Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Lying, conniving political 'leaders' cannot keep their jobs following Iraq

By James Cumes - posted Thursday, 12 June 2003


The inability to discover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has created a political crisis in the United States and Britain. Within the two governments there are recriminations and brutal political infighting over responsibility. Stratfor warned in February that the unwillingness of the U.S. government to articulate its real, strategic reasons for the war - choosing instead to lean on WMD as the justification - would lead to a deep crisis at some point. That moment seems to be here.

The most damning implication of all this is that people at the very top of the "democratic" pile are liars and cheats - liars and cheats to their own people.

We don't even need to point a finger at the likes of Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz. They are, after all, only unelected officials.

Advertisement

The most important thing is that Bush and Blair knew what they were doing and they knew that what they were saying - indeed swearing to a largely gullible public - was a lie or a whole pack of lies.

To believe anything different is to stamp Bush and Blair as ingenuous fools. Nobody believes that they are.

What does this do to any belief in the integrity of Bush and Blair and, indeed, of our "democratic" politicians generally?

It's hard to believe that the elected Cabinet in Britain did not know that they were selling a package of fake intelligence to the country.
Robin Cook knew. So must all the other members of Blair's Cabinet have "known".

Only one other member of the Cabinet resigned, so far as I know.Did they know all the details? Probably not.

But they didn't deserve positions of high governmental responsibility if they did not know that there was a hidden agenda and guess, without knowing all the details, what that agenda was.

Advertisement

Did Colin Powell know? Powell is not elected but he was respected.

He must have known and must have known that he was acting out a lie.

These apparent conclusions go to the very heart of responsible government and to the heart of the trust we should have in our elected governments and their officials.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

James Cumes is a former Australian ambassador and author of America's Suicidal Statecraft: The Self-Destruction of a Superpower (2006).

Other articles by this Author

All articles by James Cumes
Related Links
Victory Over Want
Photo of James Cumes
Article Tools
Comment Comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy