Reply #7: KO had a good piece on it lastnight

[ProSense]

"We Should Not Let Them Back into Polite Society" - Richard Clarke on GWB and His Cronies

Posted 6/6/2008 8:40 AM CDT

On Countdown last night, Keith went after GWB and his administration over the new Phase 2 Report on Iraq intelligence issued yesterday under chairman Jay Rockefeller. The conclusions reached by this report were vastly different from the Phase 1 report under Republican Senator Pat Roberts, where he essentially stonewalled any serious investigation for over 2 years until the Dems took the Senate in 2006. The report documents the manipulation of intelligence, the distortions, and the outright lies told to the world to whip up a war against a country that had not harmed us and was no threat to us.

In an interview with Keith, Richard Clarke, chief of counter terrorism under Clinton and demoted by GWB, talked about just how egregious the lies and distortions by the Bush administration were in the runup to the war. In his conclusion, Clarke made a startling assertion that I happen to agree with. When asked about repercussions for those who lied, he said that at a minimum, "We should not allow these people back into polite society and give them jobs on university boards and corporate boards and just pretend that nothing happened when there are over 4,000 Americans dead and over 25,000 Americans grievously wounded. They'll carry those wounds and suffer all the rest of their lives. Someone should have to pay, in some way."

Here's the interview in it's entirety:

Keith Olbermann And Richard Clark

Impeachment is what GWB and Cheney deserved at a minimum. It is way too late for that, obviously, but there should be a public reckoning for those who perpetrated this war based on exaggerated intelligence and outright lies to the American people.

Iran, Iraq and Syria was also in focus, and Kerry and Hagel wrote this op-ed:

OPINION

It's Time to Talk to Syria

By JOHN KERRY and CHUCK HAGEL
June 5, 2008; Page A19

After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991, President George H.W. Bush did the improbable and convinced Syrian President Hafez Assad to join an American-led coalition against a fellow Baathist regime.

Today, these leaders' sons have another chance for a diplomatic breakthrough that could redefine the strategic landscape in the Middle East.

The recent announcement of peace negotiations between Israel and Syria through Turkey, and the agreement between the Lebanese factions in Qatar – both apparently without meaningful U.S. involvement – should serve as a wake-up call that our policy of nonengagement has isolated us more than the Syrians. These developments also help create new opportunities and increased leverage that we can only exploit through substantive dialogue with Syria.

Syria's leaders have always made cold calculations in the name of self-preservation, and history shows that intensive diplomacy can pay off. Secretary of State James Baker made more than a dozen trips to Syria before Operation Desert Storm, and remember President Assad's price: U.S. support for Syrian dialogue with Israel. The ultimate challenge – moving Syria away from its marriage of convenience with Iran – will certainly not happen overnight. But it's telling that Iran lobbied Syria not to negotiate with Israel and that Syria decided to proceed regardless.

To support Israel and isolate Iran, President George W. Bush should offer direct support for the Israeli-Syrian initiative. Promoting peace between our ally and its neighbors has always been a bipartisan cornerstone of our foreign policy. Syria views peace talks with Israel as part of a broader rapprochement with America, and its strong desire for U.S. involvement can work to our advantage. We know that high level, direct talks will require a sustained and credible American role, just as they did in 2000, when President Bill Clinton met repeatedly with Mr. Assad in bringing Syria and Israel to the brink of a deal. With so much at stake, it's in our interests to come to the table again.

The agreement by the Lebanese parties provides another opening. Syria must respect Lebanon's sovereignty and end its deadly meddling. But the fact that Syria's ally, Hezbollah, secured much of the political power it sought should remove Syria's excuse for failing to open an embassy, normalize relations, and finally demarcate the border with Lebanon. Hezbollah must eventually be disarmed, as United Nations Resolutions 1559 and 1701 require, but its agreement not to use force internally could be used to push Syria to shut off the supply of weapons.

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