How We Got Where We Are

The Think Progress site has an interesting report called “Where Are They Now?” It reminds us of the words used by the guys who got us into the war in Iraq. Think Progress also reminds us that the Bush administration has fired none of these warmongers and has rewarded many of them. The latest White House crony to foul his own nest (and a cushy little love nest it was) is Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank. He was appointed head of the World Bank in 2005 by George W. Bush. (Traditionally, World Bank presidents are from the United States because the US is its largest shareholder, while the International Monetary Fund heads are from European countries.) Today, reports say the White House has suggested it would be willing to replace Wolfowitz at the World Bank if he agrees to resign and if he doesn’t get fired. The World Bank is not likely to accept this solution. Officials at the bank didn’t want Wolfowitz as president in the first place and can’t wait to boot him out. An official at the World Bank says the White House solution isn’t likely to fly because Wolfowitz “was found guilty as charged of a whole slew of violations.” Wolfowitz, being Wolfowitz, is not saying he didn’t do the things he’s charged with doing. He’s saying that all the adverse news about his chicanery is bad for the World Bank and therefore he should be allowed to stay on as World Bank president. Following are a few choice words (via Think Progress) from some of the wonderful guys who gave us the war in Iraq: Paul Wolfowitz was a signer of the 1998 PNAC manifesto and a major planner of the war in Iraq. He was George W. Bush’s Deputy Secretary of Defense until Bush appointed him head of the World Bank. Wolfowitz said the U.S. would be greeted as liberators, that Iraqi oil money would pay for the reconstruction, and that Gen. Eric Shinseki’s estimate that several hundred thousand troops would be needed was “wildly off the mark.” Key Quote : “We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon (3/27/03).” As Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Douglas Feith was the brain behind two hush-hush groups at the Pentagon — the Counter Terrorism Evaluation Group and the Office of Special Plans. These were the geniuses that invented the ties between Saddam and al Qaeda. Their job was to find evidence to back up Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld’s beliefs. Feith resigned from the Department of Defense. He is co-chairman of a project at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to write an academic book on how to fight terrorism. His secretive groups at the Pentagon are under investigation. Key Quote: “I am not asserting to you that I know that the answer is — we did it right. What I am saying is it’s an extremely complex judgment to know whether the course that we chose with its pros and cons was more sensible.” Richard Perle was chairman of the Defense Policy Board and suggested Iraq had a hand in 9-11. In 1996, he authored “Clean Break,” a paper that was co-signed by Douglas Feith, David Wurmser, and others arguing for regime change in Iraq. Perle now says he never said Iraq was in on 9/11 and we should not have gone into Iraq. Key Quote: “And a year from now, I’ll be very surprised if there is not some grand square in Baghdad that is named after President Bush. There is no doubt that, with the exception of a very small number of people close to a vicious regime, the people of Iraq have been liberated and they understand that they’ve been liberated. And it is getting easier every day for Iraqis to express that sense of liberation (9/22/03).” Eliot Abrams was an Iran/Contra Affair defendant. He pled guilty to withholding evidence from Congress. He was a Special Assistant to George W. Bush and Bush’s chief advisor during GWB’s first term. He is associated with the Plame Affair. Abrams was promoted to deputy national security adviser in February of 2005. Key Quote: “We recognize that military action in Iraq, if necessary, will have adverse humanitarian consequences. We have been planning over the last several months, across all relevant agencies, to limit any such consequences and provide relief quickly (2/25/03)." At the time of the war, David Wurmser was a special assistant to John Bolton in the State Department. He called for airstrikes against Iraq and Syria. He is believed to be a main author with Perle of “Clean Break”. Wurmser was promoted to Principal Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs. He is associated with the Plame Affair. Key Quote: “Syria, Iran, Iraq, the PLO and Sudan are playing a skillful game, but have consistently worked to undermine US interests and influence in the region for years, and certainly will continue to do so now, even if they momentarily, out of fear, seem more forthcoming.” Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the war in Iraq would be short and swift. He said, “The Gulf War in the 1990s lasted five days on the ground. I can’t tell you if the use of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks, or five months, but it certainly isn’t going to last any longer than that.” He also said, “It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.” Rumsfeld resigned November 8, 2006. Key Quote: “You go to war with the Army you have. They’re not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” As National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice ignored two (probably more) CIA memos and a personal phone call from CIA Director George Tenet stating that the evidence behind Iraq’s supposed uranium acquisition was weak. She said the war in Iraq was necessary because “we don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.” Rice was promoted to Secretary of State. Key Quote: “We did not know at the time — maybe someone knew down in the bowels of the agency — but no one in our circles knew that there were doubts and suspicions that this (yellow cake document) might be a forgery. Of course it was information that was mistaken.” Vice President Dick Cheney claimed that Iraq might have had a role in 9/11. He claimed Saddam was “in fact reconstituting his nuclear program” and that the U.S. would be “greeted as liberators.” Key Quote: “I think they’re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency (6/20/05).” President George W. Bush built public support for his war by telling lies: Saddam had WMD, Saddam had ties to al Qaeda, Saddam had a nuclear weapons program. He then ordered an invasion of Iraq. Bush is in his second term and has a 28% approval rating. Key Quote: “Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof — the smoking gun — that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud (10/7/02).” Another key quote from a neocon warmonger should be added. And that one is from presidential candidate, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), regarding the demise of the worst bigoted, trash-talking lying rightwing religious fanatic scumbag to have ever lived on this planet, Jerry Falwell: “Dr. Falwell was a man of distinguished accomplishment who devoted his life to serving his faith and country."