T H U R S D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 0 3 , 2 0 0 5This Is Great!by Michael in New York on 2/03/2005 03:28:00 PMThe London Review of Books has a damning article by EliotWeinberger called "What I Heard About Iraq." He simply stringstogether one quote after enough from Bush, Cheney, Rice,Rumsfeld et al from when they took office to the present day.No more scathing example of their constant shifting of stories,contradictions and idiocy could be imagined than this articlewhich simply throws their own words back at 'em.</p><p> I love LRBand -- bless 'em -- they've made this accessible tonon-subscribers as well.</p><p> Here's a taste, but go to the entirestory.</p><p> It's compulsively readable.From The London Review of Books:"In 1992, a year after the first Gulf War, I heard Dick Cheney,then secretary of defense, say that the US had been wise notto invade Baghdad and get ‘bogged down in the problems oftrying to take over and govern Iraq’.</p><p> I heard him say: ‘Thequestion in my mind is how many additional Americancasualties is Saddam worth? And the answer is: not thatdamned many.’In February 2001, I heard Colin Powell say that SaddamHussein ‘has not developed any significant capability withrespect to weapons of mass destruction.</p><p> He is unable to projectconventional power against his neighbours.’That same month, I heard that a CIA report stated: ‘We do nothave any direct evidence that Iraq has used the period sinceDesert Fox to reconstitute its weapons of mass destructionprogrammes.’In July 2001, I heard Condoleezza Rice say: ‘We are able tokeep his arms from him.</p><p> His military forces have not beenrebuilt.’On 11 September 2001, six hours after the attacks, I heardthat Donald Rumsfeld said that it might be an opportunity to‘hit’ Iraq.</p><p> I heard that he said: ‘Go massive.</p><p> Sweep it all up.Things related and not.’I heard that Condoleezza Rice asked: ‘How do you capitalise onthese opportunities?’I heard that on 17 September the president signed a documentmarked top secret that directed the Pentagon to begin planningfor the invasion and that, some months later, he secretly andillegally diverted $700 million approved by Congress foroperations in Afghanistan into preparing for the new battlefront.In February 2002, I heard that an unnamed ‘senior militarycommander’ said: ‘We are moving military and intelligencepersonnel and resources out of Afghanistan to get ready for afuture war in Iraq.’I heard the president say that Iraq is ‘a threat of uniqueurgency’, and that there is ‘no doubt the Iraqi regime continuesto possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons everdevised’.I heard the vice president say: ‘Simply stated, there is nodoubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of massdestruction.’" Ben SmithObama's remarks: 'What's in this for me?' - AsObama opens a high-stakes press conference, hisremarks refocus the battle for health care reformhealth insurance reform on, among other things,3 minutes ago HuffPost PoliticsPaul Helmke: NRA Defeated In Key Gun ViolencePrevention Vote: Elections Have Consequences -The National Rifle Association leadership suffered amajor defeat in the U.S.</p><p> Senate today, losing a keyvote on a bill that would have radically...8 minutes ago Daily KosWaterloo, But for Who? Liveblog 3 - Themini-tutorial on deficits is good.</p><p> Will it sink in? Willanyone say, hey, the Iraq war is costing TWICEwhat this reform is going to cost? No.11 minutes ago Crooks and LiarsPresident Obama's Health Care Presser: OpenThread - President Obama's presser on health carereform has just begun...Let us know what you seeand rate the journos...How negative do you thinktheir question...46 minutes ago FiredoglakeLiveblogging the Obama Health Care Presser: CostControl Up Front; Politics Pushed Aside? - PresidentBarack Obama goes on National television at 8pmEDT to once again address the need for real healthcare reform, and the need to get something don...52 minutes agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S Show All AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: This Is...http://www.americablog.com/2005/02/this-is-great.html 1 of 57/22/09 9:06 PMA M E R I C A B L O G T V Visit our AMERICAblog TV site.see all 322 videos >I collect with vodpod In honor of SenatorDeMint For the GOPers, healthcare is politics.</p><p> They just Traditional media has todebunk the birthers One small step...</p><p> The right-wing media, thevoices of the GOP, in REM - Orange CrushNext 6AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: This Is...http://www.americablog.com/2005/02/this-is-great.html 2 of 57/22/09 9:06 PMEzra KleinTab Dump1 hour agoWonk RoomSen.</p><p> Byron Dorgan:The ‘Trade’ InCap-And-Trade ‘MakesNo Sense To Me’2 hours agoHealth BeatTruth Squad: WallStreet Journal HealthCare Editorial Wrong onthe Facts . . .3 hours agoThe TreatmentHatch Is Out5 hours agoDaily DoseProviders Endorse 'Payfor Value' Proposals10 hours agoG AY P O L I T I C S Visit our new gay politicssection, AMERICAblog Gay.F E E D S Blog RSS AMERICAblog TV RSS Twitter RSSTwitter Feed Get the blog by email: Subscribe me! 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