"Beyond Wilkerson's Remark on Cheney as a War Criminal"--David Corn

[laststeamtrain]

Larry Wilkerson, who was chief of staff to Colin Powell at the State department, is in the news again. He first made headlines several weeks ago by accusing Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld of running a "cabal" that seized control of national security decision-making in the Bush administration prior to the Iraq war. This Tuesday, he's in the news for blasting Cheney for pushing for an anything-goes policy when it comes to detainees held by US forces. Asked during a BBC interview if he believes Cheney is guilty of war crimes for shoving aside the Geneva accords and pushing for harsh treatment (perhaps torture) of detainees, Wilkerson replied,

"Well, that's an interesting question. It was certainly a domestic crime to advocate terror and I would suspect that it is--for whatever it's worth--an international crime as well."

That's some statement from a former Bush administration official. As might be expected, news outfits, bloggers and websites are having a field day with this. But you should read the entire interview, for Wilkerson makes several points that are less melodramatic but as, if not more, important. For instance, he attacks the White House for its recklessly negligent handling of the post-invasion planning for Iraq. This was a criminal--at least in policy terms--act for which Bush and his crowd have escaped accountability. (See what happens when Congress is controlled by the party of the president?) How Bush botched the post-invasion period should have been a bigger issue in the 2004 elections. It wasn't. But it's still not too late to complain and point an accusing finger. Wilkerson told the BBC,

"The post-invasion planning for Iraq was handled, in my opinion, in this alternative decision-making process which, in this case, constituted the vice-president and the secretary of defence and certain people in the defence department who did the "post invasion planning", which was as inept and incompetent as perhaps any planning anyone has ever done..."
(snip)

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?bid=3&pid=39984

[orwell]

1. Hey...

...look over there...bird flu!

[Boo Boo]

2. "It was certainly a domestic crime to advocate terror..."

Whoa, talk about framing! Dick Cheney = Terrorist.

Sweet.

[No Exit]

3. Yup. It's a protection racket, see?

Bush/Cheney are the terrorists. They threaten us with tales of how "terrorists" will kill us--unless we give them money and power so they can "protect" us. Anyone who holds out on them gets terrorized. This is b/c the "terrorists" they promise to protect us from are really THEM.

Think of "The Godfather II". The old don in the white suit (in the early Little Italy where Vito Corleone spent his younger days) regularly collects protection money from Italian shopkeepers. Anyone who doesn't pay up gets victimized by "hoods". What they don't know is that the "hoods" are really the gang headed by the old don in the white suit.