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That in no way was anything close to a threadjacking. It is very germane to the questions we have been discussing about principles, integrity and loyalty. The Cheney military propagandists may or may not have examined those three things, but it is clear that they let personal loyalty, ignorance and goals override the service they gave to their nation on active duty. They had to know that they were getting propaganda briefings and if their ties to the defense industry prohibited them from telling both sides of the issue, they should have insisted that the broadcasters provide “experts” with opposing views.
Although I think I understand their rationalizations, there is no excuse for not doing anything and everything to prevent an unnecessary and tragic war from happening or continuing. Part of the problem may have been one that Gen. Abizaid was not presented- through ignorance/arrogance, not understanding the culture, politics and wide range of influential regional players and individuals. Just one political example, not realizing such a basic truth, that the Shi’a with ties to Iran who had endured 70 years of oppression under the Sunis, would ever do anything but want to rule the country as a sectarian government and only would pretend to want a Democracy or secular government and that civil war would be inevitable.
So these generals and colonels rationalized that it was their job to talk about military operations and cheer for a war victory instead of warning that Iraq was not a threat to the US and that so many American men and women would be involved in a civil war quagmire that would result in terrible death and destruction. Their loyalty was terribly misplaced and still is because they also have supported the surge and passed out the nonsense that we are now winning. Winning what?
