The crisis in Iraq has brought war back to the US airwaves. But if you were expecting a more robust discussion about US military action this time around, think again. The rule seems to be that if you were wrong in 2003, you’re still an expert in 2014.
Take the Sunday chat shows. On ABC‘s This Week (6/15/14), viewers heard first from former military: ex-fighter pilot Steve Ganyard and retired Gen. Peter Chiarelli.
Up next was Rep. Michael McCaul (R–Texas), a hawkish lawmaker who called Iraq “the greatest threat, national security threat, since 9/11.”
The show’s roundtable closed with a brief discussion of Iraq, featuring hard-right war advocates Laura Ingraham and Bill Kristol alongside Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who voted against the Iraq War resolution in 2002. Kristol, one of the most visible media proponents of the Iraq invasion, has never suffered any consequences as a pundit. He told ABC viewers—perhaps even with a straight face—that the current crisis in Iraq is “a disaster unfortunately made possible, or certainly made more likely, by our ridiculous and total withdrawal from Iraq in 2011.”
On NBC‘s Meet the Press (6/15/14), anchor David Gregory told viewers they would hear from “key voices from the House and Senate.”
But before that, viewers were treated to failed Republican presidential candidate and Iraq War supporter Mitt Romney. The next guest was a Democrat, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who said: “I’m open to the airstrikes and technical support. Yeah, the airstrikes, technical support, drones, whatever it takes.”
The panel discussion on the show featured Paul Wolfowitz, George W. Bush’s deputy Pentagon secretary and a key Iraq War architect, along with hawkish Republican Rep. Peter King of New York. They were joined by reporter Dexter Filkins and Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, who wrote in April 2003:
Personally, I don’t much care if the US reports about weapons of mass destruction prove to be imaginary. Toppling Hussein’s regime was still right.
Iraq briefly came up during the roundtable with former Republican politician Ken Cuccinelli, Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, former Democratic Rep. Harold Ford—who voted for the war—and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus.
One wouldn’t keep trusting a meteorologist who got the weather forecast horribly wrong. Why do news shows treat matters of war any differently?
I do agree with your posts concerning the invasion of Iraq based on the phony WMD. You might have mentioned that none of those on the talk show circuit bothered to say anything about the 600,000 – one million Iraqi civilians that died as a result of the invasion.
BUT…..Did I miss all the articles FAIR did about the illegal invasion of LIbya by NATO and Obama?
I suppose G.W. Bush, Blair, and Obama all don’t realize that the latest bloodshed in Iraq is a direct result and almost inevitable outcome of the American and British invasion of Iraq. Won’t we ever learn? (I’m not going to talk about Muslim responsibility for this, either Shia or Sunni, since, being an American citizen, my concern is properly with crimes committed by U.S.A.) Thank goodness, I can point to the fact that at least some of my ancestors lived in North America at least 10,000 years prior to European colonization of America. “The shot heard around the world” originally, during the American Revolution, meant the cry for freedom in America to be heard around the world by all the world’s peoples. That phrase has been co-opted by the rulers in U.S.A. now to mean the suppression of freedom everywhere. Drones, armies, counter-intelligence operations …………. It’s sickening.
BUT…..Did I miss all the articles FAIR did about the illegal invasion of LIbya by NATO and Obama?
Libya, in the search box ; About 320 results (0.19 seconds)
I would say that is big yes.
Tony Bliar is calling for intervention in Iraq!
When will they ever learn …
“Personally, I don’t much care if the US reports about weapons of mass destruction prove to be imaginary. Toppling Hussein’s regime was still right.”
Ah, yes. We only do these things to liberate the oppressed or to mete out justice, American-style.
Unfortunately, the average American simply doesn’t care about the atrocious number of Iraqi civilians who were killed. The US is still neck deep in post-9/11 anti-Muslim bigotry and “support our troops” brainless jingoism.
In Iraq and Iran the Military Industrial Complex had their perfect cash cows. Literally no way to easily or gracefully exit those situations. And, as we see, with instability (which is inevitable) we get calls to re-militarize and re-intervene in Iraq.
As the saying goes: follow the money.
I don’t recall seeing any of the MSNBC commentators — to the extent that they criticized the trotting out of the discredited pundits, such as Wolfowitz, Kristol, etc. — point out that their own NBC colleagues, like David Gregory, were among those trotting them out. Did anyone else notice this?
Where is C. Powell, when we really need him?
We cannot expect to tolerate such absolute unaccountability as we are witnessing, and at the same time remain a superpower for much longer; the press is complicit in our demise for failing to provide accurate information to the public, as our Founders expected when they attached the Bill of Rights to our Constitution. That we cannot detect nor admit the failures we created in Iraq does not bode well for making the needed corrections here at home. Thank you, A. Nonymous for elaborating on some of these items here earlier.
Best account I’ve seen about ISIS and Iraq
http://pando.com/2014/06/16/the-war-nerd-heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-too-extreme-for-al-qaeda-i-s-i-s/
Basically says this is just a logical partition of Iraq into Sunni, Kurds, Shia. Says ISIS is not a threat to us.
Has everybody forgotten that the agreement to withdraw all our troops was done by their bush chopping, artist hero one GW Bush?
AND it was that leader, now crapping his pants as ISIS closes in, who demanded all our troops be withdrawn.
After being subjected to the last two weeks of Sunday morning talk panels featuring the same bad actors, Wolfowitz, Bremer, Cheney, Kristol and others I understand tomorrow we’ll be treated to the loose cannon Benjamin Netanyahu and the infantile blatherings of Rand Paul. Funny, nobody is offering the biggest cheerleader for war, George W. Bush to appear for questioning. Maybe even the mainstream media realize the extent of his dyslexia and want to same him — and themselves from more embarrassment.
That last question was rhetorical, right, Peter?
Beat, beat, beat the war drums until the public supports never-ending war to keep the profits rolling into the weapons manufacturers and dirty energy industry. Yes, it really is that simple.
If ISIS attacks our embassy – since they would be attacking America – I think we should respond militarily big time but we should not respond otherwise. We cannot solve the centuries-old conflict between the different sects of Islam. Iraq needs to govern Iraq. We need to work on our own problems at home. However, we need the rest of the world to know that attacking our embassy would be a huge mistake.
@Lucymarie Ruth- Nice thought in theory, but in reality, as long as we desire to maintain a presence (read: control) in the region, it ain’t never gonna happen… unless ISIS forces our hand.
@TeeJAE
Hi. I have no use for theory, political or otherwise. The reality is that as long as our government wants to maintain control over other parts of the world, we are going to be led around by our tail. People around the world hate us because we have sent “advisors”, and unwanted advice, and troops, murderers, spys, and torturers, and now drones for years and years. We have propped up corrupt oligarchies that have preyed on their countrymen. We have bloodily overturned elected democracies. That is the REALITY. We should cease and desist. Stop being an enraged bull. We need to undergo a long detoxification, and only then, take stock and see where that leaves us.
The only political theory I hold is a simple one: “Give me liberty or give me death” (Patrick Henry).
Read the indictment of the USA at TheWorldCan’tWait website:
http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/calls-to-action/8306-we-indict-the-us-government-for-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity
It’s quite accurate.