Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: February 22, 2004 – February 28, 2004 Archives:
[T]here are many, many Iraqi nationalists who were willing to do or sacrifice anything to rid their country of this brutal dictator. And from that perspective I can understand how their consciences would be clear. They’re not Americans. They’re not bound up in the ins-and-outs of truth-telling in the context of American domestic politics. Their primary interest is not the vital interests of the United States. What they’re trying to do is overthrow a tyrant in their country. And if that means hoodwinking the great power to come in and do the job or perhaps just telling the leaders of the great power what they want to hear, then so be it.
Josh goes on to remind us that the flawed intelligence used to convince the world of the presence of WMDs was paid for by the US and gathered by the same nationalists who now admit to lying about all that. And that we have agreed to pay for more of the same intelligence through the end of this year.
Anyone else feel like a sucker? I guess we’ll wait and see if anyone else tries to convince us that they have a world-threatening dictator for us to remove. There’s already a list.