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The United States Has Lost its Moral Authority
By U.S. Senator Ernest F. Hollings
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Wednesday 23 June 2004
Peoples the world around have a history of culture and religion.
In the Mideast, the religion is predominantly Muslim and the culture
tribal. The Muslim religion is strong, i.e., those that don't conform
are considered infidels; those of a tribal culture look for tribal
leadership, not democracy. We liberated Kuwait, but it immediately
rejected democracy.
In 1996, a task force was formed in Jerusalem including Richard
Perle, Douglas Feith and David Wurmser. They submitted a plan for
Israel to incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Clean
Break. It proposed that negotiations with the Palestinians be cut off
and, instead, the Mideast be made friendly to Israel by democratizing
it. First Lebanon would be bombed, then Syria invaded on the pretext
of weapons of mass destruction. Afterward, Saddam Hussein was to be
removed in Iraq and replaced with a Hashemite ruler favorable to
Israel.
The plan was rejected by Netanyahu, so Perle started working for a
similar approach to the Mideast for the United States. Taking on the
support of ***** Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Stephen Cambone, Scooter
Libby, Donald Rumsfeld et al., he enlisted the support of the Project
for the New American Century.
The plan hit paydirt with the election of George W. Bush. Perle
took on the Defense Policy Board. Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Feith became
one, two and three at the Defense Department, and Cheney as vice
president took Scooter Libby and David Wurmser as his deputies. Clean
Break was streamlined to go directly into Iraq.
Iraq, as a threat to the United States, was all contrived. Richard
Clarke stated in his book, Against All Enemies, with John McLaughlin
of the CIA confirming, that there was no evidence or intelligence of
"Iraqi support for terrorism against the United States" from 1993
until 2003 when we invaded. The State Department on 9/11 had a list of
45 countries wherein al Qaeda was operating. While the United States
was listed, it didn't list the country of Iraq.
President Bush must have known that there were no weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq. We have no al Qaeda, no weapons of mass
destruction and no terrorism from Iraq; we were intentionally misled
by the Bush administration.
Which explains why President-elect Bush sought a briefing on Iraq
from Defense Secretary William Cohen in January before taking the oath
of office and why Iraq was the principal concern at his first National
Security Council meeting - all before 9/11. When 9/11 occurred, we
knew immediately that it was caused by Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
Within days we were not only going into Afghanistan, but President
Bush was asking for a plan to invade Iraq - even though Iraq had no
involvement.
After 15 months, Iraq has yet to be secured. Its borders were left
open after "mission accomplished," allowing terrorists throughout the
Mideast to come join with the insurgents to reek havoc. As a result,
our troops are hunkered down, going out to trouble spots and escorting
convoys.
In the war against terrorism, we've given the terrorists a cause
and created more terrorism. Even though Saddam is gone, the majority
of the Iraqi people want us gone. We have proven ourselves "infidels."
With more than 800 GIs killed, 5,000 maimed for life and a cost of
$200 billion, come now the generals in command, both Richard Myers and
John Abizaid, saying we can't win. Back home the cover of The New
Republic magazine asks, "Were We Wrong?"
Walking guard duty tonight in Baghdad, a G.I. wonders why he
should lose his life when his commander says he can't win and the
people back home can't make up their mind. Unfortunately, the peoples
of the world haven't changed their minds. They are still against us.
Heretofore, the world looked to the United States to do the right
thing. No more. The United States has lost its moral authority.
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"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick with possibilities:truth isin't"
Mark Twain
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