The Bush/Cheney Doctrine: "Start a small war..."

[highplainsdem]

http://www.guerrillanews.com/articles/article.php?id=761

This is an article for the Guerrilla News website by award-winning journalist Russ Baker, who based it on extensive taped interviews with journalist Mickey Herskowitz, who was originally chosen to ghostwrite W's autobiography before the 2000 election (Herskowitz was too accurate a journalist for the Bush campaign's taste, and the book was finished by Karen Hughes). Baker writes:

Two years before the September 11 attacks, presidential candidate George W. Bush was already talking privately about the political benefits of attacking Iraq, according to his former ghost writer, who held many conversations with then-Texas Governor Bush in preparation for a planned autobiography.

“He was thinking about invading Iraq in 1999,” said author and journalist Mickey Herskowitz. “It was on his mind. He said to me: ‘One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief.’ And he said, ‘My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it.’ He said, ‘If I have a chance to invade….if I had that much capital, I’m not going to waste it. I’m going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I’m going to have a successful presidency.”

-snip-

According to Herskowitz, George W. Bush’s beliefs on Iraq were based in part on a notion dating back to the Reagan White House – ascribed in part to now-vice president Dick Cheney, Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee under Reagan. “Start a small war. Pick a country where there is justification you can jump on, go ahead and invade.”

This is a brilliant and damning insight into Bush/Cheney motivations, from the start of the article above, to the final paragraph:

“He told me that as a leader, you can never admit to a mistake,” Herskowitz said. “That was one of the keys to being a leader.”

This story needs as much attention as possible. I posted it in the Latest Breaking News forum here, but that topic was locked (apparently this isn't considered LBN). I sent it to Buzzflash.com and Democrats.com in the hope they'll include it with their headlines.

[hedda_foil]

1. Stunning, stunning article!

I just nominated it for the home page.

[walkon]

2. Machiavelli 101

[central scrutinizer]

3. Also on the reading list for Machiavelli 101

"Why of course the people don’t want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? . . . it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship… All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

— Hermann Goering

[seafan]

4. More stunning information that verifies Bush's intent toward Iraq:

<another snip>

Bush’s circle of pre-election advisers had a fixation on the political capital that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher collected from the Falklands War. Said Herskowitz: “They were just absolutely blown away, just enthralled by the scenes of the troops coming back, of the boats, people throwing flowers at and her getting these standing ovations in Parliament and making these magnificent speeches.”

Republicans, Herskowitz said, felt that Jimmy Carter’s political downfall could be attributed largely to his failure to wage a war. He noted that President Reagan and President Bush’s father himself had (besides the narrowly-focused Gulf War I) successfully waged limited wars against tiny opponents – Grenada and Panama – and gained politically. But there were successful small wars, and then there were quagmires, and apparently George H.W. Bush and his son did not see eye to eye.

“I know would not admit this now, but he was opposed to it. I asked him if he had talked to W about invading Iraq. “He said, ‘No I haven’t, and I won’t, but Brent has.’ Brent would not have talked to him without the old man’s okaying it.” Scowcroft, national security adviser in the elder Bush’s administration, penned a highly publicized warning to George W. Bush about the perils of an invasion.

http://www.guerrillanews.com/articles/article.php?id=761

[Bandit]

5. Yes but it is okay because there will be no casualties

:crazy:

[seafan]

6. EEWWWW, that pix defies description!!

And I (used to) like pumpkin pie. D@*#

[okieinpain]

7. oops, I just emailed this link to my fundie co-worker and all 100

of her friends listed in her "stolen honor" email.

[never cry wolf]

8. Nominated, and kicked......thanks!.......n/t