Comment from: Jim Shea in Racine, Wisconsin “This is by far the best analysis of the latest WikiLeaks affair that I have yet seen. Thank you Robert Scheer”
11:36 Robert Scheer
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:36:26 GMT
Comment:
(To Jason) Well I do think that information, that’s the best way to get people aroused and protect their interest and it doesn’t happen in the 24-hour news cycle. It took a long time to end Vietnam even after the publication of the Pentagon Papers, what, 3 years later. It doesn’t turn on a dime, but the fact is that the Vietnam War could NOT be defended through the Pentagon Papers. And this latest disclosure doesn’t have the same angle as the Pentagon Papers. it seems to me that the cynicism and corruption that is exposed and that we are being played by Pakistan shamelessly, and our so-called allies turn out to be our enemies and I think this is a very important leak that will give strength to those critical about the war and it is a teaching occasion and will increase enlightenment in the American public, and I think this will hasten our exit.
From our Facebook page, Leslie Indresano writes, “Haven’t followed this very closely but was wondering about the civilians listed in these reports. Are their identities public knowledge now? Worried about their safety.”
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11:40 Comment From erniesfo
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:40:04 GMT
Comment: Bob: That’s what I was afraid of—that we need an FDR and get a Hoover instead. Summers is so galling. The guy trashes women, pisses off the faculty and the students, then hoses Harvard’s endowment and ...Obama promotes him. It hurts thinking about it.
11:40 Robert Scheer
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:40:27 GMT
Comment:
(To Leslie) Well you know, to the credit of the people who leaked the reports and the publications that distribute them, is that they went through the documents—which by the way Daniel Ellsberg did before they released the [Pentagon] papers, he went through them and took out sections that really involved life-threatening secrets. And as I understand it, that was done here. Generally, that information only has a life of ... it really misses the point, lives are being jeopardized by stupid policy, not by the revelation of truth. Stupid policy. And in Vietnam 3.5 million people died that didn’t need to die. When we read the papers we saw that the war was not justified.
It seems no one here thinks the WikiLeaks leak was a bad thing. Does anyone think it wasn’t a big deal? We’ve had a lot of coverage on the story but we wonder what our readers think.
11:48 Comment From Larry Blair
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:48:25 GMT
Comment: It confirmed what many of us already suspected.
Click here to check out Robert Scheer’s new book, “The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street.”
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The US needs to stop engaging in pre-emptive illegal wars - promoting them as defensive just wars of necessity can only convince those who need no justification because they have ulterior agendas or those who are logic challenged.
That is a sufficient scandal - any other leaking of corrupt dealings are secondary.
By sgt_doom, July 31, 2010 at 11:33 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I noted the report from the Special IG on Iraq Reconstruction mentioning that missing portion (96%) of $9 billion in funds slated for Iraq reconstruction.
I can’t help but remember those funds, similarly as noted in the report, went from Iraq to the NY Fed (headed at the time by one Timothy Geithner, now secretary of the US Treasury) then supposedly back to Iraq, where it went unaccounted.
At that time, Philip Merrill was head of the Ex-Im Bank and involved with the Iraqi Trade Bank, where those funds were supposed to be from and returned to.
Now too long afterwards, when Merrill was rumored to be giving an interview with a journalist, he became the victim of a most unusual “suicide” which went uninvestigated.
Yeah I guess you’re right. I could try to look at the positive part that more people
are voting against it.
I still don’t know about the public and how much it will change their mind. It
seems like people either knew this information, people hear it - but don’t feel
they can really do anything about it or people hear it and are upset that it leaked
because they feel it is messing up our path to victory.
In coming months it will be interesting to see polls on approval rating.
Last year 32 Reps. voted against funding. this year 114 Reps. voted against funding. Are we looking at a change in attitudes.
As sheer said,
“It took a long time to end Vietnam even after the publication of the Pentagon Papers, what, 3 years later. It doesn’t turn on a dime, but the fact is that the Vietnam War could NOT be defended through the Pentagon Papers. And this latest disclosure doesn’t have the same angle as the Pentagon Papers. it seems to me that the cynicism and corruption that is exposed and that we are being played by Pakistan shamelessly, and our so-called allies turn out to be our enemies and I think this is a very important leak that will give strength to those critical about the war and it is a teaching occasion and will increase enlightenment in the American public, and I think this will hasten our exit.
By Mark, July 30, 2010 at 10:29 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
To erniesfo and Rbt. Scheer:
Summers, Geithner and Bernanke occupy the positions they do BECAUSE OF their respective track records, NOT IN SPITE OF THEM.
To hold otherwise ignores the facts and gives the POTUS cover.
