The Last Letter: A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran

[Lakhota]

Ex-CIA Analyst: We Knew Intelligence Was Insufficient For Iraq War

Nada Bakos played a key role on the CIA's intelligence team prior to the start of the Iraq War. Now, the former counterterrorism analyst has come out and acknowledged that she was pressured to find a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda that didn't exist.

Bakos recently wrote a piece for Wired Magazine about her efforts to make Iraq intelligence seem "less bogus". On HuffPost Live Tuesday, she talked further about the pressures she faced and how she felt the government needed a more valid reason for going to war.

HuffPost Live

I Tried to Make the Intelligence Behind the Iraq War Less Bogus | Danger Room | Wired.com

 

[bripat9643]

You mean like the right has been trying to use Christopher Stevens?

Christopher Stevens is dead. He's not pumping out any kind of propaganda, and he's immune to criticism.

Wait. Are you saying the right hasn't been using Stevens to score political points? How about what they did with Pat Tillman or Jessica Lynch?

We're discussing people who can talk, who aren't dead.

 

[Oldguy]

Christopher Stevens is dead. He's not pumping out any kind of propaganda, and he's immune to criticism.

Wait. Are you saying the right hasn't been using Stevens to score political points? How about what they did with Pat Tillman or Jessica Lynch?

We're discussing people who can talk, who aren't dead.

Ok...so using people who ARE dead, like Stevens and Tillman isn't "a cheap political tactic" and the people who do it aren't "the sickest, most cynical kind of people there are?"

 

[aaronleland]

I find it disgusting that both sides only support war when their party is in power. The moment Obama was elected Democrats stopped talking about the war, and Republicans started pretending they never supported it in the first place.

 

[Avatar4321]

I find it disgusting that both sides only support war when their party is in power. The moment Obama was elected Democrats stopped talking about the war, and Republicans started pretending they never supported it in the first place.

Ive never claimed I haven't supported war at times. I spoke in favor of Afghanistan and Iraq. My problems come with wars such as Libya where it's unclear why we are there and there is no Congressional approval. Or continuing in Afghanistan right now when we have no game plan to win, nor an idea what winning looks like, and it seems we have accomplished our goals for going over there.

 

[Avatar4321]

Likely, because Bush is the one who inflamed the Middle East and aided al Qaeda recruitment.

America will be living with the aftermath of both Bush presidents for decades to come - maybe centuries.

Yeah because Obama hasnt done a thing to destablize the region...

 

[asterism]

Nope, Iraq evicted the U.S. It had that right based on the Status of Forces Agreement negotiated with President George W. Bush.

And when these same people start blowing stuff up in the United States after crossing our porous borders will that be Bush's fault as well?

Likely, because Bush is the one who inflamed the Middle East and aided al Qaeda recruitment.

America will be living with the aftermath of both Bush presidents for decades to come - maybe centuries.

If you think the Middle East wasn't inflamed before 2003 you just weren't paying attention.

snopes.com: Weapons of Mass Destruction Quotes

 

[asterism]

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
--President Bill Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
--President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
--Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
--Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by:
-- Democratic Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others, Oct. 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
-Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
-- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999

"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies."
Letter to President Bush, Signed by:
-- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), and others, Dec 5, 2001

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and th! e means of delivering them."
-- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
-- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."
-- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."
-- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002

All are verified at the Snopes link above.

 

[asterism]

I find it disgusting that both sides only support war when their party is in power. The moment Obama was elected Democrats stopped talking about the war, and Republicans started pretending they never supported it in the first place.

I have always supported Obama's war effort. It's the only thing he got right.

 

[DaGoose]

I find it disgusting that both sides only support war when their party is in power. The moment Obama was elected Democrats stopped talking about the war, and Republicans started pretending they never supported it in the first place.

I have always supported Obama's war effort. It's the only thing he got right.

The only thing Bush was critisized for was his foolish invasion and occupation of Iraq. That was when he started saying he didn't care abour Bin Laden and really wasn't concerned about him.

Did Saddam have chemical weapons at one time? Of course. Because Ronald Wilson Reagan sold them to him.

But it's also a fact that Iraq was not a threat to anyone least of all us and it turned out that the critics of the Iraq War were right all along.

And the Neo-Cons are always saying that they support our troops. Yet if one of them dare critisize an unjust war that eventually killed him they are ready to say, "Fuck that soldier".

Well fuck you too.

 

[DaGoose]

So the Bush blame game continues. The House voted 297 to 133 & Senate voted 77 to 23 for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq & 74% of us wanted to invade Iraq.

Gallup Poll Nov 27 2001 showed that 74% of us wanted the US to invade Iraq with ground troops after 9/11.

"Would you favor or oppose invading Iraq with U.S. ground troops in an attempt to remove Saddam Hussein from power?"

74% Favor - 20% Oppose - 6% No opinion

So was Bush supposed to go against the will of the people?

Based on lies. You don't yell fire in a crowded theater, and then blame the attendees.

The same poll was conducted many times before 9/11 & your so called "lies". The majority always wanted to invade Iraq.

"Would you favor or oppose invading Iraq with U.S. ground troops in an attempt to remove Saddam Hussein from power?"

February 21, 2001 - 52% Favor - 42% Oppose - 6% No opinion

June 30, 1993 - - - 70% Favor - 27% Oppose - 3% No opinion

March 30, 1992 - - 55% Favor - 40% Oppose - 5% No opinion

Good to know that you think the POTUS should govern by opinion polls.

So I'm guessing that you think Gore should have been elected since he received more votes than Bush?

