With all the talk of the Iraq War winding down (never mind the ongoing violence, the U.S. troops still fighting, or the continuing U.S. casualties), filmmaker Michael Moore makes an important point about how the war started—specifically, that it happened not despite but because of the way the “liberal media” behaved:
But most importantly, they made this war (and its public support) happen because Bush & Co. had brilliantly conned the New York Times into running a bunch of phony front-page stories about how Saddam Hussein had all these “weapons of mass destruction.” The administration gleefully fed this false information not to Fox News or the Washington Times. They gave it to America’s leading liberal newspaper. They must have had a laugh riot each morning when they’d pick up the New York Times and read the nearly word-for-word scenarios and talking points that they had concocted in the vice president’s office.
I blame the New York Times more for this war than Bush. I expected Bush and Cheney to try and get away with what they did. But the Times—and the rest of the press—was supposed to STOP them by doing their job: Be a relentless watchdog of government and business—and then inform the public so we can take action.
Instead, the New York Times gave the Bush administration the cover they needed. They could—and did—say, “Hey, look, even the Times says Saddam has WMD!”
Indeed, as Moore makes clear, right-wing media weren’t the only ones backing the Bush White House—MSNBC fired Phil Donahue for his anti-war views, while the ranks of media war boosters included Times editor Howell Raines, Times columnists Bill Keller and Nicholas Kristof (who attacked Moore for opposing the war), and New Yorker editor David Remnick. Few media reputations suffered as a result of supporting the Iraq War. The few who opposed it, on the hand, paid the price.
It begs the question, doesn’t it?
Just what the hell is a “liberal”?
The term, for me, given the destructive actions of those to whom it’s applied, is a stone pejorative, so I have to ask what are the criteria?
Is anything short of someone who has wet dreams about Dick Cheney and Dr. Strangelove the bar here?
And I think Moore’s being far too soft on the NYT in saying that they were “brilliantly conned” by the neocons. Unless they were soft in the head.
I don’t think anyone believes that, do they? These are people with well-developed brains and undeveloped hearts.
We’re gonna need both those organs working at full capacity to overcome what’s coming down the pike, aren’t we?
Ah but does he remember WHY the Iraq war began? In the spring of 2001 the Cheney administration put together an energy policy task force whose meetings were conducted in secrecy. An article in 2004 in the San Francisco Chronicle sheds some light on this matter, asking:
“Why has the administration gone to such lengths to avoid disclosing how it developed its new energy policy? Significant evidence points to the possibility that much more could be revealed than mere corporate cronyism: The national energy policy proceedings could open a window onto the Bush administration’s decision-making process and motives for going to war on Iraq.
In July 2003, after two years of legal action through the Freedom of Information Act (and after the end of the war), Judicial Watch was finally able to obtain some documents from the Cheney-led National Energy Policy Development Group.
They included maps of Middle East and Iraqi oilfields, pipelines, refineries and terminals, two charts detailing various Iraqi oil and gas projects, and a March 2001 list of “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts,” detailing the status of their efforts. The documents are available at http://www.judicialwatch.org.
These documents are significant because during the 1990s, U.S. policy- makers were alarmed about oil deals potentially worth billions of dollars being signed between the Iraqi government and foreign competitors of the United States including France’s Total and Russia’s LukOil.
The New York Times reported the LukOil contracts alone could amount to more than 70 billion barrels of oil, more than half of Iraq’s reserves. One oil executive said the volume of these deals was huge — a “colossal amount.”
As early as April 17, 1995, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. petroleum giants realized that “Iraq is the biggie” in terms of future oil production, that the U.S. oil companies were “worried about being left out” of Iraq’s oil dealings due to the antagonism between Washington and Baghdad, and that they feared that “the companies that win the rights to develop Iraqi fields could be on the road to becoming the most powerful multinationals of the next century.” U.N. sanctions against Iraq, maintained at the insistence of the United States and Britain, prevented these deals from being consummated.”
http://articles.sfgate.com/2004-03-21/opinion/17417765_1_russia-s-lukoil-judicial-watch-future-oil
True, and then there was Israel who wanted Iraq out of the way. The USA complied by fighting for Israel’s foreign policy and US oil. Please be reminded that the only act of treason the USA allows involves treason against the USA on behalf of Israel. I bought a Zippo lighter claiming it included the seal of the US Army. Above the eagle stand a row of thirteen stars depicting the Star of David. Any more evidence as for whom we fight?
