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Jewish World Review Nov. 4, 2005 / 2 Mar-Cheshvan, 5766 The manipulation of ignorance By Tony Snow
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Harry Reid and Co., in accusing Team Bush of
manipulating intelligence, have managed to pioneer an even more egregious
abuse of the American political system: the manipulation of ignorance.
Righteous ignorance has become a hallmark of the Howard Dean
Democrats: Lacking any sensible doctrine with which to combat the continued
growth of American conservatism, they have been reduced to a state of
unshakable hysteria, beginning with the conviction that George W. Bush is
the most vicious, evil, conniving president in American history.
Bushophobia bobbed to the surface most recently when Harry Reid,
abetted by Sen. Dick Durbin, tried to link the recent indictment of Vice
President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis ("Scooter") Libby, to
alleged prewar underhandedness by the president, vice president and defense
secretary.
Said Reid, "The Libby indictment provides a window into what
this is all about, how this administration manufactured and manipulated
intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroyed
those who dared challenge its actions."
Unfortunately for the Democratic leader, Special Prosecutor
Patrick Fitzgerald slapped down the Libby-war link: "This indictment is not
about the war, not about the propriety of the war. This indictment will
not seek to prove that the war was justified or unjustified, this is
focused on a narrow transaction."
The manipulation of ignorance continued with Reid's claim of
"manufacturing" intelligence — a phrase often used, but never linked to a
specific piece of intelligence or prewar administration statement.
In fact, Democrats were every bit as bellicose as the president
before the war. Democratic Sens. Jay Rockefeller, Carl Levin, Joseph Biden,
Joseph Lieberman, and John Edwards (among others) all asserted that Saddam
Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and posed a real threat to
American citizens and national interests.
Sen. Rockefeller captured the prevailing sense of urgency when
he told his colleagues on Oct. 10, 2002, "I do believe that Iraq poses an
imminent threat, but I also believe that after September 11, that question
is increasingly outdated. It is in the nature of these weapons, and the way
they are targeted against civilian populations, that documented capability
and demonstrated intent may be the only warning we get. To insist on further
evidence could put some of our fellow Americans at risk. Can we afford to
take that chance? We cannot!"
He added, "The president has rightly called Saddam Hussein's
efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction a grave and gathering threat
to Americans."
Next comes L'Affaire Plame — the assertion that the
administration ferociously "outed" a "covert agent," Valerie Plame.
Joe Wilson himself made his wife a public figure by yowling
about her supposedly rough treatment at the hands of the meanies working for
the president. But there was no roughing up.
When exposed, she was not "covert" and hadn't been for years. A
number of reporters, including Michael Isikoff of Newsweek and Andrea
Mitchell of NBC, described her CIA work as an "open secret" in Washington.
In addition, a CIA investigation concluded the Plame revelation
didn't place her at risk and didn't compromise any ongoing intelligence
operations. As Bob Woodward noted, "there was no physical danger to anyone
and there was just some embarrassment."
So why would Democrats create a stir by clearing out the Senate
chambers and demanding secret hearings? For the same reason condemned men
scowl at executioners: They want to look defiant when facing their doom.
Strategists from the left wing of the party (James Carville,
Stan Greenberg and Bob Shrum) and the right-wing (Will Gallston and the
Progressive Policy Institute) have concluded that the "We Hate Dubya"
faction is destroying the party and that ideas, not insults, drive political
movements.
But consider what's taking place. World events seem to be
vindicating George W. Bush's vision and tactics. Iraq soon will install an
elected, constitutional government. Syria has begun handing over bad guys.
Arab nations are taking baby steps toward democracy. Iran has embarked on a
campaign of scaredy-cat bellicosity. And Osama bin Laden's henchmen have
been reduced to cadging cash from one another.
Does that not provide a stunning contrast to the attempts by
Harry Reid et al to discredit the war at the very moment our troops seem to
have made real strides toward finishing the job?
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Comment on JWR contributor, and syndicated talk show host, Tony Snow's column by clicking here. © 2005, Creators Syndicate, Inc |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