BTW, BHO occupies the position he does because a substantial “constituency”, one that thinks that Summers, Geithner and Bernanke are just dandy, concluded that BHO could be relied upon to serve their needs. 18 months in, and he has yet to disappoint them.
I have been reading The Red Orchestra by V.E.Tarrant
and, while not wishing to compare the behaviour of
Nazi Germany to the present wars involving American
forces, the revelation that disparate people were
prepared, by whatever means available, to oppose what
they saw as an affront to decent human standards,
then be prepared for further disclosures that are not
in the National interest, in other words, they are
deeply embarrassing to those in charge of military
affairs in America, from the President
downwards,exposing utter incompetence and murderous
behaviour within the coalition’s armed forces.
Keep on disclosing.
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By RayLan, July 31, 2010 at 1:10 pm Link to this comment
The US needs to stop engaging in pre-emptive illegal wars - promoting them as defensive just wars of necessity can only convince those who need no justification because they have ulterior agendas or those who are logic challenged.
Report thisThat is a sufficient scandal - any other leaking of corrupt dealings are secondary.
By sgt_doom, July 31, 2010 at 11:33 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I noted the report from the Special IG on Iraq Reconstruction mentioning that missing portion (96%) of $9 billion in funds slated for Iraq reconstruction.
I can’t help but remember those funds, similarly as noted in the report, went from Iraq to the NY Fed (headed at the time by one Timothy Geithner, now secretary of the US Treasury) then supposedly back to Iraq, where it went unaccounted.
At that time, Philip Merrill was head of the Ex-Im Bank and involved with the Iraqi Trade Bank, where those funds were supposed to be from and returned to.
Now too long afterwards, when Merrill was rumored to be giving an interview with a journalist, he became the victim of a most unusual “suicide” which went uninvestigated.
Interesting to review that matter…..
Report thisBy Richard Nixon, July 30, 2010 at 1:17 pm Link to this comment
JDmysticDJ
Yeah I guess you’re right. I could try to look at the positive part that more people
are voting against it.
I still don’t know about the public and how much it will change their mind. It
seems like people either knew this information, people hear it - but don’t feel
they can really do anything about it or people hear it and are upset that it leaked
because they feel it is messing up our path to victory.
In coming months it will be interesting to see polls on approval rating.
Report thisBy JDmysticDJ, July 30, 2010 at 12:03 pm Link to this comment
Richard Nixon (No comment)
Last year 32 Reps. voted against funding. this year 114 Reps. voted against funding. Are we looking at a change in attitudes.
As sheer said,
“It took a long time to end Vietnam even after the publication of the Pentagon Papers, what, 3 years later. It doesn’t turn on a dime, but the fact is that the Vietnam War could NOT be defended through the Pentagon Papers. And this latest disclosure doesn’t have the same angle as the Pentagon Papers. it seems to me that the cynicism and corruption that is exposed and that we are being played by Pakistan shamelessly, and our so-called allies turn out to be our enemies and I think this is a very important leak that will give strength to those critical about the war and it is a teaching occasion and will increase enlightenment in the American public, and I think this will hasten our exit.
Report thisBy Mark, July 30, 2010 at 10:29 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
To erniesfo and Rbt. Scheer:
Summers, Geithner and Bernanke occupy the positions they do BECAUSE OF their respective track records, NOT IN SPITE OF THEM.
To hold otherwise ignores the facts and gives the POTUS cover.
BTW, BHO occupies the position he does because a substantial “constituency”, one that thinks that Summers, Geithner and Bernanke are just dandy, concluded that BHO could be relied upon to serve their needs. 18 months in, and he has yet to disappoint them.
Report thisBy tedmurphy41, July 30, 2010 at 5:39 am Link to this comment
I have been reading The Red Orchestra by V.E.Tarrant
Report thisand, while not wishing to compare the behaviour of
Nazi Germany to the present wars involving American
forces, the revelation that disparate people were
prepared, by whatever means available, to oppose what
they saw as an affront to decent human standards,
then be prepared for further disclosures that are not
in the National interest, in other words, they are
deeply embarrassing to those in charge of military
affairs in America, from the President
downwards,exposing utter incompetence and murderous
behaviour within the coalition’s armed forces.
Keep on disclosing.
By Richard Nixon, July 29, 2010 at 6:35 pm Link to this comment
Really disappointed I missed this talk because here is one question I did not see
asked:
Will this make any difference in our Afghanistan approach?
My vote is no. I mean didn’t anyone see a day or two after this was released, the
house voted 3:1 to approve 59 billion dollars more funding there?
I mean after this and the rolling stones general story, I would think it would be at
least a closer vote to not fund it anymore.
This is why I would have answered Truthdig’s last question as, no, this isn’t really
Report thisa big deal because things will go on as usual.