Iraq was about oil and Israel. And Iran will be?
Yes, and does anyone remember the book that came out in the 70s? Written by a retired Canadian general, who stated that the next World War (WW3) would start in the “Middle East, about religion and oil.”
I was in university at the time, and could only read 3/4 of the way through it, because it was so frightening.
And they wonder why newspapers are going out of business? Hey, we can get lies on TV.
All the Moore allegations about how the phony Iraq war started are valid. But they ignore a fundamental reason:the way Israel pushed us into this war through its control of our federal legislators. Even the so-called conscience of the news media ignores that fundamental cause. Israel wanted us fighting in the Middle East, and Israel got us there. Next: Iran? – George Beres
Its incredible how much truth is out there, yet so many people listen only to Fox and Limbaugh. I agree that the mainstream media bears a large share of the blame for the war in Iraq, but the willfully ignorant millions in this country, who would rather hate than get the facts, bear a larger share. To allow right-wing propagandists to control your mind, and spur you to hateful actions, is a disgrace, and one day they will reap the whirlwind.
It was and continues to be a phony, ginned up war. Thousands died and many more will die in Iraq because of the chain of events we started. We started, not they started. I watched the television media day after day ridicule the United Nations, the French, the nuclear inspectors and repeating the lies of Bush/Cheney. Those voices yelling out the truth were given little attention and quickly silenced as unamerican and traitors. Quick and easy, “Mission Accomplished,” and the Republicans in power for generations. Just ask Karl Rove. That was his strategy. But it did not turn out to be quick and easy. The MSM was led around like a well trained dog. Bush/Cheney did not even need a leash. What gets me is that if you did not know the truth then you know it now. Crimes were committed and that is undeniable yet the perpetrators go unpunished. But denial kicks in lest guilt rear its ugly head. Worst yet, we feel no guilt and that is truly shameful.
Michael Moore is correct in his assessment and should be congraulated for having the fortitute to tell the truth. Unlike most who choose to close their eyes to the obvious.
Happy Teaparty
i’ll just add the missing words that need to be said….judy miller
Times columnists Bill Keller and Nicholas Kristof (who attacked Moore for opposing the war), and New Yorker editor David Remnick. Keith Olbermann also attacked Moore for opposing the war. And when he received his oscar for Bowling for Columbine he was practically booed off the stage.
The 300 lb gorilla in the room is Israel. The NYT beat the drum for the Iraq war because….
I’m sorry, but when Moore turned on Ralph Nader and touted the same lame false logic behind why he couldn’t support the “underdog” in a tight race, he demonstrated that his “warm and fuzzy” logic wasn’t really any more ready for real “change” than apparently any one else who voted for “compromise” instead of the clean slate that we really need. Now more than ever…
Woodward and Bernstien there are two more missing words that need to be said………..Michael Moore!
Like Doug Latimers Blog
The reason is simple :
The media, liberal or not, has a pro-Israel bent and the war was fought for Israel and Oil. This is all too clear to anyone who has read anything about this topic. Let’s stop ignoring this elephant in the room.
The whole PNAC group was dominated by Likudniks with Feith, Wurmser, Perle, Abrams,Wolfowitz, with Krystol and Krauthammer on the war drums. see http://zfacts.com/p/775.html -confirmed many times over
It is no accident conservative columnists such as Novak and Buchanon warned us about these neo-cons and were labled ant-Semitic.
Oh good God….my garbage disposal broke(damn Jews). Stubbed my toe(damn jews)Stubbed my mother in laws toe(damn jews)And least we confiscated all the Iraqi oil.Wait…. we didnt?Why not?I know who’s fault it is….Those Damn Jews!Wow some things never change.
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