Dean Baker: "Iraq War Lie Detector Test"

[Hissyspit]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010207A.shtml

Iraq War Lie Detector Test
By Dean Baker
t r u t h o u t | Columnist

Tuesday 02 January 2007

There has been no shortage of deceptions surrounding the prosecution of the Iraq War, beginning with the original justification - Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, supporters of the war continue to use deception to advance their agenda. The latest lie is that Congress doesn't have the ability to end the war, because if they cut off funding they would jeopardize the safety of our troops.

I will explain in a moment why this is completely untrue, but I first want to call attention to the "hide behind the troops" mode of argument. From the beginning, supporters of the war have regularly insisted that they support our troops, implying that opponents of President Bush's agenda want to see our troops harmed.

The argument over the conduct of the war is with President Bush, his advisors and his supporters in Congress. It is not an argument against the troops. It is an incredible act of cowardice for anyone to try to justify pursuing the war as somehow based on supporting our troops. It has absolutely nothing to do with supporting our troops. The troops are doing what President Bush ordered them to do - they are not the ones who decided to go to war in Iraq. If supporters of the war felt that they had an honest case, they would not feel the need to hide behind the troops to push their agenda.

The latest version of the "hide behind the troops" mode of argument is to claim that Congress lacks the ability to end the war. The story goes that President Bush is commander in chief of the armed forces, and that if he does not want to end the war, then Congress cannot force his hand. According to this argument, if Congress were to use its control of the budget to restrict funding, it would jeopardize our troops stationed in Iraq by denying them the supplies and ammunition needed to defend themselves.

This argument is garbage. Congress has the authority to require the top military commanders in Iraq to produce a plan for safely withdrawing our troops from the country. It can also require these commanders to give their best estimate of the cost of this plan. It can then appropriate this money, specifying that the funds be used for the withdrawal plan designed by the military.

BIT MORE AT LINK

[mike_c]

1. in the end, it's only the dead they can use that tactic to "support...."

When supporters of the war admit it was a mistake, they have to face having sent Americans to die for nothing.

[shain from kane]

2. One phrase - nation building. Is this the responsibility of the troops?

Even Bush* claimed that he didn't want the United States involved in nation building.

Define "war". Bush* is hiding behind the "war", because his purpose was not to fight a conventional war. And he is using the troops in this manner as an instrument of foreign policy for his corporate masters, not for the country.