As a combat veteran I was devastated to hear such an intentional misrepresentation of the Iraq war. Because of what I heard, I was ashamed to be an American for the first time in my life.
Truth, ethics, integrity, honor, professionalism, and patriotism have meaning to the vast majority of U.S. Citizens. These values are part of our nation's foundation and need to be maintained, protected, and promoted at all costs. When we turn on the "news" on a publicly licensed national broadcast channel, all listening Americans deserve these values reflected in what they see and hear.
What I heard so closely mirrored the statements and sentiments of the world's leading terrorists, I felt that they had entered my very home and everything my fellow Marines have fought for was lost. I felt that the enemy was winning, even though I know for a fact that it is impossible for our enemies to beat us militarily.
Free speech is a privilege we must protect at all cost. However, what was presented this evening was not free speech.
The United States Federal Communication Commission has granted CBS a television broadcast license, which requires it to act for the benefit of the American public. A child with a laptop and Internet access could disprove absolutely every statement made by Ms. vanden Heuvel as I do herein. A moral line has been crossed and CBS should have its broadcast license revoked. At minimum, this segment should be classified as obscenity and CBS should be fined.
I cannot comprehend the world in which Ms. vanden Heuvel lives, where the honorable and just sacrifice of so many great Americans can be so completely disrespected and dismissed. However, I do know that the weakness and collapse of moral character she so clearly demonstrated on this evening, in such a public forum, acts like a lighthouse to guide our nation's enemies. It empowers the terrorists to a degree very few non-military personnel can ever comprehend. Such displays of appeasement and cowardice are what terrorists seek to fuel their recruiting efforts and to motivate their ranks. This is the reaction the terrorists seek. They can now point to this globally available video recording of Ms. Couric lending credibility to the heartfelt statements of Ms. vanden Heuvel who passionately and eloquently reinforces terrorist beliefs.
Each of Ms. vanden Heuvel's statements are presented below in bold italics followed by my responses. It should be self evident that CBS is grossly negligent in its charter and has intentionally promoted an extraordinarily fraudulent description of the Iraq war.
(1) What has been the cost of our undeclared and unprovoked war in Iraq?
The following is the first half of a transcript of the December 16, 1998 speech by President Clinton (the rest is available online at numerous web sites):
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"Why must we put up with so much disrespect from individuals, and organizations like CBS who support them, who do not even posses enough courage or integrity to tell the truth?" |
Six weeks ago, Saddam Hussein announced that he would no longer cooperate with the United Nations weapons inspectors called UNSCOM. They are highly professional experts from dozens of countries. Their job is to oversee the elimination of Iraq's capability to retain, create and use weapons of mass destruction, and to verify that Iraq does not attempt to rebuild that capability. The inspectors undertook this mission first 7.5 years ago at the end of the Gulf War when Iraq agreed to declare and destroy its arsenal as a condition of the ceasefire.
The international community had good reason to set this requirement. Other countries possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. With Saddam, there is one big difference: He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly. Unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops during a decade-long war. Not only against soldiers, but against civilians, firing Scud missiles at the citizens of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran. And not only against a foreign enemy, but even against his own people, gassing Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq. The international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again."
It is a historical fact that Saddam Hussein provoked this war. Completely dismissing the overwhelming body of evidence, which is currently being used against Saddam Hussein at his trail, reflects the gross malicious intent of Ms. vanden Heuvel false statements.
It is very convenient of Ms. vanden Heuvel to completely ignore United Nations Security Council Resolutions 660, 661, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 670, 674, 677, 678, 686, 687, 688, 707, 715, 949, 986, 1284, and finally 1441, which passed unanimously on November 8, 2002, offering Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" that had been set out in several previous resolutions.
In October 2002 the House and the Senate passed the "Congressional Resolution on Iraq". Ms. vanden Heuvel should read this resolution. It clearly authorizes the President of the United States to use military force against Iraq in a legal and constitutionally approved fashion. I will state this in a fashion even she can understand, our duly elected representatives voted to approve military action in Iraq - this is what democracies do.
