Congress Has Earned Its Share of the Blame for War Mistakes

[dweller]

by Joseph Galloway

Years from now, when the historians begin analyzing the deadly mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan, they will find that
the one institution charged with standing guard between the civilian suits and the American troops in uniform that
they command and send into harm's way utterly abdicated that vital responsibility.

The mistakes of omission and commission that abound in the record of two military operations — one necessary,
the other not — were made by a president, a vice president and a secretary of defense and his civilian aides. But
they would never have been allowed to stand uncorrected and swept under a convenient rock without the complicity
of Congress, controlled by the same party that controlled the White House.

So when the time comes to point a finger, don't forget those who people the marble halls of the U.S. Senate and
House of Representatives whose first duty seemed to be to protect the Republican Party and their president.

When they should have roared with anger they instead whimpered and whined and rolled over like puppies to have
their bellies scratched.

When evidence came that general officers lied to them about their complicity, and that of their civilian overseers, in
the torture and degradation of the mixed bag of foreign fighters, terrorists and dumb kids in places like Guantanamo
and Abu Ghraib, they did their best to let it slide.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0818-29.htm

dp

[FloridaPat]

1. I haven't forgotten and never will. As far as I'm concerned the repubs

are the Treason Party and every Democrat that voted for this mess is just as responsible. The "we were lied to" was probably true, but a good 25% of the nation knew bushco was lying. How could our congress people not know that. Although Senator Bob Graham of Florida din't vote for it. But the other one did.

[OneBlueSky]

2. for the most part, Congress has been bought and paid for . . .

by the corporatocracy . . . corporate sponsors fund their campaigns, send them on junkets, write their legislation, and tell them how to vote . . . the representative or senator who actually represents the people is a rare bird indeed . . .