Slips of the tongue from the Warmongers

[cliss]

We know that The Big 5 (Bush & his henchmen) can be unpredictable. Many DU:ers are wondering if they are planning to bomb Iran next. Several threads are looking at that possibility.

We might be able to "read between the lines" from these guys, whenever they make public statements. It would be really helpful to know what they are planning behind our backs. Also is the question about their real motives in Iraq vs. the "show" at the UN on Monday. Some posts (including mine) think it was all a big scam.

We know that they lie. They lie as soon as they open their mouths. But do they occasionally tell the truth?

Here's a rundown on the most important people, and their capacity for slip-ups.

1) Bush - seems to talk basically from scripts that have been handed to him. Doesn't talk very much "unrehearsed", for obvious reasons. Press conferences are staged, so don't look for much data-mining on this guy. Occasionally, though, he could do a "Freudian slip", like
"we want to share our oil with the Iraqis".

2) Cheney - very careful, rehearsed statements, even in interviews. Not much chance of a slip-up here. This man works behind the scenes, pulling strings, so the few times he does appear before the media, the chance of him making a mistake is pretty small. However, like the human being he actually is, he can also make time-sensitive goofs. This means he can't remember all his lies, because time passes on and we simply can't remember everything we say. Time is the liar's ultimate enemy. We forget.

3) Powell - he is currently being shredded here at the DU. He is obviously trying to cover his lies by making them fit FATHER TIME, but he keeps continually slipping up, and trying to keep a straight face at the same time. BE COOL is his motto. His capacity for letting the cat out of the bag is pretty good. Look to him for giving away important facts.

4) Rice - a lightweight. Her name is being used as a doormat here at DU. Being a woman, she is susceptible to the nemesis that the others don't have: emotions. She feels hurt. She's on the verge of tears. She messes up constantly. She tries to correct the mistakes. It just gets worse, because they pounce on her. She knows the tape recorder is always TURNED ON, and they never forget a quote. SMILE AND BE COOL is her motto. She just can't hold it together, and by her constant mistakes she could let important facts slip.

5) Rumsfeld - a seasoned, hardened pro. This is a man who has been around for a long time. He knows how to handle press conferences. He continually wows them with his inflections of speech, his colorful adjectives and his "professional demeanor". There is one thing, though, that could sink him. His ego. He has actually published poetry (hard to believe), and he fancies himself a "Renaissance Man" who can do everything (write beautiful prose & kill people at the same time). He COULD let slip important plans about a new war, just from his inflated ego. "Well, if we bomb Iran, it will be because I thought it was necessary".

Keep an eye on their statements.

[FreeperSlayer]

1. Did you mean "bomb Syria"?

If you're listening for little slip-ups: Syria slips out every couple of days.
They're next.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I have heard Iran, as well. This would be a monumental mistake.

Syria could easily be next, however. The unelected Bush* administration has repeatedly shown that they will do whatever suits their agenda, regardless of the will of the American people or the opinion of the world community.:shrug:

My first question would be, where would they get the troops? We keep hearing that the casualty rate in Iraq is so high because there are just not enough troops to do the job properly. They are calling in the reservists. Plus, we still have troops in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia!:-(

Iran is much larger and infinitely more populous that Iraq. This would be a mammoth and bloody undertaking. Just ask Saddam Hussein. The only reason that he wasn't totally annihilated by the Iranians was that he obtained arms from the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations. And it took him eight years. Saddam was considered an ally back then.:grr:

[Zuni]

3. Actually Iraq's arms

came almost entirely from the Soviet Bloc. The Baathists mainly followed a Nasserist course, and like Syria, cemented ties to the USSR soon after seizing power in 1968.
The Iraqis did have a bunch of French Mirage Fighters though. Of the western countries, France really was Iraq's biggest supplier.
Most of what came from the US were loans and subsidized grain.