THE LAST U.S. DCM IN BAGHDAD ASSAILS PERLE AS LIKUDNIK
Rosalinda | 07.03.2003 02:21
Asked by Bill Moyer about Perle's arguments for a war,
Wilson said, ``Well, he's certainly the architect of a study
that was produced in the mid-'90s for the Likud Israeli government called `A Clean Break, A New Strategy for the Realm.' and it makes the argument that the best way to secure Israeli security is through the changing of some of these regimes beginning with Iraq and also including Syria. And that's been since expanded to include Iran.''
Wilson said, ``Well, he's certainly the architect of a study
that was produced in the mid-'90s for the Likud Israeli government called `A Clean Break, A New Strategy for the Realm.' and it makes the argument that the best way to secure Israeli security is through the changing of some of these regimes beginning with Iraq and also including Syria. And that's been since expanded to include Iran.''
[Source: PBS transcript of Bill Moyers interview
with Joseph C. Wilson, IV, Monday, March 3, 2003.]
THE LAST U.S. DCM IN BAGHDAD WARNS OF CONSEQUENCES OF IRAQ
WAR AND ASSAILS PERLE AS LIKUDNIK. Joseph Wilson, who was the
last U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad on the eve of the
1991 Gulf War, told Bill Moyers in a PBS-TV interview Monday
night, that the U.S. should stick with intrusive inspections and
abandon plans for a war to unseat Saddam Hussein. He debunked
the idea that the ``shock and awe'' massive aerial bombardment of
Baghdad, planned as the opening shot of any war, will have few
civilian casualties.
He warned that, under conditions of a U.S. attack,
Saddam would fight to the death, with tens of thousands
of Republican Guard crack troops joining him in a final,
disastrous battle. But the most important feature of the Wilson
interview was his denunciation of Richard Perle and the whole
``Clean Break'' strategy.
Asked about Perle's arguments for a war, Wilson said,
``Well, he's certainly the architect of a study that was produced
in the mid-'90s for the Likud Israeli government
called `A Clean Break, A New Strategy for the Realm.'
And it makes the argument
that the best way to secure Israeli security is through the
changing of some of these regimes beginning with Iraq and also
including Syria. And that's been since expanded to include Iran.''
While defending America's committment, since 1948, to
protect Israel's existence, he also noted, ``There are those who
believe that perhaps we've confused our responsibilities with the
slavish adherence to the Likud strategy.''
He also scored
President Bush for his close ties to Sharon, telling Moyers,
``...there are those who wonder about the depth of our ties and
the extent to which our national security responsibilities may
somehow be confused with our support for the current government in Israel.''
He also went into an in-depth warning about the consequences
of foisting ``democracy'' on Iraq by fiat, predicting that future
elections would pit ``demagogues'' against ``populists'' and that
they'd compete for who would be more anti-American and anti-Israeli.
He concluded by emphasizing that, in his judgment,
the road to peace in the Middle East had to run through
Jerusalem, not through Baghdad.
LEESBURG, March 4 -- ``THERE IS STILL TIME'' TO STOP THE IRAQ
WAR, SAID SENIOR DEMOCRATIC SEN. TED KENNEDY (D-MA) in a March 4
interview on NBC TV's``Today Show.'' He called for a full Senate
debate against the war to take place NOW, and later the same day,
addressed a major Methodist conference in Washington.
In the interview, when hit point-blank by inteviewer Katie
Couric's assertion that ``a lot of people are speculating that at
the end of next week, a war will begin, after the U.N. votes on
that second resolution,'' Kennedy made clear that {war is not
inevitable.}
He said:
``Well, there's still time. {Certainly a lot has happened.
A lot has changed at the United Nations, hasn't it, over the
period of the last 10 days? And I would hope that the
administration would get the word.} (clearly referencing the
international opposition, demos, etc). The fact is, we are
stronger when we work together.''
``We need the United Nations in North Korea, don't we? We
have to work with our allies in Asia on North Korea because of
its danger, don't we? Yes. And we have to work with our allies
in other pressure points around the world. That's a fact. And
we shouldn't have a go-it-alone, rush-to-war policy, which this
administration has.''
Later in the day, Kennedy was the featured speaker at the
United Methodist Church Conference in Washington, where he said
(among other things), ``With inspectors on the ground and stiff
international pressure still possible, this is an unnecessary war.''
It is extremely significant that Kennedy, an opponent of
the Iraq war, was invited by the Methodist conference, since this
is the Protestant denomination to which George W. Bush belongs,
and which is beginning to mobilize heavily against the war.
The head of the United Methodist Church
has been trying for months to meet with Bush,
and the White House has rebuffed the Methodist leader,
and his colleagues from the National Council of Churches.
Kennedy not only opposed the war, but gave a very effective
point-by-point criticism of Bush's actions. He said that after
so much international support for America, after 9/11,
``President Bush squandered too much of the good will of the
world community because of his single-minded rush to war with
Iraq, even if he has a few, or even no allies to go to war with him...."
