November 12,2005
As
I finish the writing this column on Oct. 25, "the indictments" (if any) have
yet to come down. Rumors swirl, from "Fitzgerald is going only with
perjury/conspiracy indictments" to "Fitzgerald is going to issue indictments
on such matters are the forging of the Niger-Saddam/yellowcake documents" to
"Fitzgerald will go after Cheney." At this time, I will believe that
there are indictments when I see them. Nevertheless, I am taking a week
off from my series on the future of the Democratic Party. I am offering
instead a few thoughts about the events and the people who are involved in what
may be anything from the greatest scandal and political earthquake in the
history of our country to a relative tempest in a teapot that the Rove
Spin/Smear Machine at the service of the Republican Religious Right will handle
with ease. If it turns out to be the latter, please do be prepared for the
deluge of gloating that will pour from O'Rhannibaugh and the rest of the
Privatized Ministry of Propaganda for more months than you want to think about.
First,
in his absolutely brilliant column of October 23, 2005, in the New York Times
("Karl and
Scooter's Excellent Adventure"), Frank Rich laid out the time-line
of the Georgite plot-for-war. At the outset and then at the end of the
column, he asks the question "why?" The poignant cartoon that
accompanied the column asked the same question. Mr. Rich hazards a few
guesses, as have many other commentators. However, there is an
authoritative answer. It was provided by one of the principal war-plotters
before the Selection of George W. Bush. Just listen to what Richard Perle
had to say on the subject, in his chapter "Iraq: Saddam Unbound" that was
published in Present Dangers (Encounter Books, 2000) from the Project for
the New American Century, edited by Robert Kagan and William Kristol, (original
date, June, 1997). (The other authors in the book, from Wolfowitz and
Elliott Abrams on up [or down, depending upon your point of view] form a neocon
all-star team.)
"Saddam
Hussein threatens American interests in the [Persian] Gulf to a degree that
cannot be over come by diplomatic accommodation.... [A]n
Iraq
without Saddam would best serve our interests... If the next administration
is to protect
America
's interests in the Gulf ... it must formulate a comprehensive political and
military strategy for bringing down Saddam ... Accordingly, the
United States
should move to recognize a provisional government of
Iraq
based on the principles and leaders of the [Ahmad Chalabi's] Iraq National
Congress..."
This
is why Bush was totally focused on removing Saddam from Day I of his Presidency,
as both Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill, who both experienced that focus up
close and personal, have both told us. It was all about those "American
interests in the Gulf." Just wonder what black viscous substance might
be at the center of those "interests."
As
for Perle himself, not much to be seen these days, Maureen Dowd did refer to him
in her demolition column on Judith Miller that appeared in the Times one
day before Mr. Rich's ("Woman
of Mass Destruction"). Dowd wrote: "Judy's stories about W.M.D.
fit too perfectly with the White House's case for war. She was close to Ahmad
Chalabi, the con man who was conning the neocons to knock out Saddam so he could
get his hands on Iraq..." I wrote to a friend: "to be totally
accurate, one might speculate that that sentence should have read: 'She was
close to Ahmad Chalabi, the con man who was feeding back to the
neocons the stories that Richard Perle had instructed Chalabi to tell back to
Perle himself and his fellow neocons, to knock out Saddam so they could get their
hands on Iraq ...'" and, one might add, large supplies of that black,
viscous substance.
As
for Miller, even before the at-first-within-the-Times and then
most-public (viz. Dowd's column) contretemps over how she conducted herself as
a Times reporter, when she went to jail for 85 days, supposedly over a freedom
of the press issue, I was wondering what the real matter was. Libby had
given her permission to reveal his name as a source for the Valerie Plame
identity leak a year before. And she was protecting him as source of that
information? Didn't make sense. What did make sense to me, given
the prominent role that Miller played as a Times reporter in the run-up
to the War, and the role she tried to play afterwards in showing that there were
WMD in Iraq when indeed there were none, was this: my speculation that Miller
herself was an integral part of a criminal conspiracy to get the country into a
war based on lies.
