Col. Wilkerson: "I participated in a hoax on the American people..."

[understandinglife]

In an interview that aired on PBS on Friday, Feb. 3, Colin Powell's former chief of staff claimed that the speech Powell made before the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003, laying out a case for war with Iraq, included falsehoods of which Powell had never been made aware. He said, "My participation in that presentation at the UN constitutes the lowest point in my professional life. I participated in a hoax on the American people, the international community and the United Nations Security Council."

Colonel (ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson, a veteran of the Vietnam War, served for many years as Powell's consultant and advisor. He stated in the interview that he was "intimately involved in the preparation of Secretary Powell for his five February 2003 presentation at the UN Security Council" and that neither CIA Director George Tenent nor the CIA analysts involved in furnishing Powell with the information on mobile biological laboratories that he would use in his speech gave any indication that there were disputes about the reliability of the informants who had supplied this information.

Wilkerson still sees this lapse as the result of a profound intelligence failure, saying, "I have to believe that. Otherwise I have to believe some rather nefarious things about some fairly highly placed people in the intelligence community and perhaps elsewhere."

Link:
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Powells_former_chief_of_staff_on_0205.html

Link to my post and comments at dKos:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/5/211135/9334

Interesting revelations from the Colonel, but his attempts to focus the blame on "the intelligence community" is just lame. We all know that Cheney, WHIG, and the neoconster dudes at the Pentagon all have mucho blood on their hands over this one, and as much as Col Wilkerson is going to take a heap of doodoo from those folk, he's still providing cover for them. And, for that, I have zero idea why.

In any event, he's called it what it is -- a HOAX -- and lots of Americans and Iraqis are dead, wounded, crippled, tortured and horrified because of it.

Call it what it really is, Col Wilkerson == WAR CRIMES, TREASON, AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY.


Peace.

[Straight Shooter]

1. So, he chooses to "believe" what he wants to believe.

Otherwise it might burst his little bubble of faith in the "highly placed people." Oh, poor poor Wilkerson.

F him.

[understandinglife]

2. Exactly!

Peace.

[NobleCynic]

13. Don't be too hard on him

If you examine the all of the deceits of this administration and don't allow yourself any doubt as to whether they have at least some noble motives, when considered along side the probable theft of our elections, the logical end that this line of thought leads to is armed rebellion. I don't blame him for not wanting to believe in such a wide conspiracy. If I didn't still have some doubts as to the motives of the administration, it is still a possibility that earnest stupidity is to blame for most of these problems after all, I'd already be stockpiling munitions. As is, I still do not own a firearm of any kind. I will tell you though that my views regarding the 2nd Amendment have changed since Bush took office...

[WhiteTara]

3. I hope his conscience keeps him awake

night after night after night. May he never have a peaceful night's rest again. He is a war criminal also.

[Surya Gayatri]

9. Well said BareNaked,

let's pray that the old adage

"No rest for the wicked" proves to be true.

May unbearable images of death & destruction

bedevil his dreams forever. SG

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Huh.. kinda like the Lt. Col. in "A Few Good Men". Knew wrong things

were being done but was too weak to do anything about it.

[rocktivity]

5. Tell us something we DON'T know, Colonel

Too bad you didn't say this when it actually could have done some good--like two thousand dead soliders ago.

:headbang:
rocknation

[ewoden]

6. I need an address to send the following too.

Dear Colonel Wilkerson

As a 'Nam a veteran I respect you service in this country's military. Unfortunately I am afraid that I cannot respect your sniveling effort at reconciling your conscience at this point in history. You failed your country miserably in this Iraq affair. You colluded with a criminal administration with the end result being the deaths of thousands of America's youth and tens if not hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

Should you and I ever meet, please come have a beer at my home. I'll play soft music on the stereo to ease your suffering. We can talk of the glory days so often filling the recesses of old soldiers' memories. Perhaps a meal and, after, a glass of brandy.

I will then place a war-worn Colt pistol in your hand, with one round chambered. Closing the door to the parlor, I trust you will take the honorable course with that pistol.

[Amonester]

14. I can't find an address, but I wish only to help (in case), if I can

suggest a few corrections (as well as to thank you for your service).

Your post states:
As a 'Nam a veteran I respect you service in this country's military.

Suggested correction:
As a 'Nam veteran I respect your service in this country's military.


Thank you. :patriot:

[Maddy McCall]

7. Good GOD.

Recommended.

[fooj]

8. TRUTH is our most powerful weapon.

Peace.

[Surya Gayatri]

10. K & R

This sniveling SOB's weaselly attempt to distance himself from his treasonous behaviour needs to be kept in the public spotlight. SG

edit typo

[DemReadingDU]

11. K&R, for Truth

[PATRICK]

12. Catch-22

If he was capable of having judgment and conscience better than that he could never have gotten a job with Powell or the other Bushistas. So it would be extraordinary and a shock to see even a person of high character or undergoing a great conversion to have the remotest capacity for seeing and stating the truth other than in those terms.

Of course, once you nail their deserving hide to the Hague tribunal, for example, who cares what they think or say. Save it for the confessional or Judgment Day.

[Time for change]

15. Maybe this is his key sentence:

"I have to believe that. Otherwise I have to believe some rather nefarious things about some fairly highly placed people in the intelligence community and perhaps elsewhere."

He says "otherwise", but that's almost certainly what he believe - nefarious things... He's just stopping a bit short of landing himself in scalding water. I think it took a lot of courage for him to say these things.

[dailykoff]

16. Not to worry, Wilkie. We knew it was fake.

And so did Powell, and so did you.