The Pentagon's Defence Science Board (a group of civilian experts appointed by the Pentagon to adivise on scientific, technical and other issues) released a report last week (no thread about it until now???), claiming that the US's war on terrorism is not being helped by its foreign policy, finding that the Afghanistan and Iraq wars have raised the stature of radical enemies of America. Quotes from the report include: "Muslims do not hate our freedom, but rather they hate our policies." "The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favour of Israel and against Palestinian rights." "When American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypocrisy." "US actions appear... to be motivated by ulterior motives, and deliberately controlled in order to best serve American national interests at the expense of truly Muslim self-determination." http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/dsb/commun.pdf
Very interesting. Obvious conclusions, but ones which were fought vigorously and even viciously by the Likudniks. What makes this all more interesting is that it comes from the Pentagon Advisory Board. I haven't read it, but if those quotes are any indication, something is going on in the Pentagon where the neocons (Wolfowitz, Feith and company) used to hold sway. I guess with Richard Perle being sidelined, this institution has undergone some serious changes too!
Skull & bones demand death. As many millions of people as Bush can kill is what the job requires. This is why it is so important to them to have a Bush in the driver's seat. To get the killing done of races other than the chosen. Less people on the planet means less people they have to kill next time.
At a Capitol Hill briefing yesterday, Ray McGovern witnessed that, far from opening the floodgates of reality, terrorism experts—and the NYT—are avoiding the real message in the findings, putting us all at risk. http://www.tompaine.com/articles/all_mosquitos_no_swamp.php
My guess is that there will be some job openings at the Pentagon Advisory Board. I thought the Bush administration only retained personnel that told them what they wanted to hear.