As American As Twinkies

Thank you, Dick Cheney, for recognizing Americans’right to question their government. You, too, George Bush. It’s nice that you now understand the nature of debate in a free society. You two have certainly behaved otherwise in the last four and a half years. But even now, as you acknowledge the worthiness of debate, you seek to limit that debate. Questioning the use of intelligence in deciding for war is “...dishonest and reprehensible,...shameless and corrupt....” Which translated means, “I am afraid to honestly review the decision to invade Iraq because it will discredit me and my ideas to the last generation.”

Too bad. That’s the risk you took when you stole your way into power and proceeded to govern as if the rest of us did not exist, except to pay the costs and provide cannon fodder for your war machine. You two took this nation into a war that has been disastrous from the get-go, a strategic blunder of immense proportions. YOU are responsible for this mess and have no business telling Americans that we cannot hold you fully accountable for the results. I will not accept anything less than and honest and truthful account of your stewardship.

And I will tell you both that if what I have read and heard about the way you and your administration withheld, distorted and manipulated information is true, you should both be removed from office immediately. If the allegations are true, no American will be able to trust you to act responsibly and honestly on America’s behalf. You are fortunate that America is a land of laws and process, so you will have ample opportunity to make your case.

But you cannot tell us that we cannot inquire. You cannot insist that you need not explain. And we insist on doing so not because you are at best incompetents and at worst liars. We insist because only the truth may save this nation from similar disasters in the future. In doing so we live up to Carl Schurz’ famously misquoted tribute to his adopted land:

Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when wrong to be put right.

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Slate has an excellent article on how BushCheney manipulated intelligence in making its case for invading Iraq.

For more on Carl Schurz, a 19th Century German revolutionary turned American general and statesman see this article. I highly recommend his essay on “The True Americanism” in that article.