(Video) On Iran, the same Bush recording device being used

Today on the MSNBC show Hardball, host Chris Matthews interviewed Frank Rich, a NY Times columnist and author of the new book The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina.  The two voiced concern over how President Bush is approaching Iran in the exact same way that he approached Iraq prior to the invasion, as if he has not learned any lessons over the last three years.

Click to watch clip << (YouTube)

--- Partial Transcript ---

MATTHEWS: "Apparently Bush is like the old recording advice.  I mean, he is speaking today as if he had never experienced anything in the world since 9-11 -- that he had had no bad experience with WMD, no bad experience of failing to connect it to 9-11, no horror of a war that Dick Cheney didn't even think there would be a war in Iraq.  He (Cheney) said 'I was surprised there was a war.'  All that knowledge he has now absorbed, and he is still back to the original recording, the original talk-up for the war.  What does that tell you about the President, Frank Rich?"

RICH: "Nothing good.  I mean, you want to believe that our leaders will get information and learn from it.  We may agree or disagree with them ideologically or on any issue.  But to not learn anything or not correct the course where so many lives are involved."

Frank Rich has it exactly right.  We can argue with neoconservatives about international policy until we are all blue in the face.  But what is even more disturbing is when they say that if they had to do Iraq all over again, they would do it the exact same way.  Individuals that lack the reason and humility to admit fault and adjust accordingly should not be in positions of trust, not to mention the White House and Pentagon.
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Other sites blogging about Iran: Political Animal, Media Matters, Huffington Post, Booman Tribune, The Carpetbagger Report, Truth Dig.

Comments

[george lutz]

Cheney should not have said IF he had to do it again he'd do it the same way. He should have said, "Next time we do this, we'll do it the exact same way. All we need now is another Colin Powell to help us sell the next war...Gosh I hate all this red tape that war requires. Just take me to the Pentagon, we got a party to plan."