For an excellent, albeit gentle and somewhat “iceberg tip only” 90 minute glimpse into the Bush Administration’s covert journey from 9/11 through the invasion of Iraq, take the time to view online:
“The Dark Side” from PBS’ Frontline
Much of the focus of this PBS documentary is on the power struggle between those in the CIA with the integrity to stick to the facts and the courage to speak truth to power and the Cheney/Rumsfeld-led push to follow through on their shared desire to tie Saddam to Al Qaeda and 9/11 as well as to manufacture a Sadaam WMD threat in order to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq. What this story doesn’t make clear is their shared passion, pre-dating 9/11, to gain access to what they consider the Middle East’s strategic resources through Afghanistan, Iraq and possibly eventually the country they flank, Iran:
“The Project for the New American Century.” by William Rivers Ritt
Months into a national propaganda campaign in which PNAC signers Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney as well as then National Security Advisor to the President Condoleeza Rice and then Secretary of State Colin Powell knowingly and willingly used distorted and manufactured Central Intelligence Agency and other security source information in order to convince the country that we must invade Iraq, President George W. Bush spoke these now infamous 16 words to the nation:
“The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”
A complete transcript of the January, 2003 State of the Union address
President Bush asked the American people and Congress to trust with absolute certainty information that he knew was shaky at best, and in some cases, he, his Vice President and members of his cabinet knew was conclusively false.
2,538 American flag covered coffins, 18,356 physically crippled soldiers, countless emotionally destroyed soldiers and hopelessly damaged families, between 38,822 and 43,251 confirmed dead Iraqi civilian men, women and children (at the very, very least) and completely destroyed post-9/11 international good-will later…
…isn’t it high time to find out why they lied to us, why they lied to Congress, why they lied to the United Nations and why they lied to the world?
If you take a moment to read the short article by Mr. Ritt linked above, he notes that the PNAC group that has siezed control of our country through the bloodless coup d’etat in the Presidential election of 2000, maintained it through the same shadowy means in 2004 and has no intention of surrendering power in 2008 has some stated goals, including to:
* Reposition permanently based forces to Southern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East;
* Modernize U.S. forces, including enhancing our fighter aircraft, submarine and surface fleet capabilities;
* Develop and deploy a global missile defense system, and develop a strategic dominance of space;
* Control the “International Commons” of cyberspace;
* Increase defense spending to a minimum of 3.8 percent of gross domestic product, up from the 3 percent currently spent.
Every one of those things is taking place or has already occurred. “The Dark Side” reveals how they “chilled” the CIA and hints of the transfer of International Intelligence authority from the CIA to their own creation headed by their own people: The Department of Homeland Security, removing one of the strongest checks on their ongoing thrust toward the intended global domination PNAC documents made very clear.
This tightly secretive administration now considers America’s military juggernaut their descretionary personal weapon to utilize toward accomplishing their quest for tightly-controlled world military, economic and political domination.
Despite talk of drawing down the U.S. military presence in Iraq, the construction of permanent bases continues unabated. Every request for more money for “Defense” is rubber-stamped through Congress. Our military budget is $463 billion WITHOUT INCLUDING the $300 billion for the Iraq and Afghan wars and is growing with every budgetary voting session. China is second in the world at $63 billion. The combined military budgets of potential enemy “rogue” states North Korea, Iran, Syria and Cuba is $13 billion. Our military spending is more than all other nations in the world combined, yet virtually none of that spending has done anything to lessen the real threat of a small WMD being transported across our porous borders and being used against American citizens on our soil.
Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers
They are now slowing turning their rapacious gaze onto a wish to “control the “International Commons” of cyberspace”. We may be one “terrorist attack” away from that happening much more swiftly than we would ever imagine.
Then again, you may never get a chance to read this post.