The Déjà Vu of No Accountability
In the wake of the Vietnam War, none of those responsible for the lies and mistakes that took us to Southeast Asia and kept us mired in that conflict for more than a decade was held accountable in any way. To us - three former U.S. Army captains who served in the Iraq war - it is clear that not enough American politicians or military leaders learned the most important lessons from that era.
As a result, we are repeating the mistakes of Vietnam in our own time.
How quickly we forget our recent past. President Richard Nixon’s resignation had little to do with his poor leadership in Vietnam. No general officers, including William C. Westmoreland, the commander in Vietnam, were ever held responsible. And tragically, no civilian leaders were held accountable either. Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara was even “laterally arabesqued” to assume the presidency of the World Bank.
The Bush administration has followed the same script of unaccountability, even appointing Paul Wolfowitz, one of the chief architects of the Iraq quagmire, to head the World Bank. Gen. George Casey, formerly in charge of all ground forces in Iraq and largely responsible for executing inept counterinsurgency warfare, was, like General Westmoreland after the 1968 Tet Offensive, promoted to Army chief of staff.
Consider this particularly disorienting irony: While touring the offices of a number of key leaders in the Pentagon in spring 2006, one of us noticed copies of H. R. McMaster’s acclaimed book, Dereliction of Duty, at eye level on the bookshelves of many ranking officials. That book thoroughly outlines how President Lyndon B. Johnson, Mr. McNamara and the generals deceived the American people and failed to discharge their sworn duties. Do those Pentagon officials have no clue? Can they not see how Mr. McMaster’s analysis of the Vietnam War damns their own incompetence and bungling?
Amazingly, there was even a copy of Dereliction of Duty in plain view in then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s office. One would have hoped each copy of that book would have been thoroughly dog-eared by administration officials and generals alike, but the unfortunate conclusion is the contrary. For them, the book apparently is merely an addition to Pentagon décor.
In the interests of pushing our nation forward and out of Iraq, Congress should move away from legislation that rhetorically attempts to tie war budgets to withdrawal efforts. Rather, our leaders must get serious about accountability. They should insist upon the review of several retired general officers as candidates for censure. A number of active-duty generals should also be court-martialed and ultimately stripped of their stars and forced to retire. Retired Gen. Ricardo Sanchez and active-duty Gen. Walter Wojdakowski top the list for these punitive measures for their failures in 2003 and 2004.
Last but not least, a congressional commission should investigate the improprieties and incompetence of several civilian leaders who served in Iraq, with L. Paul Bremer III and David R. Oliver topping the list. Mr. Bremer did next to nothing to ensure proper accountability of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars toward reconstruction. Similarly, as chief adviser to the Iraqi Ministry of Finance, Mr. Oliver failed to implement any system of accounting and auditing for billions of Iraqi dinars - money that should have contributed to the development of the country rather than the insurgency.
Unless a republic holds its leaders accountable, it is doomed to be the instrument of negligence, private agendas and corruption. In ancient Rome, any citizen could accuse an official of misconduct and instigate a public trial. The common people were the most effective at using this tool, because the elites were too prone to shielding each other.
How is it with our U.S. House and Senate? Are they “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” or are they too much the agents of monied interests? Why have they failed to act decisively? Do our legislators think that not holding military and civilian leaders accountable for their failures will ensure our security in the 21st century?
Former U.S. Army captains Jason Blindauer, Luis Carlos Montalvan and William “Jamie” Ruehl served in Iraq from 2003 to 2006.
Copyright © 2007, The Baltimore Sun
Thanks for speaking out. I hope with all my heart that Bush will be put on trial. I know it will not happen…
It is time to go after the Bush Administration. There is no way we can let it get away with the crimes it has committed.
The entire Congress needs to be replaced. It is no longer about them, it is about US. What does it say about the American people that we allow this to continue?
We must become the Congress we deserve.
Watch this video of Katherine Harris and Ted Stevens and realise
“YOU ARE Qualified to Run for Congress”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98_b5JW2CII#GU5U2spHI_4
www.peacecandidates.com
Karma is the Sanskrit word for action. Implied in it is what any physicist will tell you: Where there is an action the is an equal but opposite reaction. The reaction in our case, after Vietnam and Iraq, will be the further and unstoppable slide of the United States into political and economic nullity at home and abroad. The United States is now exactly like some witless suicide bomber who thinks that blowing himself up will guarantee him a place in Paradise. All it does is make sure no one will ever find enough of you to bury.
