Richard Perle Quotes from this week

[caribmon]

Is this man incredibly insane or what? And how much influence and pull does he have in Washington?

http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.,pubID.19017/pub_detail.asp

"The war in Iraq has demonstrated the significance of strong, decisive government leadership, bold military tactics coupled with advanced technology, and the possibility of spreading freedom and democracy throughout the Arab world."

(He is a Director of the Jerusalem Post)

"Third, the war has demonstrated a really quite remarkable ability of the United States to operate more or less independently. Of course, we needed some space in Kuwait and elsewhere to amass some forces, but we were extraordinarily independent in this operation. When Turkey refused to allow access for a northern front, we adapted quickly. And without the availability of that real estate, we were nevertheless able to reshape and execute a very complex war plan.

This independence meant that we could say to our allies: You can opt in or you can opt out. This is a coalition of the willing. You do not have to participate if you do not want to. (Some of our allies, like the Germans, decided not to participate even before they were asked to do so.) The ability to operate more or less independently, working only with those who are willing to join us, is of enormous political importance for the future."

"Lesson eight is not such a happy lesson: our allies are woefully inadequate by comparison with the United States, and there is no sign that it is getting better. Indeed, in many ways, it is getting worse. This has important political implications, because as we contemplate the use of force in the protection of our own interests and the interests of others, our friends and allies, it is not clear they can fight alongside us. What we saw in Europe in the form of opposition to this war reflects, at least in part, the inability of Europeans to participate in a way that accords their own soldiers and citizens the relative safety that we have earned by virtue of the way we fight, by out-ranging the enemy, for example."


"And in terms of protecting this country from the terrorist threat we face, and indeed, in liberating people throughout the Arab world, this transformation, if it succeeds in Iraq, will spread. It will spread by inspiring others who are now the victims of oppression, and it will spread by recognizing that the Western world is not unique in its desire for individuals to live in freedom."

Perle's Professional Experience

-Member of the Defense Policy Board
-Chairman and chief executive officer, Hollinger Digital, Inc.
-Director, Jerusalem Post
-Producer, PBS, The Gulf Crisis: The Road to War, 1992
-Assistant secretary of defense for international security policy, 1981-1987
-U.S. Senate staff, 1969-1980

[hang a left]

1. It is like a bad dream

and groundhog day over and over again.

[Eloriel]

2. Oh, God. PLEASE don't spread any more

"freedom and democracy" in the Arab world or anywhere else. I don't think the world can take any more.

He really is certifiable, isn't he? Insane. Sociopathic. Delusional. Unbelievable.

Eloriel

[caribmon]

3. A little-known fact about Richard Perle

Wait! He gets even uglier in this British exposé. The Guardian really is one of the best investigative papers out there!

US thinktanks give lessons in foreign policy

Brian Whitaker reports on the network of research institutes whose views and TV appearances are supplanting all other experts on Middle Eastern issues


A little-known fact about Richard Perle, the leading advocate of hardline policies at the Pentagon, is that he once wrote a political thriller. The book, appropriately called Hard Line, is set in the days of the cold war with the Soviet Union. Its hero is a male senior official at the Pentagon, working late into the night and battling almost single-handedly to rescue the US from liberal wimps at the state department who want to sign away America's nuclear deterrent in a disarmament deal with the Russians.
Ten years on Mr Perle finds himself cast in the real-life role of his fictional hero - except that the Russians are no longer a threat, so he has to make do with the Iraqis, the Saudis and terrorism in general.

In real life too, Mr Perle is not fighting his battle single-handed. Around him there is a cosy and cleverly-constructed network of Middle East "experts" who share his neo-conservative outlook and who pop up as talking heads on US television, in newspapers, books, testimonies to congressional committees, and at lunchtime gatherings in Washington.

<SNIP>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,777100,00.html

[lazarus]

6. caribmom

Please snip this article to the proper length for DU copyright rules. 3-4 paragraphs, max. Given the structure, 8 sentences or so is enough.

[Voltaire99]

8. Flooding the op-ed pages...

"Anyone who has tried offering op-ed articles to a major newspaper will appreciate the scale of this achievement," quips the reliable Whitaker in the Guardian piece.

Alas, too true! This reminded me of an anecdote told by The Progressive magazine's editor, Matthew Rothschild, last year during a talk in St. Paul. He described the meagre achievements of the magazine after embarking upon an effort to place op-ed pieces in the mainstream US press.

Oh, they got a few pieces printed here and there. But mainly, editors said they were flooded with an endless barrage of right wing pieces...

[FloridaPat]

4. The biggest military power in the world invades a

defenseless country - and wins. And it brilliant military strategery. I have heard that over and over again. Can anyone explain how this is possible?

[ILeft]

10. I refuse to call it a "war." It's a disgraceful, disgusting mess.

These chickenhawks live in a fantasy world.

[sandnsea]

5. We deny our people education, health care, housing and food

So we can have a military that can slaughter the tiniest countries in the world. Yeah, I'm proud.

[grasswire]

7. hmmm

....there are eleven copies of Perle's book available through used book dealers at www.abebooks.com. Might be interesting.

[goddess40]

9. Speaking fees

Richard Perle is the only member of the Defense Policy Board that will speak only for payment. He asks for anywhere from $100 to $900. He claims this is not illegal but according to the Pentagon those on that board are considered "special government employees" and are banned from using their public office for private gain. Go figure. These are minor amounts to someone like Perle but I guess the Reukes never have enough money.

[JHB]

11. "Johnny Bravo" Policy Analysis

He sees all that "fits the suit", and dismisses anything which doesn't.

But, like a faith healer or medium, he tells the right people what they want to hear, so failure only pushes him to a higher position.

:puke:

[Born_a_Democrat]

12. you forgot to list two "Perle" qualifications

- Professional Republican Cronie
- Warhawk-Lackie Coward BITCH