[lbo-talk] Juan Cole on Rumsfeld's memo

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Mon Dec 4 11:38:50 PST 2006


On Dec 4, 2006, at 10:55 AM, Dwayne Monroe wrote:


> The simplest explanation (and the one Seymour Hersh
> has offered up when discussing his sources for CIA,
> NSA and DoD insider information) is that professionals
> within these organizations -- true believers in the
> stated missions of their agencies -- are, like the
> JAGs who've spoken against the procedures used at
> Gitmo, disturbed by what they've seen and heard and
> are trying to let the rest of us know the scope of the
> problem.

I've been reading Patrick Cockburn's new Verso book on the occupation of Iraq, called, simply enough, THe Occupation. He says a lot of important people in Washington privately objected to the invasion of Iraq, but were too cowed by the Bush admin's fervor, popularity, and skill at impugning the patriotism of its critics to say anything publicly. This is further proof that the invasion was the work of a cabal, and not the product of the heart of the imperial mechanism. It's also an illustration of how much the executive branch can get away with, even in the face of elite opposition; apparently the effective dissent comes afterwards, in the form of leaks.

Doug



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