Inform Please
Juan Cole of Informed Comment makes the uninformed remark that the Bush-Aznar exchange about the possibility of Saddam going into exile in Saudi with “$1 billion and all the information he wants about weapons of mass destruction” is an impeachable statement, because it indicates war could have been avoided:
‘The Egyptians are speaking to Saddam Hussein. It seems he’s indicated he would be prepared to go into exile if he’s allowed to take $1 billion and all the information he wants about weapons of mass destruction,” Bush was quoted as saying at the meeting one month before the U.S.-led invasion.’
Cole’s rush to impeachment apparently is not informed by Bush’s further comment that Saddam is not trustworthy in any exile deal. Particularly one involving $1 billion, Saudi Arabia, a WMD how-to book and “a thug, a terrorist and a war criminal.” Cole’s translation follows:
Aznar: Is it certain that any possibility exists that Saddam Hussein will go into exile?
Bush: The possibility exists, including that he will be assassinated.
Aznar: Exile with a guarantee?
Bush: No guarantee! He is a thug, a terrorist, a war criminal.
Read on, and you’ll also see that Cole suggests with snide glee that Bush thinks Euros are racist. “He!” I think Bush was actually accusing the Euros of mousse-brained multiculturalist pandering, but whatever. Cole may want to inform himself on Euro-racism, which has a long and varied history with many recent chapters. Also, on the Bush administration’s long record of inclusiveness and equal opportunity.
Anyway, if war non-avoidance is impeachable, then I demand, under the same right of ridiculous proclamation exercised by Cole, that every president who has ever practicised it should be summarily exhumed and brought up on charges before Congress, to include Madison, Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, Truman, JFK and Bush 41. There’s a big backlog before we get to Bush 43. All of those wars might have been avoided. There might have been unpleasant, even dire consequences, but that’s not the issue here and those wars could have been avoided.
Cole also thinks Bush’s disregard for further U.N. resolutions is also impeachable and goes into some quick international blah blah blah that ignores the fact that Bush had a number of U.N. resolutions authorizing “all necessary means.” Cole considers the conversation damning evidence … that Bush didn’t intend to wait on the French to grant him further resolutions … but it’s a little silly at this date. Bush’s actions and public statements made that clear at the time of his chat with Aznar, and if not sufficiently then, then shortly after. Of course, the United States doesn’t require anyone’s permission to defend its interests with force, and any president who subjects our national security to a French, Russian or Chinese veto should be impeached. But what kind of Congress would impeach a president for prosecuting a war an overwhelming majority of its members had voted to authorize, based on a demonstrable threat those members had recognized?
One problem with all of this. Cole is right that the House, if it chose to, could seize on any number of things in the Bush-Aznar exchange, engage in a series of apoplectic hearings, draw up articles of impeachment, and dispatch the president to the Senate for trial. But Cole, perhaps not being fully informed of the state of Democratic leadership in the House and Senate, does not seem to appreciate that Congress could impeach and try a ham sandwich if it chose to, but in the case of Bush it doesn’t lack an excuse but rather political will.
I just realized that I’ve spent the last 20 minutes having an argument with a dolt about warmed-over history and political improbabilities. Excuse me. I think I must have something better to do.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:17 pm Comments (17) on Thursday, September 27, 2007
17 Responses to “Inform Please”
Leave a Reply
Trackback URLYou must be logged in to post a comment.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
“Transcript Reveals Impeachable Offenses by Bush Re: Iraq War ”
Let me know when the trial starts.
Cole = moron.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Cole may want to inform himself on Euro-racism, which has a long and varied history with many recent chapters. Also, on the Bush administration’s long record of inclusiveness and equal opportunity.
Cole probably has the most advanced case of BDS in the blogosphere, so there is no way he could look at alternate explanations that might put Bush in a positive light. Indeed, I expect Cole to drop dead from frustration sometime around 30 January 2009, give or take a week.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
And Congress couldn’t impeach a ham sandwich, Jules: pork is haram. Unless it’s funding another “Tribute To Elvis” museum, of course.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:43 am
“All of those wars might have been avoided. There might have been unpleasant, even dire consequences, but that’s not the issue here and those wars could have been avoided.”
Precisely . . . there’s always the “cost” side of the “benefit/cost” equation, which seems to be missing in so many of the anti-war diatribes.
It’s as if not going to war is invariably a greater kindness to humankind than going to war.
But the avoidance of war is seldom without cost, and as Coedevilla and Sebury point out in their definitive work “War: Ends and Means,” far fewer people have been killed as a direcrt result of military action than as a result of non-military action (Stalin cleansing the Soviet Union, Hitler killing Jews, Pol Pot, Hutu slaughter of Tutsis, ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, Mao Zedung, etc.).
Peace does not guarantee the absence of slaughter. Peace is not necessarily less bloody than war.
War can always be avoided, if one side is prepared to live with the consequences of not going to war.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:05 am
And now I’ve spent time reading your argument with a dolt.
