Iraq, the Secretary and the Lie

Iraq, the Secretary and the Lie

SEC. RUMSFELD: Not at all. If you think — let me take that, both pieces — the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat. — ABC “This Week” (March 30, 2003)

The Rummy lie or no lie smackdown is one story I didn't get to this week that simply must be discussed. But before we do that it turns out that Valeria Plame has her book deal: $2.5 million, release to be the fall of 2007, entitled “Fair Game.” Cannot wait for that one. Now to Mr. Rumsfeld…

Bill Arkin took up the subject today in his blog post, “Rumsfeld
Didn't Lie, But He Should Still Go.” He usually gets comments, but
today he got 464 of them. Think he struck a nerve?

I've had the above quote on my site for a very
long time. So when I heard the back and forth with Ray McGovern it was quite
a jaw dropping moment. If you haven't seen Mr. McGovern before and didn't recognize
him, you didn't see “Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War,”
Robert Greenwald's DVD that made the rounds a couple of years ago. I know you won't be surprised, but it seems he's now being swiftboated. Glenn Greenwald does the wingnut round up so I don't have to.

Crooks and Liars
also came up with a transcript.

McGovern: and So I would like to ask you to be up front with the American people, why did you lie to get us into a war that was not necessary, that has caused these kinds of casualties? why? RUMSFELD: Well, first of all, I haven’t lied. I did not lie then. (applause) Colin Powell didn’t lie. He spent weeks and weeks with the Central Intelligence Agency people and prepared a presentation that I know he believed was accurate, and he presented that to the United Nations. the president spent weeks and weeks with the central intelligence people and he went to the American people and made a presentation. I’m not in the intelligence business. they gave the world their honest opinion. it appears that there were not weapons of mass destruction there. McGovern: You said you knew where they were. RUMSFELD: I did not. I said I knew where suspect sites were and we were…..just…(crosstalk) McGovern: You said you knew where they were Tikrit, Baghdad, northeast, south, west of there. Those are your words. RUMSFELD: My words…. my words were that …. no, no, no wait a minute, wait a minute. Let him stay one second. Just a second. McGovern: This is America, Huh. (applause) RUMSFELD: You’re getting plenty of play, sir. McGovern: I’d just like an honest answer. RUMSFELD: I’m giving it to you. McGovern: Well we’re talking about lies and your allegation there was bulletproof evidence of ties between al Qaeda and Iraq. Was that a lie? or where you mislead? RUMSFELD: Zar…, Zarqawi was in Baghdad during the prewar period. That is a fact. McGovern: Zarqawi? He was in the north of Iraq in a place where Saddam Hussein had no rule. That's where he was. RUMSFELD: He was also… (crosstalk) He was also in Baghdad. McGovern: Yes, when he needed to go to the hospital. Come on, these people aren’t idiots. They know the story. … (continues here)

Rummy getting caught with his rhetoric down is pricelss. And though it's a tough one, I still think the Iraqi
Army striptease, when they didn't like their neighborhood assignment, is
the video of the week. And Bush and the Republicans want to wait until these guys are ready to “stand up” before we redeploy? We're in bigger trouble than we know.