Douglas Feith Keeps Spinning Fairy Tales About Iraq

Reader Comments

Back to blog

How many american kids have to die for israeli insecurity?

Lawyerman of CT 4:01PM February 16, 2009

Time to turn the tables on Israel Firsters and start listening to America-Firsters.

http://www.antiwar.com/scheuer/?articleid=13139

By Michael Scheuer

and thanks to Rep Steve King, who is likely on AIPAC payroll, Feith escapes unharmed during his congressional hearing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/15/AR2008071502670.html?hpid=news-col-blog

A Patriot of MD 4:46AM July 16, 2008

"Even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, these officials are engaged in pure storytelling"

Mr. Mashek's piece sounds like that of an angry partisan rather than a thoughtful analysis of the recent turbulent years. This does a great diservice to the public, but I have come to expect such from Washington journalists-- past or present.

I have begun reading Mr. Feith's memoires, and would recommend it to all. There is plenty of constructive criticism and analysis to go around. For those stable enough to do so, consider reading this with your hatred and rage stowed, and just listen to this man's first hand account of what he saw, heard, and reasoned. Then, take it from there, without all the hysteria, invective, and accusations of "lying." It is deeply unbecoming.

DK

David Kareken of IN 9:45AM July 09, 2008

If I were Douglas Feith, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, worrying about all the lies he has told and the destruction he has caused.

Elizabeth of DC 12:44AM July 08, 2008

The comments here are useless...post some links and some real info.

Here's some non-useful, no-info for you: The U.S. doesn't give a rat's (can I say rear-end?) about "human rights" or "taking down the tyrant" or any of that stupid crap. If we did, we would stop female genital mutilation in Sudan, we would stop supporting General Musharraf (of Pakistan, remember where the Taliban is growing now????), we would tap into oil reserves in Alaska and STOP FUNDING TERRORISM by funding Saudi Arabian companies, who's owners pay themselves, who pay Al Qaeda.

But no. War is more profitable - and not necessarily for the oil. You see, when a government has the ability to borrow 9 TRILLION dollars in less than a decade, war doesn't really "cost." So where does the money go? Try contractors like Blackwater and Haliburton , neither of which are subject to American nor Iraqi, NOR Geneva convention laws. Look up *haliburton contaminated water* on google. Look up *Blackwater innocent* on google. These people have no oversight. Nobody cares, nobody sees. It's all about the money, mates. And guess what? Everybody wins - except you. The corporations get their money, the people (were supposed) to be happy because they are liberating a country, and the White House gets its sick anti-Constitution tyrannical bills and non-bills passed. (hem-hem Patriot Act, redefining of "torture," destruction of Habeas Corpus, right to trial, right to privacy, and just about everything else I bet, if we gave him another 4 years (John Mcbush)...

The point is, the U.S. rapes and pillages the world for fun and profit. The only question is it because of huge corporations (World Bank, Haliburton, etc.), political and economic elites, or spooky conspiracies (Skull and Bones, Masons, Illuminati, Knight Templar) - OR ALL THREE??!

*end rant

So the real point is that you should always provide links and sound evidence.

Qazaq of TX 10:38PM July 07, 2008

I, for one, want to register my appreciation for Chris of AZ's commentary. My GOP friends and family keep insisting that NO ONE, even vaguely literate, supports the failed Bush and his administration any longer. I so appreciate Chris who not only proves them wrong and can string a sentence together, but does it so very often.....

Anita of CT 7:05PM July 07, 2008

"You laughably dismiss two administration official's recollections because they're not "authorized" enough, well - Richard Clarke is such a defense expert, Bush kept him on, so remember that before you attack his character with no cause."

Actually, I dismiss Richard Clarke as well. If these guys were so worried about what was going down, why in the world does he stay in the administration, THEN more than two years later he writes a scathing book about his misgivings? Give me a break.

