Posted on 10/05/2002 1:53:47 AM PDT by chance33_98
Flashback:
ATTACK ON IRAQ BRINGS OUT VIRTUALLY UNANIMOUS ELITES IN SUPPORT OF MILITARY ACTION: IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS KEY PHRASE USED TO BACK UN MASS DESTRUCTION WEAPONS-INSPECTION REGIME
James Chance recently wrote in the New York Review of Books: "Although the Clinton administration certainly doesn't want to admit it, 1999 will mark the eleventh year of the Bush administration -- at least as far as foreign policy is concerned."
William Sebastian Cohen (CFR/TC), Secretary of Defense, observed (NBC News Dec. 16) a history of Iraqi lack of cooperation with Richard Butler: "(F)aced with Iraq's outright refusal to obey its international obligations, the United States acted to restrict the threat that Iraq poses to its neighbors and international order." Cohen (ABC Dec. 17) denied that the U.S. was tracking Saddam Hussein. Cohen said Saddam had some 80 palaces (News Hour Dec. 17) at last count.
A CNN poll (Reuters Dec. 17) showed that 74% of Americans supported the air strikes with 13% opposed. An NBC poll (NBC De. 17) showed that 75% approved the military strike while 17% disapproved. On the question of whether the air strikes were connected to the pending impeachment vote, 59% disagreed while 27% agreed. But Republican Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott stated (CNN Dec. 16): "It's the right thing to do at the wrong time." Clinton said Thursday that air strikes (Reuters Dec. 17) were "absolutely the right thing to do." Newt Gingrich (CFR) strongly (AP Dec. 17) endorsed the military action as he formally passed his gavel to Bob Livingston: "We must carry the burden of leading the world."
While the Washington Times said (Reuters Dec. 17) that Clinton's attack followed the pattern of the "Wag the Dog scenario," the New York Times said the action "was fully justified." Support for the President and U.S. troops also came from the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the Hartford Courant, the Miami Herald and the Chicago Tribune.
Madeline Albright (CFR/TC) told Jim Lehrer (CFR) that (News Hour Dec. 17): "I believe that the President did the right thing to make the decision to have this military campaign at this time." The decision was based upon the Butler report, she said. Butler consulted with the permanent five of the Security Council. Richard Butler (ABC Dec. 17) said that his report "danced to no one's tune."
James A. Baker III (CFR) of the Baker Institute said (NBC News Dec. 16) there was a need for speed and that Clinton probably was forced to act: "We've diddled around . . . we probably had to act, this is the right thing, I think, for the United States to do . . . Nobody could be so craven as to risk the lives of our military men and women to cover their political backsides . . . " Baker, who served in senior positions under President Ford, Reagan and Bush, is on the board of Directors of Rice University, Princeton University, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian and the Howard Hughes Institute. He is senior partner in the law firm of Baker & Botts and senior counselor to The Carlyle Group. The 1st Director of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University is Edward Peter Djerejian (CFR) who served as Clinton's Ambassador to Israel.
Samuel R. Berger (CFR), U.S. National Security Adviser, explained (CNN Dec. 16) that the UN Secretary-General had agreed upon five criteria. Iraq has not cooperated. The inspection commission was not able to function. Richard Butler, on Tuesday, reported that due to Iraq's deception, the inspections were ineffectual. There was no choice but to take military action. The object was to take out missiles, weapons of mass destruction and prevent aggression towards neighbors. With the inspections no longer being possible, the U.S. had to make good on its threats of military force. 40 out of 42 U.S. embassies (CBS Dec. 17) were shut down in Africa.
Tom Brokaw (CFR) stated (NBC News Dec. 16): "It is a chaotic situation. None of us can remember, at least in recent memory, the confluence of these kinds of events in which you have a major military action ordered by the president of the United States who is on the eve of being put, in effect, of being put in the dock of the House of Representatives and subjected to articles of impeachment just 15 hours later." He also said (NBC News Dec. 17) that even though the President was commander- in-chief, the impeachment rolled on. On Friday Brokaw opened the most watched news (NBC Dec. 18): "And questions about hypocrisy. The new House Speaker admits cheating on his wife. Should he judge the President?"
Former President Jimmy Carter (CFR/TC) stated (Reuters Dec. 17): "American leaders played no role in the timing of Iraq's violations, which cannot be related to political events in Washington."
President Clinton (BB/CFR/RS/TC), in response to a question from Wolf Blitzer, said (NBC De. 17): "And I don't believe any reasonably astute person in Washington would believe that Secretary Cohen and General Shelton and the whole rest of the National Security team would participate in such an action."
Laurence S. Eagleburger (CFR/TC), however, apparently broke rank, and said (NBC News Dec. 16) that "it smells." Eagleburger is with Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell P.C., D.C. and sits on the board of directors of Phillips Petroleum Co.
Richard ("Dick") Andrew Gephardt (CFR) opposed holding a debate on impeachment (ABC Dec. 17) in part based on what Saddam Hussein would think.
