General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why this sudden push to rewrite history about the Iraq war? [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)A fringe of people knew that the war was based on lies. A fringe. An insulated fringe that has no clue what is going on in the minds and hearts of most Americans.
The war criminals were responsible. Bush, Tenet, Condoleeza Rice and Cheney and their staffs first and foremost.
Were the American people the last to know about the lying? Yes. We were.
Remember. We had already fought a (possibly phony) war against Iraq. And Bill and Hillary Clinton kept the Anti-Iraq drums beating during their time in the White House.
I have no idea what the role of Bill and Hillary Clinton was in preparing the US for the drumbeats of war in Iraq, but it was considerable. Maybe they had no choice. I would like to hear their side of the story.
I would also like to hear from Iraqis who remember what life was like in Iraq before the war.
This is why we need to push for less secrecy, much, much more transparency in our military and diplomatic communications. Secrecy can be vital when you are at war. But it is like having dark corners in your basement where no light can reach. All kinds of ugly stuff can hide away in there.
Julian Assange and Wikileaks should not be needed in a "free" country. The secrets of our government should be so few and far between that they earn everyone's respect. When the Wikileaks of the US cables came out, I think many of us realized how really stupid and unnecessary much of the secrecy of our government is. That kind of secrecy is incompatible with democracy. We need to change our policies on what is secret and what is not.
I know a woman who suffers from paranoia -- seriously -- the medical kind. She is never free. She cannot be free. Her fears imprison her. It's sad to watch her. And it is sad to watch our military/industrial complex using paranoia to enrich and ensconce itself.
Less secrecy. More freedom.