Think Again:Never Aopogize, Never Explain-Eric Alterman

[Malva Zebrina]

this is one of the best, comprehensive and organised analysis of the events leading up to the invasion of Iraq that I have read so far.

I particularly like the paragraph where Colin Polwell's speech to the UN is parsed with such great skill. How come people were not smart enough to parse the language this way? I would think that journaslists especially, should be familiar eneough with the English language to see throuhg it. I did and I am not a journalist. Perhaps it is not in journalism that one is able to do this perhaps it is more in the line of Philosophy or the art of thinking. It is outrageous what was printed on Powell's speech afterwards by nationally published papers. I am glad that Alterman gave us this column, It is so hard to find all the facts re the invasion of Iraq and put them all together.

Charles J. Hanley, an Associated Press reporter, subjected Powell's claims to detailed scrutiny in light of what was known at the time as well as later revelations and discovered that almost none of it was still standing; Powell misrepresented evidence, confused various organizations working in different parts of Iraq with those under Hussein's control, and did not submit what evidence he had to anything like the kind of scrutiny he pretended to. Meanwhile Gilbert Cranberg, former editorial page editor of the Des Moines Register, has published a study of the credulity of the newspapers' assessments of that speech that raises questions about their ability to submit the administration to any kind of scrutiny at all. In his study, he pointed out that Powell had "cited almost no verifiable sources. Many of his assertions were unattributed. The speech had more than 40 vague references such as "human sources," "an eyewitness," "detainees," "an al-Qaeda source," "a senior defector," "intelligence sources," and the like." Nevertheless, surveying the coverage of an allegedly skeptical media from some 40 papers from all parts of the country, we find the following:

"a massive array of evidence," "a detailed and persuasive case," "a powerful case," "a sober, factual case," "an overwhelming case," "a compelling case," "the strong, credible and persuasive case," "a persuasive, detailed accumulation of information," "the core of his argument was unassailable," "a smoking fusillade... a persuasive case for anyone who is still persuadable," "an accumulation of painstakingly gathered and analyzed evidence," "only the most gullible and wishful thinking souls can now deny that Iraq is harboring and hiding weapons of mass destruction," "the skeptics asked for proof; they now have it," "a much more detailed and convincing argument than any that has previously been told," "Powell's evidence... was overwhelming," "an ironclad case... incontrovertible evidence," "succinct and damning evidence... the case is closed," "Colin Powell delivered the goods on Saddam Hussein," "masterful," "If there was any doubt that Hussein... needs to be... stripped of his chemical and biological capabilities, Powell put it to rest."

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=35820

[jbfam4]

1. Thanks for posting

excellent article....a big KICK

[bemildred]

2. Stan Goff on Powell:

"Is Colin Powell an Uncle Tom,"
one asks me. He and his comrades have just exploded in a babble
of outrage at the imperial arrogance of Powell's remarks.

"Is he a token?"

"Uncle Tom was a phrase of contempt
that Malcolm X used to differentiate the house slave from the
field slave," I say. "Powell has transcended that.
He is no longer just the house slave. He is now one of the masters.
He is a brilliant bureaucrat. Hardly a token.

"Many people regard an Uncle Tom to be someone who is witless,
a fool who sells out his own people. Clarence Thomas is an Uncle
Tom who is not terribly intelligent. Powell is no fool. He is
ruthless and very, very smart. Powell is more than an Uncle Tom.
Powell is evil."

Beloved Haiti

[sonias]

3. kick the news media for job performance

They're just as responsible for these failures, as Colin Bowell and the BFEE, for being a propaganda arm of this regime. Shame of them all.

Sonia

[teryang]

4. UN presentation for American audience

...they didn't have a chance with security council.

Wasn't Tenet sitting there behind Powell nodding his head in affirmation of every misrepresentation? Now he's skillfully trying to disguise his role in the political fraud leading to war. I believe his presence signaled to the press what their role should be.