Our Own, In (White) House Domestic Terrorist, Nutsak, and Deranged NeoCon Has His Say:
PERLE'S WISDOM
Nothing ennobles a nation more than citizens who shoulder the burdens of wartime. Nothing degrades a nation more than those who lobby for war while enriching themselves on its spoils.
Think Richard Perle. You can’t miss him these days. He and his colleague, David Frum, are all over television promoting their new book, An End To Evil. Their plan: Overthrow Iran’s government, blockade North Korea, force "regime change" in Syria, "squeeze" China, isolate France, pull out of the United Nations, and more.
It’s a breathtaking blueprint. But are they credible architects? After all, it was they who said that Iraq was teeming with weapons of mass destruction. That U.S. forces would be welcomed with open arms. That Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda. That Ahmed Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress would be a popular leader. They were wrong on all accounts.
And then there are Perle’s questionable business deals. As he agitates for war, he advises companies who profit from war. Last year, for instance, he briefed investors on ways to make money from U.S. conflicts with North Korea and Iraq. Such controversies forced him to step down as chairman of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board. But he didn’t resign from the board itself; he can still offer his clients the latest inside scoop.
This kind of a track record would send most armchair generals limping back into private life. But that hasn’t happened to Perle. He still has the president’s ear. And not one interviewer—not Charlie Rose, not NBC’s Matt Lauer, not CNN’s Wolf Blitzer—has forced him to fully answer the conflict of interest charges.
They should. Just as they should question his predictions about Iraq. Because what’s at stake is not just one man’s credibility but the lives of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who risk their lives no matter why they are sent into battle.
Nothing ennobles a nation more than citizens who shoulder the burdens of wartime. Nothing degrades a nation more than those who lobby for war while enriching themselves on its spoils.
Think Richard Perle. You can’t miss him these days. He and his colleague, David Frum, are all over television promoting their new book, An End To Evil. Their plan: Overthrow Iran’s government, blockade North Korea, force "regime change" in Syria, "squeeze" China, isolate France, pull out of the United Nations, and more.
It’s a breathtaking blueprint. But are they credible architects? After all, it was they who said that Iraq was teeming with weapons of mass destruction. That U.S. forces would be welcomed with open arms. That Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda. That Ahmed Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress would be a popular leader. They were wrong on all accounts.
And then there are Perle’s questionable business deals. As he agitates for war, he advises companies who profit from war. Last year, for instance, he briefed investors on ways to make money from U.S. conflicts with North Korea and Iraq. Such controversies forced him to step down as chairman of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board. But he didn’t resign from the board itself; he can still offer his clients the latest inside scoop.
This kind of a track record would send most armchair generals limping back into private life. But that hasn’t happened to Perle. He still has the president’s ear. And not one interviewer—not Charlie Rose, not NBC’s Matt Lauer, not CNN’s Wolf Blitzer—has forced him to fully answer the conflict of interest charges.
They should. Just as they should question his predictions about Iraq. Because what’s at stake is not just one man’s credibility but the lives of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who risk their lives no matter why they are sent into battle.
posted by A. J. Franklin @ 08:04
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