Ellsberg: Still Ahead of the Curve
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<<...Ellsberg On The Issues
Terrorism: “The U.S. took Special Forces out of Afghanistan where they were pursuing Al Qaeda. Iraq has no connection to terrorism, but the invasion is sure to create recruits for Bin Laden.”
Ahmed Chalabi: “He may have been the greatest secret agent in Iran’s history of spying.”
Richard Clarke: “Clark recognized [the Bush administration’s] determination to acquire Iraq as a territory for oil, although it would certainly increase terrorism. I’m glad he didn’t wait until after [President Bush and Vice President Cheney] were re-elected to tell us.”
Prisoner photos: “The photos created no sensation in Iraq. The people there already knew what was going on.” If not for Joseph Darby, the young soldier who exposed the abuse at Abu Ghraib, “The investigation would still be classified top secret.”
Prisoner abuse: “If you think that your brothers, sisters, your fathers and sons could have not have ‘softened up’ prisoners at Abu Ghraib, you are mistaken. The order to set aside the Geneva Convention came from the top and was approved by the president. It’s a long-standing policy that was used in Nicaragua and elsewhere, by our proxies.”
Congress: “People put too much pressure on the president and not enough on congress. Almost nobody brought to the press’s attention how badly they were doing. Thousands have died because of patriarchal, militaristic attitudes that we are trained to think is part of being a man,” including Democrats who “are afraid of being called cowards, unmanly, or weak on terror.”
The “outing” of CIA agent Valerie Plame: “Plame was tracking the proliferation of nuclear materials around the world. [Vice President Dick] Cheney was probably involved in the leak. We could lose a president over this.” (This last comment was met with a spirited round of applause.)
New Patriot Act: “It will make Patriot Act I look like the Bill of Rights.” Ellsberg also predicts a more authoritarian Secrets Act will crop up “after the next terror attack, to go after reporter sources.”
Military draft: “We have involuntary service now, through the extended tours, and troops are understandably enraged. We shouldn’t be putting more troops into Iraq. It gives the Defense Department too many men and women to play with.”
Draft backlash: “A draft will create an anti-war movement. We’ll have to do better than we did last time.”
The Bush administration: “Bush and his entire cabinet are indictable at The Hague. I’d like to see Congress say ‘these crimes must be investigated.’ They deserve impeachment. I’d do anything nonviolent and truthful to get this gang out of power. It will take a lot of people taking risks and showing courage.”...>> |
