"As Depressing As Divorce" .. Molly Ivins

[drfemoe]

May 27, 2004
AUSTIN, Texas -- Too bad for anyone who tuned in to President Bush's speech Monday night hoping to hear something that would cheer us up -- like a plan. That was as depressing as divorce. There he was, still peddling the phony idea that Saddam Hussein was connected to 9-11 -- I guess that one will never get too old or too disproved.

In case you think no one in public life is capable of intelligent thought about Iraq, I recommend a speech made by Gen. Anthony Zinni (well, OK, so he's slightly retired) May 12 to the Center for Defense Information. In it, Zinni lists the 10 mistakes he believes were responsible for getting us into this fine mess.
...
-- We had to create a false rationale for going in to get public support. Zinni testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just before the war and was asked if the threat from Saddam Hussein was imminent: "No, not at all," he said. "It was not an imminent threat. Not even close. Not grave, gathering, imminent, serious, severe, mildly upsetting, none of these."
...
-- Propping up and trusting the exiles. Zinni ranks this as possibly our biggest mistake, taking up Ahmad Chalabi's "Gucci guerrillas." Zinni has the additional authority of having testified against the Iraqi Liberation Act back in 1998, telling the Senate then that the Iraqi National Congress was not credible and would "lead us into something that we will regret."
...
http://www.intellivu.com/main.asp?brand=&fnum=232&pathb=/articles1/mivins/ivins052704.htm

[havocmom]

1. Could we establish the honorary position of Pundit Laureate

and have dear Molly serve as the first? She is a national treasure and a great human being.

[Wilber_Stool]

2. Gucci guerrillas

Good one. How did I miss that the first time around?

[drfemoe]

3. what's depressing is

being Zinni, et al and knowing how to produce positive RESULTS from foreign policy .. and still being buffaloed by the neos.
How frustrated they must be.

[struggle4progress]

4. I especially like the suggestion ...

that Rummy could be strapped to a board and submerged in a vat of water.

[drfemoe]

5. I know . gives you faith in our brethern doesn't it?

"When our plans for Iraq are next explored at a Cabinet meeting, would your observations be any more insightful if delivered while strapped to a board and irregularly submerged in a vat of water? Doubtful at best."

Even, Johnston suggests, shoving a rolled copy of the Bill of Rights up a delicate place on the secretary's person would not necessarily improve Rumsfeld's truthfulness at his next press conference. "My solution is really quite simple: The Iraqi scum should be handled with much the same restraint we would all want to be applied to you, should the present criminal investigations wind up reaching even deeper into your office than is already the case."

[Martin Eden]

7. If the The Bill Of Rights ...

... was used as a suppository for Rumsfeld ...

... would ASScroft be more likely to read it?

[FleshCartoon]

6. My favorite part.

"Another citizen with some valuable suggestions is New York lawyer Neal Johnston, who was moved to write Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld concerning "proper controls upon the interrogation techniques of detainees held by our military forces abroad." Since we are extremely interested in getting the truth out of reluctant witnesses who may be covering up something, and since the Pentagon apparently feels it knows how to do this, Johnston wonders what would happen if the methods were more broadly applied. For example, he writes Rumsfeld, "When next you testify before a congressional committee, would your testimony be any more credible were you required to deliver it stripped naked? I think not."

[nosmokes]

8. one of the best

voices on the political scene is molly's. what a great writer.