The reason they had that book is they were using that as their instruction manual.
The invasion and occupation of Iraq was not about making Americans secure or making a better life for Iraqis.
It was about looting Iraq and the American treasury for the benefit of the elite, about securing access to Iraqi oil, and about securing an American bases in the region.
Mission accomplished.
That is why all involved were rewarded - just as those involved in 9-11 were rewarded. The military leaders responsible for protecting America on 9-11 were promoted. That makes no sense if you believe that they failed in their mission. It makes perfect sense if you realize that their mission was not to protect America, but to make sure that her defenses were down.
Accountability is one of the ingredients of a true democracy where the rule of law governs. It’s foreign to dictatorships and their nations of zombies.
Those accountable for the mess we’re in include: the media, the Congress, the Administration, the top brass, and the CIA. Now the question is where do we get some citizens of the ancient Rome to accuse and instigate public trials?
Great Article, its just a matter of time before more and more stand up to this madness. You three are the true heroes. You guys need to go out an inform the youth not to enlist so they won’t be pawns in our present government’s misguided, misinformed and insane world view. If they don’t have the troops they can’t fight. and if they install the draft there will be mayhem in the streets. All those “support the troops” people will be running scared because then they may have to actually “support the troops” by serving instead of from their comfortable cozy little couches.
Saila December 21st, 2007 1:41 pm
Well said Saila, and to the point-where DO we get citizens to accuse and instigate public trials? I think there are none as in the 30s there were lots of people in Germany who wanted to change the drift of their Country but they were intimidated by the terrorism of their own Government and for the most part just hoped it would pass-it didn’t.
I don’t live in the United States but every time I go there I hear no one talking about these things. Americans are in a state of denial for the most part and as long as they don’t (as yet) feel any personal pain they wont talk about these things-it’s just us “wakos” on CD that worry about the changes going on in our Nation.
when i saw the line-up of politicalcriminals running on the ticket and alongside geo.jr. in 2000….i thought hail,hail the gangs all here,again…….the exact same crew from the vietnam debaucle and i knew EXACTLY what to expect from them..mayhem..murder..death..destruction..and war……
Saila,
I do not know how far it will go, but I am filing a formal, legal complaint against George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for commiting treason. In my complaint, I enumerate several laws they have violated and request imprisonment (forget impeachment, we are way beyond that).
What a pathic state we find our selves.
If it is true that we have the leaders we deserve. What does that say about the country as a whole?
Mendo Chuck, it is true that we get the leaders (government) we deserve. And that government does not paint a pretty picture of the country.
That a nation with the resources of the US has taken the course it has—which is not a new course—says a lot about the world and the nation. Fortunately, the world is changing, and power is shifting and becoming available to more nations.
The thing is, the wealth of the US could be used for good purposes. But considering what many wealthy US people do with their wealth, just buying more trinkets and baubles, is it any wonder the government fascinates itself with delusions of power and grandeur through all the wrong means? And the government truly is the pawn of the wealthy.
Real power and wealth are not visible quantities. The outward manifestations of power have a limited life: they die with the man. And if he was unwise and disrespectful of life, he will pay for that. The laws of nature are always on the job. As you sow, so shall you reap. That law applies to all individuals AND to collections of individuals, ie, nations.
Watch what happens.
“McMaster’s acclaimed book, Dereliction of Duty, at eye level on the bookshelves of many ranking officials….. Do those Pentagon officials have no clue? Can they not see..”
They can’t. It’s like Dilbert. The pointy-hair bosses never get that the strip is about them. (after all, it’s never about YOU right?) A more interesting question is how McMaster will respond when, sometime in the future, a West Point cadet (because I imagine one day McMaster will speak a West Point) asks “You were there in Iraq - if you couldn’t do anything to stop incompetent leadership then how can any of us? And if you can’t tell us how to stop incompetency then what good are you to us?”
Wikipedia says he’s at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, England. In 2007, Col. McMaster was helping advise Petraeus on counterinsurgency. Wiki’s last word - “Despite Presidential acclaim for his counterinsurgency campaign in Tal Afar and his position as an adviser to General Petraeus, Col. McMaster has been passed over for promotion to Brigadier General two years in a row.”
re: “Why have they failed to act decisively? — Because in fact there is no real opposition Party in the United States. Our democracy is an illusion. There is only one Party — the War Party. Eisenhower warned us about the rise of the military-industrial complex (see the DVD, ‘Why We Fight’). What we now have is a thoroughly controlled mass media and a government run by the same people who pass through a revolving door from the military-industrial complex into the government and back. Black-box voting machines ensure that only the “right” candidate will win.