If
my speculation was correct, 85 days in the slammer made sense. It wasn't
that she was protecting Libby on the Plame-identity leak matter. She was
waiting, and communicating with him (by back channels, not through her public
attorney Floyd Abrams), rather, in an attempt to get their stories straight on a
much larger matter (I speculated): how they all conspired to lie our nation into
the Iraq War. After all, it is possible that a Presidency is at stake
here, along with the career of George W. Bush. Speculation?
Absolutely. Maybe by the time this column sees the light of print we will
know more.
Speaking
of bringing presidencies down, as a final subject let's look at some of the
differences and similarities between what started out as "Plamegate" and the
Grand Gate that initiated the whole contemporary vocabulary for political
scandal. Watergate was indeed a "third-rate burglary," as Nixon
himself described it. Like PlameGate it was plotted in the White House.
Like Plamegate, it was immoral, unethical, and illegal. Like Watergate, in
the grand scheme of things for their respective Presidencies' political
survival, if the deeds had not been done, both were entirely unnecessary.
Watergate was about trying to find out information about the Democratic Party
that Nixon didn't need for his re-election. PlameGate was about taking
revenge on someone who told the truth about the Georgite War. Yet if PlameGate
hadn't occurred, who would now be talking about Joseph Wilson and Valerie
Plame-Wilson? If in the end PlameGate brings down the current Presidency,
the two events will be similar in that regard too.
Not
every feature is similar, though. The Watergate burglary itself hurt
no-one. The Valerie Plame outing has had and will continue to have, in and
of itself, many negative consequences. A life-long career in the service
of
US
national security was ended. Plame's life as well as the lives of every
person with whom she ever had contact in her undercover CIA role has been put at
risk, for the rest of their lives. A very important set of assets for the
US
in the fight against illegal/ criminal nuclear proliferation has been
destroyed. But the much larger plot, of which the Plame outing was a minor
part, had much more serious consequences. Comparing the war that in part
engendered Watergate with the war-then-to-be that engendered PlameGate is
instructive.
The
infra-structure of
Iraq
has been virtually destroyed, as was the infrastructure of
Vietnam
. The lives of many American service people were lost in both. Many,
many more civilians living in the country invaded by the
US
have been killed. The
US
has been immersed in a military quagmire halfway around the world. The
diplomatic disaster created for our country by the policy is even worse in the
case of
Iraq
than it was in the case of
Vietnam
. Watergate brought down a President. PlameGate may just possibly do
the same.
If
the third-rate burglary had not occurred, Nixon likely would have finished his
term in triumph, and then who knows what history would have looked like.
If Libby and Rove had just let Joe Wilson be and not gone after his wife in a
case of school-yard revenge, the
Iraq
disaster would have been the same, to date least. But at this juncture, if
indeed there are indictments, they could eventually bring down another
Republican Presidency. Nixon's "gotta get some dirt" thing.
Rove and Libby's (and Cheney's?), "gotta extract revenge" thing.
Indeed, minor events, accidents of history if you will, that did, and could,
lead to monumental events - just as have other accidents of history...
On
the morning of June 18, 1815, one of the most famous generals in history woke up
with diarrhea. What happened later that day ended his career and would,
six years later, lead to the end of his life. Supposing Napoleon Bonaparte
had not had tummy trouble that morning? Who knows what might have happened.
An accident of history. On June 5, 1944, another one of history's most
famous generals left his assigned post, at which nothing much appeared to be
happening, to be with his wife for her birthday. If Erwin Rommel had been
on the scene on Hitler's Atlantic Wall on June 6, 1944, it might well have
been the case that on that evening yet another of the most famous generals of
history, Dwight D. Eisenhower, would have given the second of the two speeches
that he had prepared in advance for delivery on that fateful day. Ike had
prepared the 'other one' just in case, to announce the failure of the
Normandy
invasion under withering and totally well-organized German firepower, rather
than its success. An accident of history.
