"The reality was that I had sent US troops into combat based in large part on intelligence that proved false…No one was more shocked or angry than I was when we didn't find the weapons. I had a sickening feeling every time I thought about it, I still do.”
– George Bush
This might be a politically-motivated comment, but surely we cannot ignore its ramifications. The US troops were not sent into combat because Iraq was not fighting America. They were sent to combat a figment of imagination that purportedly claimed ot be ‘intelligence’. He sent out the army, he says, based in large part due to this information. What happened later? Why were the troops not removed? Why was Saddam Hussein done away with? It was not to restore democracy in Iraq. The WMD issue and the state of the population’s aspirations are different. Iraqis did not ask the US to save them.
George Bush had a sickening feeling – when? Immediately on not discovering and for not discovering the weapons? Or was it much later when he lost power? Or is it now when he needs to reassert his position to nullify the Bush in Clinton clothing, Barack Obama? Or is it, once again the old ruse, to help sell his memoirs?
Has anyone pulled up the intelligence agencies? And the world is supposed to not only look up to but trust what they 'suspect' happens in places they might never have heard of before. This is the former US President saying he acted on misinofmration. Can you imagine how many countries would be taken for a ride by such callousness and ignorance?
Farzana,
ReplyDeleteTrouble with larger part of the discourse on Iraq is resultant de-sensitisation and deflection from large scale devastation of Iraq.
Sickening, actually.
- Mahesh.
p.s.: Have a nice weekend (whatever is left of it).
p.p.s.: Nice to see you back in Action.
FV
ReplyDeleteBased on fact:- War makes money for weapon industry's boom. if there is no war and this planet Earth is at peace weapon industry will go out of business.
Super Powers are big weapon industries....
circle
Mahesh:
ReplyDeleteIndeed. And the devastation includes changing the psyche of a people.
PS: Well, have a good week...half of it left. Sorry could not respond earlier.
PPS: Funny how Action can lie in Thoughts...am still a bit out of the loop, therefore the here now-gone now posts.
Circle:
Unfortunately, this obsession with the weapons industry has resulted in even non superpowers aiming for similar strategies.