“My Tail and Horns Are Retractable”
Karl Rove
giving a speech
at George Washington University, after he was interrupted (and accused of being a war criminal): “the tail and the horns are retractable.” And: “I’m a myth.” Note one of the more lovely comments at Think Progress: “What’s to say? he knows he’s a traitor, and shouldn’t be surprised when he’s finally strung up.”
The people who devised the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq are war criminals, even though I am sure they were not some sort of Blackwater scumsuckers who wanted revenge for 9/11.
Rove has done many bad things, and lying to basically everybody before and during the important period during which the US responded to 9/11 could constitute treason and/or war crimes in some way.
But speaking of lynching is unacceptable. It unsatisfying from an ethical as well as emotional perspective. Sitting his ass in a cold death row cell where he can see the date of his death approaching? Well, if he has done half of what he is accused of then hells yes.
(I am for the death penalty when it comes to war crimes, treason against one’s country and crimes against humanity.)
I have often been able to at least see where those who hyperventilate about "war crimes" in regards to Iraq are coming from. Even though their accusations usually grossly exaggerate the facts (for example, objective research has shown that violations of non-combatant immunity in Iraq are low by historical standards and have gotten lower as time goes on), I at least understand the basis of their objections to the war itself.
Those who extend those charges to include the intervention in Afghanistan are beyond me, however. The fact is that the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was offering shelter and extensive material support to those who planned and carried out the 9/11 attacks. What would you have the U.S. do, simply shrug and ask for another hit?
Of course, given the tone and inconsistent standards of judgment that are obvious in many of the overheated indictments directed towards pretty much everyone to the right of Noam Chomsky, it is probably that many of these folks haven’t even thought through the issue except at a purely partisan (anything Republicans do = evil) or ideological (anything America does = evil) level.
In addition to those points, Jason, I don’t understand how any claim could be made to apply those charges to the president’s political strategist instead of the actual elected and appointed officials who made decisions regarding the wars. If we assign blame to tobacco companies for withholding information about the harmful health effects of their products from the public, does that mean that people can sue the ad companies that they hired?
"Those who extend those charges to include the intervention in Afghanistan are beyond me, however. The fact is that the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was offering shelter and extensive material support to those who planned and carried out the 9/11 attacks. What would you have the U.S. do, simply shrug and ask for another hit?"
Nyo, I would have asked them to uphold the international standards of lessening civilian suffering, which they did not. Soldiers stormed into one village in Afghanistan, for example, and killed off the village elder execution-style (he was unarmed) and proceeded to take most of the men to a prisoner compound where they shaved them forcibly and forced them to defecate, sleep and live together in outdoor cages, while robbers ransacked their village at home. One girl was so scared by the vicious storming of US troops she ran for the well, fell down and broke her back.
Oh, and cluster bombs.
In short, the US invasion is acceptable in concept and evil in execution. I don’t want the taleban to gain more territory in that region, but I don’t care how many US soldiers they kill. Either the US soldiers ask questions and disobey orders that go against international agreements, or they are no defenders of my values, and are insignificant to me.
"…it is probably that many of these folks haven’t even thought through the issue except at a purely partisan (anything Republicans do = evil) or ideological (anything America does = evil) level."
Yeah yeah yeah know this by heart by now. The thing is that right now and previously America HAS done EVIL that is only quantitatively different from that done by countries they regularly whip people into fear about. And looking at the same history I am not surprised that it is during a GOP-influenced period that atrocities, half-truths and piss-poor excuses for legitimate warfare are once again more common than the term "Never again."
You seem to have an inability to differentiate between either misactions or appearances of misactions of a few to the whole, along with what happened and International opinion - and law.
Which to what you say - to you it does not matter, it would not have mattered what happened - if anything did at all, you are anti-military for the sake of it.
Is anyone surprised you completely ignore the Democrat involvement in every single war? After all neither could have happened without their approval.
"Is anyone surprised you completely ignore the Democrat involvement in every single war? After all neither could have happened without their approval."
Yes, because the GOP influenced the zeitgeist after 9/11. Of course I am mad at the democrats as well, but most of the blame lies with the right.
Of course- because we all know that no one can possibly be responsible for their own decisions and actions once the zeitgeist gets all messed up.
<rolls eyes>
LMAO!!!!!
So to summarize - forget the equally liable Dem’s because you just don’t like the GOP. yeah that’s being responsible.