Okay, so maybe there weren't any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And, yeah, sure, the links between Saddam Hussein and the Al Qaeda terrorist network were non-existent. The thing you have to understand is that your government never lies to you, it engages in "perception management" or "massaging public opinion."
The official end of the war in Iraq has not stopped the American government from making public statements in order to massage perceptions. So, as a public service, I offer the following reality check on recent Bush administration statements.
STATEMENT: "From the beginning, we have known the effort would be long and difficult." MADE BY: President George W. Bush. REALITY: Actually, the President repeatedly promised that the war would be short and the troops would be home in plenty of time to watch John Wayne films around the hearth.
STATEMENT: "The Iraqi people are overwhelmingly pleased with the fact that the United States has helped them get rid of the Saddam Hussein regime." MADE BY: Press Secretary Ari "Hey, This Isn't My Mess" Fleischer. REALITY: Oh, yeah, the Iraqis are so pleased that they protest the occupation by the thousands and, speaking of oh, yeahs, are killing American troops in guerrilla attacks on an almost daily basis.
STATEMENT: "The rise of Iraq as an example of moderation and democracy and prosperity is a massive and long-term undertaking." MADE BY: President Bush. REALITY: "I do not believe in nation building." MADE BY: Candidate Bush.
STATEMENT: "We're in a global war on terrorism...and our goal in each of those countries is to get the terrorists out of Afghanistan, get the Saddam Hussein regime out of Iraq and allow the people of those countries to take over their countries and put their countries on a path toward something approximating a representative, civil society that's not a threat to its neighbours." MADE BY: Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. REALITY: Afghanistan is a political basket-case ruled by drug and arms dealing warlords, and the US itself recently canceled elections in Iraq. "I'm not opposed" to self-rule, stated American Civil Administrator of Iraq L. Paul Bremer, "but I want to do it in a way that takes care of our concerns... Elections that are held too early can be destructive. It's got to be done very carefully."
That whirring sound - could it be the signers of the Declaration of Independence collectively spinning in their graves?
STATEMENT: "What happened in Eastern Europe? Were they in a quagmire when the Berlin Wall fell down and they started struggling and working their way to democracy?" MADE BY: Defence Secretary Rumsfeld. REALITY: the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe was not imposed by an occupying force; it developed out of the genuine will of the people. Sheesh, the way he's misrepresenting history, expect Rumsfeld to claim to be a disciple of Gandhian non-violence next!
STATEMENT: "We need more troops on the ground. The simplest way ahead is NATO. I don't know why we've been reluctant to engage the organization. The way ahead is not with US troops, but with the broader coalition." MADE BY: Retired US General Dan Christman. REALITY: Uhh, setting aside the fact that NATO was not created for this purpose, a majority of its members refused to sanction the war on Iraq. Why would anybody (other than an American general, past or present) think NATO members would be eager to help clean up America's mess? (And, if they are, can they help me with my bedroom next?)
Oh, and, by the way, nice conflation of NATO and the Iraq war coalition on you, General.
STATEMENT: Iraqis' support for America's ouster of Saddam Hussein "was clear from their dancing in the streets and the way they tore down the statues" of Hussein. MADE BY: Spokesperson Ari "Never Turn Your Back on a Man With a Loaded Mike" Fleischer. REALITY: the major statue toppling in Iraq, the one that was repeated ad nauseam in the media, was actually accomplished by an American tank, while a thin crowd of American soldiers and a small number of their Iraqi supporters looked on. To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, "My goodness, were there that many statues?"
STATEMENT: "Having liberated Iraq, as promised, we will help that country to found a just and representative government, as promised." MADE BY: President Bush. REALITY: Many of the administrators chosen by the Americans in the wake of the canceled elections are generals, police colonels or other former members of the Iraqi military or police forces. If I were an Iraqi, I would be singing an old Pete Townshend tune...if I had access to western culture...or a CD player...or the electricity to run a CD player...
Do they intentionally mislead the American people, or do they just talk first and leave it to god to sort out the rhetoric? Does it ultimately matter?