Ms. vanden Heuvel describing the use of military force in Iraq as "undeclared" is not an example of free speech; it is a clear and intentional misrepresentation of historical facts. Does she think that the American people are so fundamentally ignorant that they cannot read public laws (102-1, 105-235, 105-338, 107-40, etc.)?
(2) Let us begin with life itself - more than 2,700 of our men and women killed, over 20,000 wounded. This is a cost that has caused grief for families that nothing can heal.
The only way to fight a war is to fight it to win, and that cost lives. The United States military is a voluntary fighting force that currently has no equal or rival in world history.
When I accepted my commission as an officer in the United States Marine Corps I clearly understood that I would be required to follow orders that could result in my death. I raised my right hand and recited my oath of office to defend our country. There are millions upon millions of Americans just like me that will stand up and put their lives on the line to defend the nation we love so dearly.
The vast majority of American families that have lost a loved one in combat are not overwhelmed with grief - they see these men and women as heroes to emulate and honor. They are a source of pride and strength that should not be diminished.
Why must we put up with so much disrespect from individuals, and organizations like CBS who support them, who do not even posses enough courage or integrity to tell the truth?
The truth is that U.S. military reenlistment rates have been consistently exceeded for all branches of service. This means that men and women who have been placed in a life threatening combat environment have chosen to return. All recruiting goals are being met or exceeded. Middle class Americans with numerous employment opportunities in the strongest economy on the planet have chosen to put their lives on the line - even while people like Ms. Couric and Ms. vanden Heuvel work tirelessly to point out every flaw, death, and injury on a daily basis.
There is a reason it is called a war. It is messy, ugly, bloody, and deadly work. If Ms. Couric and Ms. vanden Heuvel truly and sincerely cared about this nation they would be more focused on reducing the greater than 15,000 murders each year in the U.S. This means that while nearly 3,000 military personnel have been killed in Iraq over the past three years, 45,000 Americans have been murdered. Where is the real outrage?
Using the CBS approach to journalism, and focusing on just the murders in our 5 largest cities, I could convince the American people there was a civil war going on in the U.S. and the death toll just keeps mounting. How does the current CBS news approach differ from propaganda?
It also needs to be pointed out that the total number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq is a historical low for a conflict of this size and duration and is literally a testament to the overwhelming military successes of both the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Look at the death toll and casualty figures during the two-month WWII Iwo Jima battle, which are twice what has occurred in three years in Iraq. In fact, more military personnel died due to accidents the decade before the Iraq conflict than have died during it.
On September 11, 2001 nearly 3,000 innocent Americans were murdered. We were not in Afghanistan and we were not in Iraq - America did not deserve this. Democracy and freedom is a barrier to the Islamic goal of globally enforcing Sharia (Islamic Law). Americans are just useless infidels that need to be slaughtered - the great Satan that must be destroyed. Yes simplistic, but very true.
I am confident that on September 12, 2001, Ms. Couric and Ms. vanden Heuvel wanted nothing less than justice for the murdered innocent Americans. President Bush did as well and has demonstrated courage in maintaining a deadly and risky endeavor that is critical to our national security.
(3) Nor should we forget, some 100,000 dead and wounded Iraqis.
The number of Iraq deaths per month since the U.S. destroyed Saddam's military has been reduced dramatically in comparison to the average number of deaths per month under Saddam's entire rule. In fact, in comparison to thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians killed in mass numerous times by Saddam, the U.S. can easily claim that hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives have been saved over the past 3 years. Again, it is very convenient for Ms. vanden Heuvel to forget about how many mass graves have been discovered the last three years.
(4) And the financial cost - over $400 billion has now been spent for this war. That fiscal recklessness has already burdened generations of Americans to come.
The United States of America has not spent $400 billion on the Iraq war. It is very convenient of Ms. vanden Heuvel to ignore the contributions of personnel, equipment, and money from the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Poland, Japan, Spain, Italy, etc. However, noting this would mean presenting the fact that an international coalition operates in Iraq.
