Ron Paul: How To Start A 20 Year War

[carincross]

Run time: 04:37 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JANYT8FCik   Posted on YouTube: January 26, 2011 By YouTube Member: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views on YouTube: 18163   Posted on DU: February 05, 2011 By DU Member: carincross Views on DU: 540

 
Ron Paul (R-TX) gave this speech on the floor of the House on January 26, 2011.
(cf: Congressional Record, January 26, 2011, Page H503)

"It had been long assumed that the United States Government, shortly before Iraq invaded Kuwait in August of 1990, gave Saddam Hussein a green light to attack. A State Department cable recently published by WikiLeaks confirmed that U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie did indeed have a conversation with Saddam Hussein one week prior to Iraq’s August 1, 1990, invasion of Kuwait. Amazingly, the released cable was entitled, “Saddam’s Message of Friendship to President Bush.” In it, Ambassador Glaspie affirmed to Saddam that “the President had instructed her to broaden and deepen our relations with Iraq.” As Saddam Hussein outlined Iraq’s ongoing border dispute with Kuwait, Ambassador Glaspie was quite clear that, “we took no position on these Arab affairs.” ...

"The document was classified, supposedly to protect national security, yet this information in no way jeopardized our security. Instead, it served to keep the truth from the American people about an event leading up to our initial military involvement in Iraq and the region that continues to today. The secrecy of the memo was designed to hide the truth from the American people and keep our government from being embarrassed. This was the initial event that had led to so much death and destruction–not to mention the financial costs–these past 20 years. ...

"Julian Assange, the publisher of the WikiLeaks memo, is now considered an enemy of the state. Politicians are calling for drastic punishment and even assassination; and, sadly, the majority of the American people seem to support such moves. But why should we so fear the truth? Why should our government’s lies and mistakes be hidden from the American people in the name of patriotism? Once it becomes acceptable to equate truth with treason, we can no longer call ourselves a free society.”

[Charleston Chew]

1. The first Iraq War was a fraud too

A little history...

The US put Saddam Hussein in power.

It armed him to the teeth with all kinds of weapons - including biological and chemical - to fight Iran.

When the US needed to effect "change in the region" it provoked a war which resulted in the destruction of the Iraqi military and the conning of the Saudi Arabians into doing something they swore they'd never do: allow US bases to be constructed in their country.


The truth behind the 1991 Gulf War invasion http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x549839

[cantbeserious]

2. Link To Wiki Leaks Cable

http://213.251.145.96/cable/1990/07/90BAGHDAD4237.html

Some Extracts

27. AT THIS POINT, SADDAM LEFT THE ROOM TO TAKE
AN URGENT CALL FROM MUBARAK. AFTER HIS RETURN,
THE AMBASSADOR ASKED IF HE COULD TELL HER IF
THERE HAS ANY PROGRESS IN FINDING A PEACEFUL WAY
TO DEFUSE THE DISPUTE. THIS WAS SOMETHING PRESIDENT
BUSH WOULD BE KEENLY INTERESTED TO KNOW. SADDAM
SAID THAT HE HAD JUST LEARNED FROM MUBARAK THE
KUWAITIS HAVE AGREED TO NEGOTIATE. THE KUWAITI
CROWN PRINCE/PRIME MINISTER WOULD MEET IN RIYADH
WITH SADDAM'S NUMBER TWO, IZZAT IBRAHIM, AND THEN
THE KUWAITI WOULD COME TO BAGHDAD ON SATURDAY,
SUNDAY OR, AT THE LATEST, MONDAY, JULY 30.

28. "I TOLD MUBARAK," SADDAM SAID, THAT "NOTHING
WILL HAPPEN UNTIL THE MEETING," AND NOTHING WILL
HAPPEN DURING OR AFTER THE MEETING IF THE KUWAITIS
WILL AT LAST "GIVE US SOME HOPE."

29. THE AMBASSADOR SAID SHE WAS DELIGHTED TO HEAR
THIS GOOD NEWS. SADDAM THEN ASKED HER TO CONVEY
HIS WARM GREETINGS TO PRESIDENT BUSH AND TO
CONVEY HIS MESSAGE TO HIM.

30. NOTE: ON THE BORDER QUESTION, SADDAM REFERRED
TO THE 1961 AGREEMENT AND A "LINE OF PATROL" IT
HAD ESTABLISHED. THE KUWAITIS, HE SAID, HAD TOLD
MUBARAK IRAQ WAS 20 KILOMETERS "IN FRONT" OF THIS
LINE. THE AMBASSADOR SAID THAT SHE HAD SERVED IN
KUWAIT 20 YEARS BEFORE; THEN, AS NOW, WE TOOK NO
POSITION ON THESE ARAB AFFAIRS.

[Dokkie]

4. so it that all

the relevant part of the leaks say? if not then is congressman lying?

[JHB]

3. Ok, I'm confused. Glaspie's meeting and the "no position" message...

...were known back in 1990, and were ignored or brushed off by the corporate media at the time.

What part from Wikileaks is new?

[cantbeserious]

5. The Complete And Accurate Transcript Of The Original Cable

eom