Besides, controlling the entire planet is our national policy.
“I have said earlier that the United States is now totally frank about putting its cards on the table. That is the case. Its official declared policy is now defined as ‘full spectrum dominance’. That is not my term, it is theirs. ‘Full spectrum dominance’ means control of land, sea, air and space and all attendant resources.”
-Harold Pinter, in his 2005 Nobel Prize acceptance speech
Perhaps the US forces should adopt the practice that the British Navy had in the 18th century. Incompetent ships’ captains were promoted to “Vice-Admiral of the Yellow”. A condition of this was that they never set foot on the deck of one of His Majesty’s warships again. It did, however, enable them to retire on an admiral’s rather than a captain’s pension.
Mussolini was hung up by his heels at the end of WW2.
Stalin was not held responsible for the gulags and terror.
Idi Amin went into Saudi exile.
Pol Pot was never tried.
Don’t expect “justice” to act on US war makers.
MC PETE — You’ve provided an excellent and without slant, link to view the unanswered 911 questions. Thank you.
Namaste … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Mahatma Gandhi … … … … … … … … … …
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SCORPIO 69ER — Excellent points!
Especially about “Our democracy is an illusion,” … and (from Harold Pinter) official declared policy is now defined as ‘full spectrum dominance’.
For example look at why:
_ T O R T U R E _ M U S T _ B E _ K N O W N _ O F _
TORTURE isn’t (wasn’t) a secret because that knowledge of torture is part of the gov’t PSYOPS plan to manipulate us, because we continue to think of ourselves as “good” people (which is continually reinforced through propaganda).
Cognitive dissonance is a familiar PSYOPS technique, produced by putting a person in a position of doing (or allowing to happen) something that is clearly opposed to his self image. The contradictory pressure builds up and must be resolved, which is done individually through various explanations (rationalizations). The explanation will seem absurd to anyone who doesn’t share the dissonance. In this case the model that produced it was …
1. Good American people are not terrorists.
2. Terrorists break laws that will kill more Americans because they ‘hate our freedoms’.
3. The USA must break with the Geneva Convention and laws that prevent torture to save lives.
4. But since I know I am a good person, my reason why it’s okay to violate anti-torture laws is (insert something absurd).
The fascinating thing about cognitive dissonance is that it’s immune to intelligence. No matter how smart you are, you can’t think your way out of it. Once your actions and your self image get out of sync, the result is an absurd rationalization.
Namaste … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Mahatma Gandhi … … … … … … … … … …
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« There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed »
@ nspire (December 22nd, 2007 12:03 pm)
re: “Excellent points! Especially about “Our democracy is an illusion,”…”
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
re: “The fascinating thing about cognitive dissonance is that it’s immune to intelligence.”
“The human understanding, when it has once adopted an opinion…draws all things else to support and agree with it. And though there be a greater number and weight of instances to be found on the other side, yet these it either neglects or despises…in order that by this great and pernicious predetermination the authority of its former conclusions may remain inviolate.”
Francis Bacon, Novum Organum (1620)
Attributing to Goethe/Bacon while ignoring Scott Adams is ‘rude’ (and illustrates his point regards ‘absurd violations’)…
However, while both the ‘captains’-above and Scorpio69er may be extremely-bright/informed, they also well-know ‘why’ there will be no-such “accountability” (and for the same-reasons no real-Impeachment trial/investigation launched in the US, ever).
Oh, mayhap for a ‘break-in’ or a ‘blow-job’, but never leading to ‘true-Accountability’ for the convoluted criminal-conspiracy snaking back to pre-Revolutionary and Global-machinations and related Intents/Interests. THAT can never be ‘aired in Public’, much less Openly — and all aware of it know exactly-why, where it would lead, and the short-list of ‘to whom’.
So, who are these presumably-retired ‘captains’ with their apparent access to so many Offices in the Pentagon, and of-late? What occasioned that ‘access’?
[’Cognitive-dissonance’, indeed!]
What and who motivates for any accountability-now regards Viet Nam (or any other-Wars)?