Our deficit is now below the level of the first 5 years of the Clinton administration, we have the lowest unemployment in decades, higher paying jobs have grown dramatically, the economy has grown by 20% in the past several years (a value greater than the entire economy of China with a population of 1.3 billion), and tax revenues keep increasing every quarter. The American people are not financially burdened by the Iraq war and Ms. vanden Heuvel's statement is a verifiable fabrication.
(5) The administration nonetheless justifies the war and its costs in the name of national security But the reality is that this war has so weakened and demoralized the US military that even retired military leaders have risen in unprecedented revolt.
Again, "unprecedented revolt" is a complete fabrication. For every retired General who has complained about the Iraq conflict, 7 can be found that support it. The overwhelming majority of military personnel support their current Commander in Chief.
The real "reality" is that we are facing a well-funded, zealous, decentralized terrorist threat that takes time to diminish or destroy. "Stay the Course" is not rhetoric, it is a requirement.
We are winning this war. We have a 100% success rate in killing or capturing terrorists once we find them. This takes time and unfortunately, many more military personnel will die.
If only people like Ms. vanden Heuvel would stop encouraging the terrorists, the enemy would see a national resolve so coherent they would come to understand that there is no return on investment in their efforts. The terrorists are trained that if they are persistent America will withdraw because it is weak. CBS, Ms. Couric, and Ms. vanden Heuvel, are proving them right.
(6) Moreover, sixteen of our own intelligence services now tell us that the war has only increased the terrorist threat.
It is unconscionably disgusting of Ms. vanden Heuvel to neglect to mention that the same sixteen intelligence services say the terrorist threat will get worse if we pull out of Iraq. Again, she assumes Americans are too stupid to read the intelligence reports themselves.
(7) And then there is the incalculable cost to America's reputation. We have lost the respect of allies who once looked to us as a beacon of hope--not fear.
Why is the United States of America still the number one nation on the planet people want to immigrate to? In fact, we now host between 10 to 20% of the entire Mexican population within our borders, which could not be possible if our economy was as bad as Ms. vanden Heuvel implied earlier.
Why does every terrorist and drug runner on the planet use U.S. currency - because the U.S. has the most respected, powerful, and stable economy.
United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Japan, India, Poland, Germany, and too many other nations to list are our military and economic partners. The global economy would fail if America fails. In fact, I can say with confidence that a few billion people know that the United States of America is the most prosperous and free nation on the planet and still the most desirable place to live.
There is no "incalculable cost to America's reputation". If there were any measurable negative impact, our economy would not have continued to grow so significantly and foreign investment would have declined.
Democracy is a threat to much of the world because it puts power in the hands of the people instead of thugs, dictators, and terrorists. The only lack of respect the U.S. faces is from the global community of liberals, communists, socialists, and Islamic terrorists that will continue to hate America no matter what we do.
(8) Nor should we ignore the grave costs to our democracy at home. We have permitted an executive branch to seize unprecedented power, subverting our constitutional system of checks and balances, and even sanction torture. And from its inception, truth and accountability has been this war's victims.
This is the most offensive, egregious, unfounded, and irrational statement of Ms. vanden Heuvel's presentation. There has been no subversion of our constitution and no sanctioning of torture and no evidence of such can be produced.
I have a significant amount of experience with Iraqi prisoners. My unit captured over 7,000 Iraqi prisoners in 48 hours. Torture is defined as the intentional permanent infliction of injury. Torture is illegal under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The U.S. military has not tortured prisoners and treats prisoners better than any other military on the planet. I challenge Ms. vanden Heuvel to present a single valid case of sanctioned torture by U.S. military personnel. We are men and women of honor and we operate under a clearly defined code of conduct. No other military has gone through such great lengths to investigate every complaint and punish those personnel that cannot comply with the UCMJ. Again, Ms. vanden Heuvel would not bother reading the UCMJ because the facts would undermine her fabricated message.
