Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Lie detector


Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind is making the rounds, promoting his new book, The Way of the World. In it, among other things, he describes how a desperate Bush administration manufactured evidence to support its worrisome theses about Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

According to the A.P. (White House denies fake Iraq-al-Qaida link letter),

"The White House had concocted a fake letter from [director of Iraqi intelligence] Habbush to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001," Suskind wrote. "It said that 9/11 ringleader Mohammad Atta had actually trained for his mission in Iraq thus showing, finally, that there was an operational link between Saddam and al-Qaida, something the vice president's office had been pressing CIA to prove since 9/11 as a justification to invade Iraq. There is no link."

Denying the report, White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto said, "The notion that the White House directed anyone to forge a letter from Habbush to Saddam Hussein is absurd."


Absurd? Don't think so.

Here's Suskind on the Today show earlier this morning:

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I tend to discount the moniker of "Pulitzer Prize-winner" when I read the true operative words here, "promoting his book."

Somewhat ironic at how monkey boy Bush and his administration of stooges were smart enough to fool every liberal Dumbocrat in the land and every leader in the free world to believe everything this "promoter of his book" leftist is now selling.

Why even consider the Mesiah Obama? We already have a president who can walk on water.

Roy Bauer said...

"Dumbocrat," "liberal," "leftist."

Name-calling is not argumentation, my friend.

And you misspelled "Mesiah." I think that means you go to hell. Sorry. Ain't my rules.

Anonymous said...

Does promoting one's book mean it's false in any way?

Roy Bauer said...

4:28, well, no, it doesn't. Suskind's book should be judged by the arguments and evidence it adduces. All else is fallacy.

I should add that God used to be into promotion. For instance, he used fire, thunder, and other pyrotechics to sell his 10 Commandments. That doesn't cast them into doubt, now does it?

God seems to have given up on that approach, though. Whatever happened to miracles? Just once, I'd love to walk outside an see God, taking up the entire eastern horizon with his Divine face, saying to me, "Roy, I want a word with you!" Wouldn't need no pyrotechnics. The big face and voice would be enough for me.

You have no idea how impressed I would be.

torabora said...

I think it is absurd to think that the White House directed anyone to forge a letter too!

There was no need to. There was a laundry list of problems with Saddam, some were true, some murky, and some were false. However one big true one was his tossing of the UN weapons inspectors, and another true one was his penchant for taking pot shots at our UN MANDATED "no fly zone" combat air patrols. And mass graves and 500 metric tonnes of yellowcake yada yada.

Leftys just hate war for any reason and I can't change that. That stupid mentality is what led millions to be slaughtered 70 years ago. "Peace in our time" my ass. This war is what it took to put that monster in a hole in the ground of his own for keeps. Next up, Iran. You can thank that bastard Jimmah Cahta for that one.

And as is my wont, I mention this truism: YOU may not be interested in war but war IS interested in you.

Roy Bauer said...

TB, is this one of your irritating “ball busting” comments? From now one, please preface those with the sign “666.” Or choose another sign. Maybe a zero, or a tiny pink asterisk.

You assert that Suskind’s “forgery” assertion is absurd—evidently because there was no “need” for it. But Suskind bases his story on interviews of persons directly involved, and these interviews are taped. So are you saying that there is a conspiracy being perpetrated on this journalist to have him write a false story? To what end? How does your view work exactly?

“Leftys” may or may not “hate war,” but what on earth has that got to do with whether Suskind’s report is accurate? Are you saying that Suskind is a “Lefty” and that, therefore, he fabricated interviews on his tape machine? Just what are you saying?

I assume that you are referring the WWII when you speak of 70 years ago. I am not under the impression that that war was caused by leftists. I seem to recall that Nazis and Fascists were rightists (well, call them what you like, but they certainly were not leftists).

Are you thinking that “appeasement” was an expression of leftism? Again I ask, just what are you saying and why are you saying it?

And please resist referring to persons you know (or think you know) about without providing explanation or context. It is not as though you win fabulous cash prizes with every obscure reference. On the contrary.

Please, in future, when you express your absurdities, express them more articulately so that I might more readily pulverize them into oblivion.

torabora said...

There's nothing absurd about expressing skepticism re Suskind. He seems to be parroting a story line as ridiculous as the letter it's based on. Nothing can be verified, it's all allegation. It's a classic case of BDS. You wouldn't believe the Bushies unsubstantiated allegations, why believe this guy and his confederates? Hell, isn't the "letter writer" is running around out there with a million dollar bounty on him?

I remain unconvinced that the Suskind allegation re the letter is true. I believe you want it to be true so you believe his story. We should agree to disagree, not to "pulverize" each other.

Anonymous said...

maybe we should do more than read the AP articles that give the main point of the book before deciding what is true or not. sounds entirely plausible to me that maybe there is something there. interesting timing though...

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...