ANTHRAX, JOHN MCCAIN, AND IRAQ = BAD JUDGEMENT
Continuing with this "All McCain - All the Time" coverage, I have to mention this week's other major news story, the suicide of Bruce Ivins. Ivins was an Army Scientist who had worked on Anthrax Studies for more than two decades. He also was the prime suspect in the 9/11 "Anthrax Letters" investigation, and was set to be arrested when he decided to overdose on Tylenol and codeine. It seems that the FBI is considering the case closed and, in their mind, Ivins is the man responsible for killing five people just days after the attacks of 9/11.
When remembering the tragedies of 9/11, I find it interesting that the Anthrax letters were almost more terrifying to me. It might have been because they simply followed the original terror or it might have been the idea that, with postal delivery, the threat of death could reach virtually anywhere in the world. This makes it all the more surreal to know that there was an immediate and coordinated attempt to link these letter attacks to Iraq.
Now to begin with, if you believe people like Wesley Clark you'd know that Iraq was being mentioned within the White House as a target of military action just 10 days after 9/11. This coupled with the fact that the first anthrax letter was mailed on the 18th of September, 2001 would mean that this additional "terror phenomenon" was taking place at the same time these discussions were occurring. However anyone involved would know that an additional war would need some sort of justification to the American people, and what better than blaming Iraq for the murder of five innocent anthrax victims?
But who could be used to deliver this sensitive information to the American people? Enter John McCain himself. So on October 18th, 2001, "The Maverick" made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman:
Now the Osama bin Laden joke is pretty ironic knowing that he's lived to see many Halloweens beyond just 2001's, and even more so given that the Iraq War is the major distraction that's allowed him to avoid capture.
But the real bombshell is McCain dropping this "some indication" that the anthrax "may" have come from Iraq stuff. Apart from the fact that he sounds like some gossip columnist trying to avoid a costly lawsuit, just what in the hell is a U.S. Senator going on national television and exposing something that should (at the very least) be classified information until its proven?
In the wake of this revelation, ABC News picked up this story that was backed by "four well-placed and separate sources" and makes it clear that there was a concerted effort to turn the American public against Iraq in the wake of 9/11.
What makes this whole situation even worse is that these "indications" weren't based on anything. They were simply made up to introduce Iraq in the public discussion of who we should, or shouldn't, bomb in our newly launched "War on Terror". And who knows what these accusations did to the actual investigation into who actually sent the letters. After all, you can't have Bruce Ivins being arrested while you're still trying to sell the public on an Iraq War, can you?
Glenn Greenwald has a wonderful article in which he breaks down the entire, awful situation. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go puke now.
When remembering the tragedies of 9/11, I find it interesting that the Anthrax letters were almost more terrifying to me. It might have been because they simply followed the original terror or it might have been the idea that, with postal delivery, the threat of death could reach virtually anywhere in the world. This makes it all the more surreal to know that there was an immediate and coordinated attempt to link these letter attacks to Iraq.
Now to begin with, if you believe people like Wesley Clark you'd know that Iraq was being mentioned within the White House as a target of military action just 10 days after 9/11. This coupled with the fact that the first anthrax letter was mailed on the 18th of September, 2001 would mean that this additional "terror phenomenon" was taking place at the same time these discussions were occurring. However anyone involved would know that an additional war would need some sort of justification to the American people, and what better than blaming Iraq for the murder of five innocent anthrax victims?
But who could be used to deliver this sensitive information to the American people? Enter John McCain himself. So on October 18th, 2001, "The Maverick" made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman:
Now the Osama bin Laden joke is pretty ironic knowing that he's lived to see many Halloweens beyond just 2001's, and even more so given that the Iraq War is the major distraction that's allowed him to avoid capture.
But the real bombshell is McCain dropping this "some indication" that the anthrax "may" have come from Iraq stuff. Apart from the fact that he sounds like some gossip columnist trying to avoid a costly lawsuit, just what in the hell is a U.S. Senator going on national television and exposing something that should (at the very least) be classified information until its proven?
In the wake of this revelation, ABC News picked up this story that was backed by "four well-placed and separate sources" and makes it clear that there was a concerted effort to turn the American public against Iraq in the wake of 9/11.
What makes this whole situation even worse is that these "indications" weren't based on anything. They were simply made up to introduce Iraq in the public discussion of who we should, or shouldn't, bomb in our newly launched "War on Terror". And who knows what these accusations did to the actual investigation into who actually sent the letters. After all, you can't have Bruce Ivins being arrested while you're still trying to sell the public on an Iraq War, can you?
Glenn Greenwald has a wonderful article in which he breaks down the entire, awful situation. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go puke now.
posted by Russell Arch at
8/03/2008
2 Comments:
Ah, so his "Bomb, Bomb, Iran" song was a sequel. What's next "Bomb, Bomb, Iceland?" "Ireland?" Maybe he can get together with Toby Keith and they can write a whole rock opera about all the places we should attack. Ryan
Just read that McCain was at the annual biker rally in Sturgis over the weekend. I mean, that's the fucking WOODSTOCK of biker rallies. What was HE doing there??? Now I'm REALLY offended (well, there're lots of white racist-types in some of the seedier biker sects, unfortunately).
And do you know what John-boy's big line was? "I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day!". So depressing.
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