5 Years Later: Pundits Who Were Wrong on Iraq Are Silent

[Nitrogenica]

(March 25, 2008) -- Given the current tragedy in Iraq--hell, given the past five years--you would think the many pundits who agitated for an attack on that country, largely on false pretenses, would have take the opportunity of the arrival of the fifth anniversary of the war (or the 4000 dead milestone) to drop to their knees, at least in print, and beg the American public for forgiveness.

With more than 60 percent of their fellow Americans now calling the war a "mistake" and agitating for troop withdrawals--and the president's approval rating still heading south, thanks to their war--it would seem to be the right thing to do. We won't even mention the maiming of more than 20,000 young Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

You can probably name your favorite candidate. Let's take David Brooks of The New York Times, for example, and what he wrote exactly five years ago. He hasn't bothered to revisit his errors in judgement lately. At least Richard Cohen, another favorite whipping boy of antiwar critics, has accepted responsibility for some of his lapses.

Brooks is among those who have long argued that they actually got the war right, but Donald Rumsfeld made it wrong. In other words, war good, Rummy bad. He has emphasized that he and many of his fellow pundits had it right at the time in urging more boots on the ground. They were "prescient," he relates. But Rumsfeld and his crowd "got things wrong, and the pundits often got things right."

He never cites any of his own views at the time, obviously hoping that readers will place him among those pundits that "got things right." And also: please forget that he was a strong supporter of the invasion to start with.

More here http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003732704

[tekisui]

1. 5 years later, Still in Iraq= Proof of Failed Policy.

[yourout]

2. Brooks is an right wing asshole of the highest order.

He should be forced to visit every wounded Iraq vet for his part in selling the war.

[seemslikeadream]

3. Tony Snow "BLOODLESS VICTORY"

"Tommy Franks and the coalition forces have demonstrated the old axiom
that boldness on the battlefield produces swift and relatively
bloodless victory. The three-week swing through Iraq has utterly
shattered skeptics' complaints." (Fox News Channel's Tony Snow,
4/27/03)

[Nitrogenica]

5. Wow I forgot about that quote. Jeepers. I bet there's hundreds of those.

There must be a database somewhere that organizes these types of quotes by the pundits.

[seemslikeadream]

7. Did you ever see my thread on the quotes?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=1469762

[rosesaylavee]

9. Damn.

I remember that thread. Doesn't seem that long ago. I would have been sick sick sick to know then that we would still be in this hell of a war two years later. Damn.

[seemslikeadream]

12. I reposted it at 3000 also, that post was even picked up at Buzzflash

:hi:

[Nitrogenica]

10. Oh man that's awesome. Great post. I'm bookmarking that.

[seemslikeadream]

11. I've done a couple of Youtube videos and want to redo it there

If ya get a chance to look at my other ones, Brothers in Arms was my first one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkv-gZqrAeE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5G4zgk9xao

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PhAkx41sDo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Py5I8Z-aM0

[Orsino]

4. If only.

They're just busy lying to us about other things now.

[NC_Nurse]

6. Not Bill Kristol. He's still doing all the shows complete with his psychotic

smirk and complete divorce from reality. He's SO awful. :puke:

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. If those fools and scoundrels are "silent" for even 5 minutes....

.... that's progress.