https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2008-02-15/591602/
George W. tells us as loudly and as often as he can that the Iraqi government is steadily taking charge and that this will allow America's military role to shrink there.
Before you swallow that, however, you might chew on the provisions in a little-known "military agreement" that Bush & Company is quietly trying to rush through the Iraqi parliament. It requires that, for the foreseeable future, Iraq give the U.S. broad authority to conduct our own military actions in that supposedly sovereign nation, that our troops be empowered to detain any Iraqis we want and be immune from any Iraqi prosecution, and that our military actions there will require no consultation or approval by their government.
To add a little provocative spice to the agreement, there's also a provision that America's private mercenary forces, including the infamous Blackwater Corporation, would remain immune from Iraqi law.
In addition, there's an especially nasty tidbit that should cause us all to choke on the deal. An early draft includes a pledge that America would support Iraq "in defending its democratic system against internal and external threats." That commits our troops to all sorts of horrors, including participating in an all-out civil war! Now, the Bushites claim that this pledge was overly broad, and gosh, trust us, they say, we won't go that far.
Trust us? You might note that, once again, Bush is trying to sneak his deal past us, avoiding our nation's system of checks and balances. Such long-term commitments are normally done as treaties, requiring two-thirds approval by the Senate. But by calling it an "agreement," Bush asserts he can commit our country by executive fiat, with no debate and no vote.
Trust us? Ha! I'd sooner trust a coyote to guard my last lamb chop than trust Bush & Company with anything involving Iraq.
On a wintry night, in the pale light of the moon, the Wolf emerges to howl again.
Yes, Paul "Howling" Wolfowitz is back in government! The neocon political hack who was a top architect of George W.'s Iraq debacle, is being brought out of the shadows to chair a prestigious Department of State committee that advises the secretary on such matters as weapons of mass destruction.
You might recall that when Howling Paul was Bush's undersecretary of defense, he was vociferous in insisting Big Bad Saddam Hussein had WMD and had to be taken out before he dropped one right here in America. "Disarming Iraq," Wolfowitz solemnly declared just before Bush's invasion and occupation, "is a crucial part of winning the war on terror."
As Americans have learned the hard way, Paul, George, Dick, Rummy, Condi, and others were duping us. Saddam had neither WMD nor any connection to the al Qaeda terrorists we should have been fighting. Incompetent ideologues like Wolfowitz led our country into a disastrous war that has strengthened al Qaeda and weakened the U.S. As one leading nuclear-policy expert says, "The advice given by Paul Wolfowitz over the past six years ranks among the worst provided by any defense official in history. I have no idea why anyone would want more."
Yet, here he comes, newly appointed to head the 18-member International Security Advisory Board. There, he'll have access to highly classified material and leeway to affect our national policy on such explosive matters as Iran and Pakistan. A State Department official says simply, "We think he is well-suited."
Well-suited to do what – lie? A new report documents 935 false statements that Bush & Company made to justify their invasion of Iraq. Eighty-five of those were by Wolfowitz – even more falsehoods than Dick Cheney put out. Let's see, George W. ... Horse Thief. Works for me.
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