Friday, May 27, 2005
Bush Lied Meme
Something's been bothering me about Jody's post, namely his assertion that Bush didn't lie. I didn't mean to assert that Bush lied about WMD. I do mean to assert that Bush lied about U.S. intentions and commitment to a diplomatic route. Throughout the fall before the war, Bush repeatedly said that he was commited to seeking a diplomatic solution; that Iraq could, by readmitting inspectors and disarming, avoid war. As the Downing St. Memo makes clear, they couldn't. The United States was involved in the U.N. route only to seek legitimacy for a preordained war. As a bonus, the inspector's inability to find any WMDs allowed the U.S. to discredit the inspectors. Bush lied about our commitment to this process, in that he knew that we were not seeking a diplomatic solution, and that no Iraqi actions could avoid military occupation. Bush lied about when the decision to go to war was made. Again, I supported the war. But I don't think you can avoid conceding the point that Bush knew that reality didn't match his speeches. Whether you think that's justifiable, or whether you call it diplomacy or realpolitik, is a different argument. Whether Bush lied about WMD as a prime motivator for the US is also a different argument. Neither is the argument I am making.
|
|