So
we have a hissy fit leading to a revenge plot that to the plotters (maybe
ignorant of the law concerning the revealing of the identities of CIA operatives
and obviously unaware of the feelings of the father of the current titular
President of the
United States
on that particular matter) seemed like an appropriate game to play. An
accident of history. History, during the coming days, will now tell us
what the consequences of this current "accident" might be.
--------
Dr. Steven Jonas is a TPJ contributing author. He is a
Professor of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University (NY) and
author/co-author of over twenty books. Dr. Jonas is one of
America
's most perceptive Democratic political analysts.
In his book The New Americanism, Dr. Jonas presents his case that the
Democratic Party has come adrift from its founding principles. He urges
the Party to turn to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to
find the new vision and mission that it, and our country, so desperately need.
"The
New Americanism: How the Democratic Party Can Win the Presidency is available from
Amazon.com (go to "Books;" enter the title) and BarnesandNoble.com
(same).
He is also the author of The
15% Solution: A Political History of American Fascism, 2001-2022,
originally published in 1996 under the pseudonym "Jonathan Westminster," and
republished with a New Introduction in 2004, under the same author's name.
The 2004 edition is available at www.barnesandnoble.com
(search with the title) and www.xlibris.com (click
on "Bookstore," then "Search" with title).
Both versions are available at www.amazon.com
(go
to "Books;" search with title).
Dr. Jonas is also a Contributing Editor for the Weblog http://planetmove.blogspot.com/,
produced by The Planetary Movement Ltd. UK (http://www.planetarymovement.org/), TPJ's
own Michael Carmichael, Founder and President, and a Contributing Columnist for the Project for the Old American
Century, POAC, http://www.oldamericancentury.org/.
By invitation Dr. J's TPJ columns are posted weekly on the website of AirAmericaRadio's
new morning man (9-12 Eastern), the redoubtable Jerry Springer (yes, it is that
Jerry Springer, a true progressive it turns out), at http://www.springerontheradio.com/.
Oct
27, 2005 "The
Future of the Democratic Party, IV:
Bush, Bennett, Miers, and the DLC."
Oct 20, 2005 "The
Future Of The Democratic Party, III:
First Thoughts On Dealing With The DLC."
Oct 13, 2005 "The
Future Of The Democratic Party, II: On The Republicans"
Oct 6, 2005
"The
Future Of The Democratic Party, I"
Sept
29, 2005 "The
Bush Flood, And The Georgites: New Orleans, III"
Sept 22, 2005 "On
The Great New Orleans Flood Of 2005, II"
Sept 15, 2005 "On
The Great New Orleans Bush Flood Of 2005, I"
Sept 8, 2005 "Let's
Hear It For Original Intent"
Sept 1, 2005 "An
Iraq Solution"
Aug
25,2005 "Some
Thoughts On The Atomic Bombing Of Japan"
Aug 18, 2005 "Why
God Sent Us George W. Bush"
Aug 12, 2005 "John
Bolton And The Nuclear Option II"
Aug 5, 2005
"The
Significance Of The Karl Rove Speech"
July
28, 2005
"Iran
Nukes, Revisited"
(Expanded Edition)
July 21, 2005
"Iran
Nukes, Revisited"
July 14, 2005
"The
Dick Durbin Disaster" A Follow Up
July 7, 2005
"The
Dick Durban Disaster"
June
23, 2005 "Why
All Of This Repression Abroad?"
June 16, 2005 "Not
Very Intelligent Design"
June 8,2005
"Pat
Buchanan's "What If, "III?"
June 2, 2005
"Pat
Buchanan's 'What If,' II?"
May
26, 2005 "Pat
Buchanan's 'What If?'"