Additionally, Ms. vanden Heuvel cannot produce any examples where our democracy has been diminished in any measurable fashion or where the President has exceeded his constitutional powers. In every action taken by President Bush he has balanced our rights with the necessity of providing security. Our elected representatives have been properly informed.
The only person killing the truth, as can be seen herein, is Ms. vanden Heuvel.
(9) Despite all these costs, we are told that we must stay the course. By any rational and humane reckoning, it is time to end this misadventure.
It is clear that Ms. vanden Heuvel is not a student of history or military tactics and strategy.
How do you surface a well funded and globally distributed enemy that waits patiently for a chance to kill as many innocent Americans as possible? How do you surface an enemy that our "sixteen intelligence agencies" say is actively seeking weapons of mass destruction? You must destroy their very foundation of support. You provide freedom of choice, information flow, and economic opportunity within the center of their region of greatest influence.
The prosperity and freedom observed throughout the Iraqi Kurdish region and other places within Iraq has attracted Islamic terrorists from all over the world. That is why the level of terrorist violence has increased so dramatically in the past several months - democracy and capitalism are showing clear signs of success. Yes, the violence has increased in Iraq because the Bush plan has been successful. The Islamic terrorists know that if democracy becomes permanent their goals cannot be achieved. Democracy and oppression/control (Sharia) cannot coexist.
The presence of U.S. forces in Iraq and NATO forces in Afghanistan are consuming on a daily basis the global resources of a threat Ms. vanden Heuvel completely ignores at her own peril.
In the recent Israeli/Hezbollah conflict, if not for the Iraq war, the loss of life and chaos would have been extraordinary. Over the past several years, Iran through Syria has been arming Hezbollah with billions of dollars of missiles and other weapons with the goal of destroying Israel. If Ms. vanden Heuvel would only bother looking at a map she would see that Iran could not reinforce or directly provide military support to Hezbollah - because of the U.S. presence in Iraq. Syria and Iran know they could not survive a military conflict with the U.S. They are afraid. That fear provides stability in the region. Millions of Israeli lives have been protected. This alone justifies our presence in Iraqi, even if a significant number of Iraqis wish all Jews were dead.
The Iraq war is one of the most brilliant strategic maneuvers in military and political history. By staying the course our military will continue to consume at an increasing rate the manpower and financial resources of a global threat to peace and civilization. Our military has the ability to evolve faster than the Islamic terrorists. We keep getting better at what we do. We are in fact winning the global war on terror and Ms. vanden Heuvel is too ignorant, misinformed, and biased to see it.
The presence of the U.S. within Iraq has had a significant and measurable stabilizing affect in the region. Democracy now has a viable foothold throughout most of Iraq, particularly the Kurdish region where Iraqis now enjoy a quality of life beyond anything they could have ever imagined otherwise. It is a fabulous social and economic success. A success that is real, measurable, and will be lasting regardless of the number of terrorist bombs that explode on any given day in Baghdad. The Iraqi Kurds are now routinely broadcasting commercials within the U.S. thanking America for their newfound peace and prosperity, which has been mostly ignored by the American media and CBS. The successes in Iraq are significant and completely justify the conflict. Hiding the innumerable successes by just presenting death tolls on a daily basis is dangerous and unacceptable. CBS needs to stop feeding the great lie that Iraq is nothing more than a "misadventure".
The intellectual dishonesty displayed within this and previous comments by Ms. vanden Heuvel is incomprehensible. Her entire statement is nothing more than poisonous, irrational, unfounded emotionalism that undermines our nation's security by giving terrorists a voice. Statements of this kind have no business being presented as "free speech" by CBS. Again, this is an obscenity.
CBS does not deserve to hold a public broadcast license and our children should not be taught that one of the most honorable and justifiable endeavors in our nation's great history is a mistake and a failure when it can be shown so easily by any reasonable person that the exact opposite is true.