Paul Gigot (BB) said there could be no debate while Americans are in harm's way (PBS Dec. 16) while Mark Shields said that Saddam Hussein had ran out his string. Senator Lott will be mute now. Later, Lott said he had been briefed by the administration (NBC De. 17) and stated: "I am going to take their word for it." John Dean, former Nixon White House Counsel, now an investment banker in Los Angeles, said that the assumption now is that the President is wrong.
Rep. Porter Goss (R-Florida) , House Intelligence Committee Chairman, said (CNN Dec. 16) that he had not been briefed: "Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice and dismantling his regime is what this is about." Goss (ABC News Dec. 17) will hold a hearing next month. Goss, a 1960 honors graduate from Yale, had a 10-year career as a Clandestine Services Officer with the CIA. He is a native of Waterbury, Connecticut.
Richard Haass, of the Brookings Institute, said (NBC Dec. 18): "There is no end game. The only thing that will end is American bombing. But when the bombing ends, Saddam will still be there, his army will still be there, his weapons of mass destruction will still be there."
Joseph Lieberman (CFR) (D-Conn.) supported (PBS Dec. 16) Clinton's actions "absolutely." It was made clear to Senators three weeks ago that if Richard Butler was frustrated, the U.S. would strike Iraq without delay or warning. He agreed that the timing was "disconcertingly awkward." Senator Lott's statement disappointed him. Radio Free Iraq is now in operation.
Peter Jennings (BB/CFR) noted (ABC Dec. 17) that Iraq was bigger than California. He said that Clinton was not getting the traditional support and was taken aback by the comments from Senator Lott and Dick Armey. He said a "lot of serious people here think there is a connection" (with impeachment).
John Forbes Kerry (S&B 1966) said that Clinton was doing the right thing (K-Eye News Dec. 16).
Brent Scowcroft (BB/CFR/TC), the co-author with former President George Bush (CFR/M/S&B1948/TC) of a new book, A World Transformed, said (CNN Dec. 16) that there had not been an adequate explanation of the Richard Butler report. He was asked if Clinton had the same standing that George Bush had in the prior Gulf War. His answer to Bernard Shaw was: "No." Up to now, he said, there had only been "pin-pricks" on Iraq, made to satisfy some domestic critics, rather than a serious policy of containment. He was asked when the perennial crisis would be ended and replied: "It will probably end with Saddam Hussein. And perhaps not, until then." Scowcroft, a retired Air Force Lt. General, was Vice-Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., currently is the president of The Forum for International Policy and chairman of the board of the CSIS/Pacific Forum. He is also a director of QUALCOMM Incorporated. He was featured in the New York Times (February 4, 1998) in a debate on NATO article, along with Howard Baker, Jr. (CFR), Sam Nunn (BB) and Alton Frye (CFR).
Senator John Warner (PBS Dec. 16) said it was imperative to join together "to enforce the rule of law." He said England was "bravely participating" and that there was clear and convincing proof in the Butler report to the UN. Timing was an issue but now we must back our troops.
Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf, Iraq Foreign Minister, said (News Hour Dec. 17) that rather than "Operation Desert Fox," the operation should be called "Villians in the Arabian Desert."
Wednesday night (AP Dec. 17) Iraq, Russia and China called to an immediate halt to the attacks. Iraq's UN envoy, Nizar Hamdoon, said that the uproar over weapons of mass destruction was "nothing more than a big lie" like the claim that Iraq was a threat to its neighbors. He said that Richard Butler, the head of UNSCOM, had cited only five incidents in 300 inspection operations. In an almost unanimous resolution (Reuters Dec. 17), the lower house of the Russian Parliament, said that the U.S. and Britain were engaged in "international terrorism." Yeltsin said the strikes "crudely violated" the UN charter and should be halted immediately. Russia is furious (Reuters Dec. 18) that the U.S. bypassed the UN Security Council which gave it no chance to use its veto. Friday Russia's ambassador Yuli Vorontsov (Washington) and Yuri Fokin (London) were withdraw for consultations. Albright said that James Collins, the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, would not be recalled. Iraq owes Russia and France (NBC De. 17) some $15 billion.
The Vatican (Reuters Dec. 17) called the strikes "aggression." The Pope told envoys that "the right of each person and peoples to live in security . . . is more urgent than ever."
A billion Muslims begin the fasting month of Ramadan (AP Dec. 17) this weekend during which they abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. The fast begins with the sighting of the crescent moon.
Heh.
Speaking of the faith, have you read 'Systematic Theology' by strong? Been reading it here at work, excellent and in depth work!
That site is somewhat notorious, and the name is misleading. It's a well-known antisemitic site wrapped in foil.
A small example:
I thought you'd enjoy this. No difference between the parties? Republicans supported President Clinton on Iraq - after knowing about Monica. They put national security before partisan politics. Newt could have turned Americans against the President re. the Iraqi attack by emphasizing Clinton's history of dishonesty, but he didn't.
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