To much applause, Kennedy also blasted Bush's Feb. 26
speech about so-called "democracy" at the American Enterprise
Institute on Feb. 26.
Ridiculing the claims that war would lead to peace,
stability and prosperity, not just for the Iraqi people,
but for the Palestinians as well, Kennedy said,
"We all heard of rosy scenarios, but that was ridiculous!"
with Joseph C. Wilson, IV, Monday, March 3, 2003.]
THE LAST U.S. DCM IN BAGHDAD WARNS OF CONSEQUENCES OF IRAQ
WAR AND ASSAILS PERLE AS LIKUDNIK. Joseph Wilson, who was the
last U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad on the eve of the
1991 Gulf War, told Bill Moyers in a PBS-TV interview Monday
night, that the U.S. should stick with intrusive inspections and
abandon plans for a war to unseat Saddam Hussein. He debunked
the idea that the ``shock and awe'' massive aerial bombardment of
Baghdad, planned as the opening shot of any war, will have few
civilian casualties.
He warned that, under conditions of a U.S. attack,
Saddam would fight to the death, with tens of thousands
of Republican Guard crack troops joining him in a final,
disastrous battle. But the most important feature of the Wilson
interview was his denunciation of Richard Perle and the whole
``Clean Break'' strategy.
Asked about Perle's arguments for a war, Wilson said,
``Well, he's certainly the architect of a study that was produced
in the mid-'90s for the Likud Israeli government
called `A Clean Break, A New Strategy for the Realm.'
And it makes the argument
that the best way to secure Israeli security is through the
changing of some of these regimes beginning with Iraq and also
including Syria. And that's been since expanded to include Iran.''
While defending America's committment, since 1948, to
protect Israel's existence, he also noted, ``There are those who
believe that perhaps we've confused our responsibilities with the
slavish adherence to the Likud strategy.''
He also scored
President Bush for his close ties to Sharon, telling Moyers,
``...there are those who wonder about the depth of our ties and
the extent to which our national security responsibilities may
somehow be confused with our support for the current government in Israel.''
He also went into an in-depth warning about the consequences
of foisting ``democracy'' on Iraq by fiat, predicting that future
elections would pit ``demagogues'' against ``populists'' and that
they'd compete for who would be more anti-American and anti-Israeli.
He concluded by emphasizing that, in his judgment,
the road to peace in the Middle East had to run through
Jerusalem, not through Baghdad.
LEESBURG, March 4 -- ``THERE IS STILL TIME'' TO STOP THE IRAQ
WAR, SAID SENIOR DEMOCRATIC SEN. TED KENNEDY (D-MA) in a March 4
interview on NBC TV's``Today Show.'' He called for a full Senate
debate against the war to take place NOW, and later the same day,
addressed a major Methodist conference in Washington.
In the interview, when hit point-blank by inteviewer Katie
Couric's assertion that ``a lot of people are speculating that at
the end of next week, a war will begin, after the U.N. votes on
that second resolution,'' Kennedy made clear that {war is not
inevitable.}
He said:
``Well, there's still time. {Certainly a lot has happened.
A lot has changed at the United Nations, hasn't it, over the
period of the last 10 days? And I would hope that the
administration would get the word.} (clearly referencing the
international opposition, demos, etc). The fact is, we are
stronger when we work together.''
``We need the United Nations in North Korea, don't we? We
have to work with our allies in Asia on North Korea because of
its danger, don't we? Yes. And we have to work with our allies
in other pressure points around the world. That's a fact. And
we shouldn't have a go-it-alone, rush-to-war policy, which this
administration has.''
Later in the day, Kennedy was the featured speaker at the
United Methodist Church Conference in Washington, where he said
(among other things), ``With inspectors on the ground and stiff
international pressure still possible, this is an unnecessary war.''
It is extremely significant that Kennedy, an opponent of
the Iraq war, was invited by the Methodist conference, since this
is the Protestant denomination to which George W. Bush belongs,
and which is beginning to mobilize heavily against the war.
The head of the United Methodist Church
has been trying for months to meet with Bush,
and the White House has rebuffed the Methodist leader,
and his colleagues from the National Council of Churches.
Kennedy not only opposed the war, but gave a very effective
point-by-point criticism of Bush's actions. He said that after
so much international support for America, after 9/11,
``President Bush squandered too much of the good will of the
world community because of his single-minded rush to war with
Iraq, even if he has a few, or even no allies to go to war with him...."
To much applause, Kennedy also blasted Bush's Feb. 26
speech about so-called "democracy" at the American Enterprise
Institute on Feb. 26.
Ridiculing the claims that war would lead to peace,
stability and prosperity, not just for the Iraqi people,
but for the Palestinians as well, Kennedy said,
"We all heard of rosy scenarios, but that was ridiculous!"
Rosalinda