This academic is my prime evidence for the insanity that runs rampant in our universities, usually under the rubric of the idiots’ perverted definition of academic freedom, whose aegis is tenure. They have come into the light via the internet, and displayed their lack of erudition and scholarship with all the innocent arrogance of the truly deluded.
I won’t even go into the nature of those who hire this breed.
Understand that I’m not talking about those genuine scholars with whom I disagree. Just the nutters who have invaded the citadels.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:06 am
I hope that someone is looking into Juan Cole’s financial records. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see large contributions from one or more Al Qaeda financiers. And his hatred of the Jews would make Himmler blush.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Saddam Hussein would never have left Iraq with 1 billion in his pocket or 10 billion in his pocket. What an absurd notion that that dictator would have ever tried to hide his sorry ass anywhere but on Iraqi soil.
His wrist was tattooed with the dots of his Tikriti tribe.
He did send away family members, 2 daughters (at least) live in Amman. And he (reportedly) paid the Libyans some egregious amount to take some in his close circle.
As for Juan Cole’s (geez, I haven’t had to read him or Noam Chomsky for the longest time, it has been nice…) the 2003 invasion was undertaken on the foundation of Iraq’s violation of the terms of the 1991 ceasefire.
That doesn’t obviate the UN Resolution re war (it wasn’t declared in 2003, it was resumed) but it certainly mitigates it.
Anybody with 6 functioning brain cells (that includes, I think, Nancy Pelosi) knows that there are literally no grounds for impeachment of this President.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:26 am
“Cole probably has the most advanced case of BDS in the blogosphere”
MAYBE – anyway he’s far gone enough to be in contention, but I think the competition for the final prize for “Most BD’d” would be fierce.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:37 am
“Juan Cole’s financial records;;;”
Allah knows who’s getting paid what by whom to say what.
What George Soros’ Open Society Institute, moveon.org and other organizations affiliated with him backed monetarily, in 2006, coming to light with the financial report this week.
Who enabled Cindy Sheehan’s travels about the globe ?
Rumblings of the Carter Foundation getting Arab money, perhaps in-spiring Jimmah’s side taking in “the Palestinian thing”.
(o’course, Jimmah claims he knows stuff as ex Prez that the average commoner doesn’t know)
Anyway, this web and network of what money is behind what is leading me to believe almost nothing I read.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:55 am
(o’course, Jimmah claims he knows stuff as ex Prez that the average commoner doesn’t know)
He knows how badly his was duped by Soviets and the Iranians.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
So Bush consulted on world affairs with the Spanish (who, alone among European colonial slave masters, have somehow managed to avoid the taint of permanent oppressor status, despite being the most rapacious and genocidal).
You’d think in Juan Cole Left-world, that would be a plus.
If it had been a Dem administration, it would have been evidence of measured diplomacy, a willingness to listen and a demonstration proper cultural humility when dealing with our betters, and reported as such by a fawning, misty eyed media.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
“Anyway, if war non-avoidance is impeachable, then I demand, under the same right of ridiculous proclamation exercised by Cole, that every president who has ever practicised it should be summarily exhumed and brought up on charges before Congress, to include Madison, Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, Truman, JFK and Bush 41. There’s a big backlog before we get to Bush 43. All of those wars might have been avoided. There might have been unpleasant, even dire consequences, but that’s not the issue here and those wars could have been avoided.”
Here is why your country is in such a mess because your people are quick to be polarized but too lazy to do the heavy work of learning what the facts are. The first four of those presidents you mention had not the sword of Damocles that is the UN hanging over their head as Bush 43 does. The avoidance of war was not the matter the matter was subverting the UN, soft threatening weaker allies economically and seeking a unilateralist war [in outlook I am well aware of the Coalition of the Golden Trough] when there was no threat to the US.
But you know better than this but since you can profit on beating the drum for this foolish war until it blows back in your face in the form of a dirty bomb in some Midwestern town while the bulk of your national Guardsmen are still in Iraq and Bush is still in the White House you will not budge. And despite how decrepit he might seem Bush 41 is still very much alive and unless Barb has covered him up in the garden at Kennebunkport [again] he does not need exhumation.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Wow, I guess me and all my family members who fought to liberate whatever turd runoff this jackass is from ought to go off ourselves huh?
September 28th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Juan Cole is a communist, anti-American horses’s ass. Why on earth does anybody consult him about anything, knowing all he has to say is a diatribe against all that is reasonable and responsible?
September 28th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Yo, Esquire, get your country to go out and solve some world problems, would you? I’m tired of Americans saving your sorry ass with blood and pain. Time for naive fools like you to pay the price.
That’s all pre-2003, of course. Everything since then has been for the personal gain of Emperor McChimpy.
September 28th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Thanks TRJ, I was too pissed off to say it like you did.
September 28th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Don’t you just love it when those who are not Americans claim to understand “what is wrong with” us? Would that they gave even that much thought to their own.