How nice of you, Sean, to continue to use questionable statistics that have been thoroughly refuted, and on top of that old information about what's going on in Iraq. And you mean this NIE estimate that said that Al Qaeda is "preparing for a major strike against the US?" I have not ignored any NIE report, but I will say to you, where exactly is Al Qaeda gaining strength? In Iraq, where they have been relegated to the Northern Provinces? In Afghanistan, where they have been relegated to the Pakistani border? Now, they may be gaining strength in Pakistan, but that would have to do with internal issues there in Pakistan. One thing is for certain, the guys that cherry pick is guys like you, Sean. When the intelligence community was saying that Saddam had WMD's, you said no he doesn't and the intelligence is being manipulated. Then, when intelligence community said that Al Qaeda is growing stronger and that Iran was not building nukes, you said that the intelligence community is right. You can't pick and choose which info you want to use. In all cases, the intelligence community has been wrong: wrong about WMDs (even though Saddam did have them, have used them and had the intent to reconstitute his nuclear program), wrong about Al Qaeda (Al Qaeda has been severely weakened in Iraq and Afghanistan, but has been allowed to survive in Pakistan), and wrong about Iran (there is no need for nuclear power in Iran. And there is no need for them to act in secret if it is for "peaceful purposes").

I am still waiting to see the thousands of terrorists arising from our war in Iraq (love how you play moral relativist and say we're worse than the terrorists who committed 9/11 based on a faulty number). Of course, we all know that the anointed Messiah (who is beginning to look more and more like a politician everyday) Barack H. Obama is the only who can rescue us from the evil Bush Administration.

Chris of AZ 6:35PM July 07, 2008

You laughably dismiss two administration official's recollections because they're not "authorized" enough, well - Richard Clarke is such a defense expert, Bush kept him on, so remember that before you attack his character with no cause. He has told us repeatedly that after 9/11, Bush was blinded in his focus on Iraq, at the expense of going after the real terrorists who attacked us. Not one justification used to invade Iraq has proved to be anything other than fabrications and distortions, often pushed through Feith's Office of Special Plans into the intelligence community.

If you say that Al Qaeda is shrinking, you are either ignorant of our own NIE which said last year that Al Qaeda was stronger than they had been on 9/11, or you're another Feith, trying (in vain) to rewrite history. History has been written, and it will show that Bush used the legitimacy of our war on (the real) Al Qaeda (in Pakistan/Afghanistan) to launch a war of choice in Iraq, which has undermined the entire "war on terror" and made us bigger terrorists than those who attacked us on 9/11 (we've killed a LOT more innocent people in Iraq). And you apologists who are amazed at how even foreign investment is occurring now in Iraq, 'gosh ain't things going swimmingly?' will someday be forced to answer for the real legacy of this war: hundreds of thousands of dead innocent Iraqi civilians. Bush has ironically created generations more terrorists in Iraq now, who were never "terrorists" before, who will have dead family and friends, and therefor more legitimate reasons for attacking us than we ever had for attacking them. Bush has sacrificed our security for the enrichment of his cronies, pure and simple. Watch the oil companies like vultures now in iraq, but don't worry, "It was never about the oil" - and why wouldn't you trust the most secretive wrong-headed administration this country has ever had on something like that?

Sean in TX of TX 5:36PM July 07, 2008

"We don't have full (100%) control over Iraq or Afghanistan but then where is it that people are 100% safe"??? Scott McClellan knows less than you? A traitor?"

Maybe you should reread this statement:

"Of course, this by no means is to say that Iraq is 100% safe; then again, nowhere is 100% safe on this planet."

And Scott McClellan is a traitor. Hell, if this were an Obama administration and someone stabbed a long-time friend and benefactor in the back like that, I would call them a traitor as well.

"Chris, put down the huka pipe, old man. Your brain is mis-firing"

How nice. Whenever someone disagrees, they're assumed to be smoking something.Perhaps you should put down your NYTimes and try reading about these things. Oh wait, that's right. Since there are no more pervasive bombings, Iraq does not get covered. And we only cover Afghanistan to show the failures there (even though those are few and far between).

Chris of AZ 4:04PM July 07, 2008

Please keep up your critical commentaries

Dean Chovan of TX 3:54PM July 07, 2008

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Back to blog

A Capital View

John MashekJohn W. Mashek covered politics in Washington for four decades with U.S. News & World Report, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Boston Globe. His primary beats were Congress, the White House, and national politics. He covered every presidential election from 1960 to 1996. He was a panelist in three televised presidential debates in 1984, 1988, and 1992.

advertisement