Does it Even Matter Anymore?

Sapere Aude -- Have the Courage to Use Your Own Reason

We all know that George W. Bush did all he could to avoid war, right? War was obviously his last resort. It wasn't like he wanted to invade Iraq, right? It wasn't as if he would stop at nothing to do so. It wasn't as if he was supressing a grin and probably an erection when he announce that the war had started. So, keeping in mind that our fearless leader wanted nothing so much as peace, lets review the finding that he sent to Congress before the invasion.

(I) Whereas, U.S. reliance on further diplomatic and peaceful means alone would not

(a) adequately protect U.S. national security against the continuing threat posed by Iraq, nor

(b) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant U.N. resolutions regarding Iraq, and

(II) Whereas, acting pursuant to the Authorization to Use Military Force was consistent with continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations including those nations, organizations, and persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Is any part of this, any part of this, true? No. The default (apologist) position then becomes that the president acted in good faith and was simply mistaken or misled, presumably by a renegade CIA that was itching to invade Iraq.

What we must come to grips with is this: this was no honest mistake. The president himself has denied that he ever explicitly linked Iraq to the 9/11 attacks, due to a total lack of evidence. Really? Did you read your fucking execution order? The one that to date has resulted in scores of thousands of deaths? Does it not explicitly say that attacking Iraq is consistent with attacking the 9/11 planners, aiders, etc.?

Maybe he was focusing on the "persons who committed the attacks"; maybe they had been reincarnated and moved to Baghdad. The world is very complicated. Iraq is very complicated. But some things are simple. Simply put, the President willfully lied to the world and to his countrymen. Period.

Mixed metaphor time: If the head of the snake is that rotten, is it realistic to hope to find salvation or victory somewhere towards the tail? This is not the case of a few, or a bunch of, bad apples; this is the case of a rotten and leak-ridden barrell.