Bush meets the “wise men”: A cynical charade to legitimize Iraq war
It’s been said that Fundamentalism is the sound of a mind slamming shut. I suppose the same argument could also be made about Conservatism…or at least the brand practiced by Our Glorious Leader. No one has ever accused him (and I doubt anyone ever will) of being open to differing opinions or alternative ways of looking at and approaching a political problem. But what better way to look as if he’s open-minded and willing to accept suggestions than to revive the late Clark Clifford’s “wise men” concept? If you’re looking to score some cheap propaganda points, and when is the Bush Administration NOT looking to do so, what better way to do so than to create the (mistaken) impression that you are (not at all) open to soliciting ideas and to (not even pretending to) seeking advice from those (washed up old men) who have been there before?
President Bush’s meeting Thursday with most of the living former secretaries of state and defense was a public relations spectacle aimed at demonstrating the consensus in official Washington behind continuing the US occupation of Iraq.
By assembling a bipartisan group of former top national security officials—five from Democratic administrations, eight from Republican—the Bush administration sought to marginalize opposition to the Iraq war. White House spokesman Scott McClellan emphasized that none of the 13 officials supported an immediate withdrawal of US military forces in Iraq.
Of course, when the whole exercise is little more than a propaganda ploy designed to create the impression of unanimity of support for Our Glorious Leader’s excellent adventure in Iraq, what else would McClellan have to say?
Man, d’ya ever wonder how McClellan manages to sleep at night? What sort of mindless toady must he see when he looks at himself in the mirror? Or has he been drinking the KoolAid for so long that he no longer sees the absurdity of his position? Does a man really grow up wanting to become the chief apologist for the Worst President Ever?
While the television cameras were present, Bush played the role of a genial host soliciting the views of a distinguished panel of policy heavyweights. But according to those participants who spoke with the press afterwards, the session consisted largely of reports of US successes in Iraq by Bush, General George Casey Jr., the top US commander in Iraq, and US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.
No doubt tightly scripted by Bush’s handlers, who under no circumstances wanted to lose control of the gathering, this photo op was clearly designed only for propaganda purposes- to put a happy face of unanimity of opinion on the war in Iraq.
Less than 10 minutes were left for questions and comments from the 13 visitors, after which they were shuffled off to the Oval Office for the group picture with Bush that was the real purpose of the affair. The group was then whisked to another meeting room to continue discussion with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley if they chose, while Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice went on their way.
According to former defense secretary James Schlesinger, a fervent supporter of the Iraq war, Bush from the beginning precluded any discussion of the decision to invade and occupy Iraq, focusing instead on what should be done now to insure success for the US occupation regime. “Needless to say, Schlesinger noted, there was “little debate given the implied ground rules.
Former Clinton defense secretary William J. Perry told the New York Times, “The message was, briefly stated, that the political process is working. Another participant told the Times, “It would be a stretch to say he was really interested in many thoughts from around the table. Former Clinton defense secretary William Cohen, a Republican, confirmed the character of the session, telling the Los Angeles Times, “I don’t think anyone walked in there believing this would be a real opportunity to effect changes in policy.
Too true. The reality is that all of these “wise men” were used- and they willingly participated in this purely propagandistic farce. Surely, these intelligent and accomplished folks didn’t seriously think that they were going to be asked for their opinions and that their opinions would be listened to? Or were they so seduced by the prospect of once again being in the White House that they would have dropped trou and bent over the couch in the Oval Office if they’d been asked to do so?
No, this was all about creating the happy (and false) illusion that the war in Iraq is mere moments away from total, complete, and glorious victory…and that only by “staying the course” will Our Glorious Leader be able to achieve that victory.
It is doubtful that the White House spin-doctors were aware of it, but Thursday’s meeting had its historical parallel in the Vietnam War era. The differences outweigh the similarities, however, and demonstrate the profound decay of both the political institutions and personnel of the American national security establishment.
On March 25-26, 1968, newly installed defense secretary Clark Clifford convened a meeting of what were sometimes called the “wise men, a group of former top national security officials of the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations, to discuss the deepening US debacle in Vietnam. The consensus among these former officials was for a rapid change in course, and they conveyed this to President Lyndon Johnson in a private meeting at the White House. Five days later, Johnson startled the country by announcing he was withdrawing as a candidate for reelection and would attempt to achieve a negotiated end to the war.
Some 38 years later, a similar group is assembled, not to tell a president some bitter truths about a strategic disaster, but to listen to administration happy talk and allow themselves to be photographed with a president whose ignorance and duplicity they certainly recognize. After this degrading spectacle, the current crop of “wise men dispersed ignominiously.
As Marx said so well, echoing Hegel, “History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.
Indeed…and there is no bigger farce…and no bigger propaganda push, than the war in Iraq. If it can’t be won on the ground, you might as well focus on the hearts and minds of the American sheeple, eh? After all, it’s all about the Big Lie, isn’t it? Keep repeating it with sufficient frequency and conviction, and before you know it the Sheeple will come to accept it as Gospel. Hey, it beats the hell out of thinking, eh??
