Sunday, June 01, 2003

Josh Marshall makes a spectacular point about how Republicans are able to brush off critics so effectively: To say that people have been dishonest isn't the same as saying they've engaged in a 'conspiracy'. It just means they haven't told the truth. Or, at least that they've been, shall we say, too parsimonious with it. But, of course, a charge of dishonesty has to be refuted on the merits while labeling an argument a 'conspiracy theory' allows you to dismiss it out of hand. I've been trying to articulate this idea for a while; the deceptions of this administration are so convoluted, any explanation of the lie and its significance starts sounding like confused blather.  Anyhow, read Josh's whole column today, food for thought. Laura 4:12:09 PM    comment [] At least some people are getting antsy.  Are the Dems listening? A lack of intelligence Australia's spies knew the United States was lying about Iraq's WMD programme. So why didn't the Government choose to believe them? Andrew Wilkie writes. Blair: I have secret proof of weapons Prime Minister Tony Blair last night insisted he had secret proof that weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq in his strongest signal yet that coalition forces believe they may have begun to uncover leads to Iraq's alleged deadly arms cache. What the experts say now Dr. Glen Rangwala, Politics lecturer at Cambridge University If Saddam Hussein had a chemical and biological capability, as we were assured that he did have prior to the invasion, and Saddam is obviously still at large, it is difficult to imagine what could be a more urgent priority than finding and eliminating those weapons. Either the evidence was deeply flawed, or the present policies are highly reckless. Straw, Powell had serious doubts over their Iraqi weapons claims Secret transcript revealed When spies meet spin... Claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction are at the heart of a ferocious political debate. Were we misled? Vanishing Agents Did Iraq really have weapons of mass destruction? The report concedes that U.S. officials found no traces of any bioweapons agent inside the trailers. "We suspect," it states, "that the Iraqis thoroughly decontaminated the vehicle to remove evidence." That's possible. The report also notes that, in order to produce biological weapons, each trailer would have to be accompanied by a second and possibly a third trailer, specially designed to grow, process, sterilize, and dry the bacteria. Such trailers would "have equipment such as mixing tanks, centrifuges, and spray dryers"—none of which were spotted in the trailers that were found. The problem, the CIA acknowledges, is that "we have not yet found" these post-production trailers. Question: Is it that they haven't been found—or that they don't exist? There's a lot more debate going on, but I think it comes down to whether Americans mind if they were manipulated into a war by a dishonest government and willing media, or whether it doesn't matter anymore.  Do you think it matters to the families of the soldiers who died in Iraq, and are still dying today? Laura 8:19:49 AM    comment []

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