator. There will be NO investigation. There will be NO accounting. This will all be forgotten as we march to war and manage to elect another Republican that shouldnt be able to win. We will start new wars to hide the tracks of illegal dealings in past wars and no one will take notice.

Anyone who thinks otherwise will be called a conspiracy theorist and laughed back into the shadows.

[randyw]

Bush and Cheney lying is not new news, it is just busness as usual for these crooks! The question is what the Hell are we as a nation ever going to do about it?When the Hell is enough ever going to be enough?????

[DCMike]

Excellent post, Tony. To me, even impeachment seems like a smack on the wrist for this kind of behavior. What do you do when so much power has been taken by the criminally insane? It's not about saving a party, a nation, or even humanity from these madmen who are willing to gamble with the existance of all living things. Impeachment? It seems befitting that the firery depths of the Earth should just open up and swallow them whole.

[StephanLarose]

There is no doubt that the obscene murderous scale of the atrocities expedited to execute these neo-con policies shocks the soul and infuriates the mind. The world is going to hell unless we can hold these people accountable, and that means trying them for war crimes. Impeachment is practically a slap on the wrist, these people need life in prison and examples made of them, but do Pelosi and the Democrats want that? The answer is no, Democrats, sadly, are 95% as corrupt as their republican counterparts, for the American money driven electoral system leaves no alternative. The people of the U.S.A. simply must awaken and quickly to the fact that they must set the agenda, and it had better be an agenda that promotes world peace and international cooperation in upholding the rule of law and in internationally cooperating to disarm and detoxify our collective nations. Everything is on the line.

[Independent voter]

Get off your dead ass Pelosi and do your job.