May 18, 2005 "The
Schiavo Case, V: The Attack On Science"
May 12, 2005 "Possible
Explanations For Bush-Behavior On And Around 9/11"
May 5, 2005
"Bill
Frist's Declaration Of War"
April
28, 2005 "The
Schiavo Case, IV: The Definitions Of Life And Death"
April 24, 2005
"The
Schiavo Case, III: Further Legal Considerations And Their Political
Implications"
April 14, 2005
"The
Schiavo Case, II: William Bennett And The Beginning Of The End Of The Separation
Of Powers"
April 7, 2005
"The
Schiavo Case And The Locus Of The 'Police Power'"
March
31, 2005 "John
Bolton And The Nuclear Option"
March 22, 2005
Of
"Moolahs," Putin and Bush
March 17, 2005
Georgite
"Freedom And Democracy"
March 10, 2005
"We
Won't Have To Worry Any More"
March 3, 2005
"Iranian
Nukes"
February
24, 2005 "Going
Nuclear In Iran"
February 16, 2005 "The
Georgite Social Security Scam: Bases For Suspicion"
February 10, 2005 "The
Georgite Version of 'Freedom and Democracy' "
"The Coming 2nd Civil War (Unless)," No. 6
Feb 3, 2005
"WMD
Discovered --- In Washington"
Jan
27, 2005
"Comparing
George W. Bush And Adolf Hitler"
Jan 18, 2005 "The
Bush Second Inaugural: A Preview" "The Coming 2nd Civil War
(Unless)," No. 5
Jan 13, 2005 "The
Georgite Concept of Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law"
Jan 6, 2005
"The
'Unless' Of The 'Coming Second Civil War' Series; Part II"
Dec
30, 2004
"The
'Unless' of the 'Coming Second Civil War' Series, Part I"
Dec 23, 2004
"The
Real Meaning Of The 'Faith-Based Presidency;' Part II"
Dec 15, 2004
"The
Coming Second Civil War (Unless)"
Dec 9, 2004
"The
Real Meaning Of The 'Faith-Based Presidency'"
Oct
28, 2004
Why
The Patriot Act?"
Oct. 21, 2004
"The
Cheneys' Daughter Flap"
Oct 14, 2004
"George
Bush's America"
Oct 7, 2004
"The
Debate"
Sept
30, 2004
"Four
800 Lb. Gorillas In The Campaign Room"
Sept 23, 2004
"Fixing
The Kerry Campaign, 9/15/2004"
Sept 16, 2004
"Lessons
From Japan. Part II: Successful Occupations"
Sept 9, 2004
"Thoughts
On the Third Anniversary of the Tragedy of 9/11/2001"
Sept 2, 2004
"Lessons
From Japan, Part 1"
August 26,2004
"Dealing
with the Republican National Convention and Related
Issues"
August 18, 2004
"The
Best Of Dr. Jonas"
August 12, 2004
"Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, VI"
August 5,2004
"Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, V"
July
29, 2004
"Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, IV"
July 22, 2004
"Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign III"
July 15, 2004
"Some
Thoughts For And About The Kerry Campaign II"
July 7, 2004
"Some
Thoughts For And About The Kerry Campaign,I"
July 1, 2004
"Counsel
To The President"
June 24, 2004
"
'You Know me Al:' On the German Reichstag Fire of Feb. 27, 1933
and the 9/11/01 Bombing of the World Trade Center, Part II"
June 17, 2004
" 'The Ralph Nader
Problem' --- A Re-run plus"
June 10, 2004
"Ronald
Reagan's Legacy"
June 3, 2004
"'You
Know Me Al:' On The Reichstag Fire Of Feb. 27, 1933 And The
9/11/01 Bombing Of The World Trade
Center,
Part I"
May
27, 2004
"On
Fascism -- And The Georgites"
May 20, 2004
"On
John Ashcroft -- And Jefferson Davis"
May 13, 2004
"Karl
Rove's Personal Political Notebook"
May 6, 2004
"Possible
Explanations For Bush Behavior And 9/11"
April
29, 2004
"On
George Bush and Religion, Part 2"
April 22, 2004
"What
Condi Rice Might Have Said"
April 8, 2004
"On
George Bush And Religion"
April 1, 2004
"Some
Political Thoughts For Senator Kerry"
March
25, 2004
"Brief
Essays"
March 16, 2004
"You
Know Me Al: The Iraq War --- So What Was It About, Anyway?
March 11, 2004
"A
Word (Or Two) On Ralph Nader"
March 4, 2004
"A
Firebell In The Night"
February
27, 2004 "On
Doctor Dean"