Soldier for the truth: Exposing Bush's talking-points war

[Newsjock]

http://www.laweekly.com/ink/04/13/news-cooper.php

by Marc Cooper

After two decades in the U.S. Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski, now 43, knew her career as a regional analyst was coming to an end when — in the months leading up to the war in Iraq — she felt she was being “propagandized” by her own bosses.

... So if, as you argue, they knew there weren’t any of these WMD, then what exactly drove the neoconservatives to war?

... One of those reasons is that sanctions and containment were working and everybody pretty much knew it. Many companies around the world were preparing to do business with Iraq in anticipation of a lifting of sanctions. But the U.S. and the U.K. had been bombing northern and southern Iraq since 1991. So it was very unlikely that we would be in any kind of position to gain significant contracts in any post-sanctions Iraq. And those sanctions were going to be lifted soon, Saddam would still be in place, and we would get no financial benefit.

The second reason has to do with our military-basing posture in the region. We had been very dissatisfied with our relations with Saudi Arabia, particularly the restrictions on our basing. And also there was dissatisfaction from the people of Saudi Arabia. So we were looking for alternate strategic locations beyond Kuwait, beyond Qatar, to secure something we had been searching for since the days of Carter — to secure the energy lines of communication in the region. Bases in Iraq, then, were very important — that is, if you hold that is America’s role in the world. Saddam Hussein was not about to invite us in.

The last reason is the conversion, the switch Saddam Hussein made in the Food for Oil program, from the dollar to the euro. He did this, by the way, long before 9/11, in November 2000 — selling his oil for euros. The oil sales permitted in that program aren’t very much. But when the sanctions would be lifted, the sales from the country with the second largest oil reserves on the planet would have been moving to the euro.

lots more

[jbfam4]

1. Excellent article

I was just going to post this.....glad you did. KICK

[dennis4868]

2. Does anyone know.....

if Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski has been on a nightly Cablt TV show or even has been interviewed by any congressional commitee that is looking into the Iraqi intel? I have not seen her in the mainstreem media/Cable TV....it is disguting how the media is protecting this president and not giving someone like Lieutenant Kwiatkowski a voice!

[reprehensor]

4. Did you know that she does a short interview in Uncovered?

Yet another reason to buy that DVD. She is very brave.

[reprehensor]

3. All 3 parts of her Neocon article are now available...

Kwiatkowski's entire 3-part Neocon article is now available online. (unfortunately at amconmag...)

http://www.amconmag.com/12_1_03/feature.html

http://www.amconmag.com/12_15_03/article3.html

http://www.amconmag.com/1_19_04/article1.html

This lady is not a shill. This is the real deal.