 

[DaGoose]

People have their own opinions. How quickly we forget the thousands of Kurdish people who Saddam tested chemical weapons on or the countless number of political prisoners who were tortured. Perhaps I will one day forget the bodies of children who were murdered as a warning to the parents who were the wrong religion. Yes lets defend the Arabs who bombed playgrounds in order to exercise their will.

Cowards downplay the role we served in Iraq. Was it pretty? No and war never is. But they have a chance at freedom. Mistakes were made I will admit but right now the average Iraqi is thankful we came and liberated them. You news jockeys are pathetic looking for an angle from msn or huffpost. Want a real perspective? Enlist.

Was it worth nearly 5000 dead American soldiers?

There are countless nations that are slaughtering their own people RIGHT NOW. Maybe we should start invading all of them? When does it stop?

And you say to get a REAL perspective you should enlist? The soldier in the OP did and now the Neo-Cons are sticking his service up his ass.

 

[Faun]

People have their own opinions. How quickly we forget the thousands of Kurdish people who Saddam tested chemical weapons on or the countless number of political prisoners who were tortured. Perhaps I will one day forget the bodies of children who were murdered as a warning to the parents who were the wrong religion. Yes lets defend the Arabs who bombed playgrounds in order to exercise their will.

Cowards downplay the role we served in Iraq. Was it pretty? No and war never is. But they have a chance at freedom. Mistakes were made I will admit but right now the average Iraqi is thankful we came and liberated them. You news jockeys are pathetic looking for an angle from msn or huffpost. Want a real perspective? Enlist.

Tomas Young did enlist - therefore his perspective is real.

he is mad because he paid the price he said he was willing to pay and he regrets it now. he doesn't speak for the majority of us or even significant minority

Sounds to me like he's mad because he realizes he was duped. He signed up to fight those who declared war on uson 9/11, but instead, was used as a pawn to fight an unecessary war of choice againts those who were not even involved in 9/11.

 

[asterism]

I find it disgusting that both sides only support war when their party is in power. The moment Obama was elected Democrats stopped talking about the war, and Republicans started pretending they never supported it in the first place.

I have always supported Obama's war effort. It's the only thing he got right.

The only thing Bush was critisized for was his foolish invasion and occupation of Iraq. That was when he started saying he didn't care abour Bin Laden and really wasn't concerned about him.

Did Saddam have chemical weapons at one time? Of course. Because Ronald Wilson Reagan sold them to him.

But it's also a fact that Iraq was not a threat to anyone least of all us and it turned out that the critics of the Iraq War were right all along.

And the Neo-Cons are always saying that they support our troops. Yet if one of them dare critisize an unjust war that eventually killed him they are ready to say, "Fuck that soldier".

Well fuck you too.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree on this. I'm glad to live in a post-Saddam world, where we get to theorize about how bad he might have been. Having been the first of two brothers to be in Kurdistan, I'm glad he's gone.

 

[asterism]

People have their own opinions. How quickly we forget the thousands of Kurdish people who Saddam tested chemical weapons on or the countless number of political prisoners who were tortured. Perhaps I will one day forget the bodies of children who were murdered as a warning to the parents who were the wrong religion. Yes lets defend the Arabs who bombed playgrounds in order to exercise their will.

Cowards downplay the role we served in Iraq. Was it pretty? No and war never is. But they have a chance at freedom. Mistakes were made I will admit but right now the average Iraqi is thankful we came and liberated them. You news jockeys are pathetic looking for an angle from msn or huffpost. Want a real perspective? Enlist.

Was it worth nearly 5000 dead American soldiers?

There are countless nations that are slaughtering their own people RIGHT NOW. Maybe we should start invading all of them? When does it stop?

And you say to get a REAL perspective you should enlist? The soldier in the OP did and now the Neo-Cons are sticking his service up his ass.

Not having the resources, manpower, and will to stop all evil does not negate the virtue of that which we did.

 

[asterism]

Tomas Young did enlist - therefore his perspective is real.

he is mad because he paid the price he said he was willing to pay and he regrets it now. he doesn't speak for the majority of us or even significant minority

Sounds to me like he's mad because he realizes he was duped. He signed up to fight those who declared war on uson 9/11, but instead, was used as a pawn to fight an unecessary war of choice againts those who were not even involved in 9/11.

To be fair, he's committing suicide. Tragic, but not an excuse to condemn a valid response to a cease-fire breach.

 

[asterism]

Tomas Young did enlist - therefore his perspective is real.

he is mad because he paid the price he said he was willing to pay and he regrets it now. he doesn't speak for the majority of us or even significant minority

Sounds to me like he's mad because he realizes he was duped. He signed up to fight those who declared war on uson 9/11, but instead, was used as a pawn to fight an unecessary war of choice againts those who were not even involved in 9/11.

Japan attacked us at Pearl Harbor. My Dad's Uncle was pissed that he got shot in Italy. To the day he died he said the Cold War wouldn't have happened if we had just dropped nukes on Japan first.

 

[Lakhota]

he is mad because he paid the price he said he was willing to pay and he regrets it now. he doesn't speak for the majority of us or even significant minority

Sounds to me like he's mad because he realizes he was duped. He signed up to fight those who declared war on uson 9/11, but instead, was used as a pawn to fight an unecessary war of choice againts those who were not even involved in 9/11.

To be fair, he's committing suicide. Tragic, but not an excuse to condemn a valid response to a cease-fire breach.

Cease-fire breach? Saddam was contained between the Northern and Southern No-Fly Zones after Bush 41 suckered him into invading Kuwait. Saddam routinely violated (tested) the No-Fly Zones during the Clinton Administration - but Clinton never invaded Iraq and toppled Baghdad. In fact, Saddam just gave our military pilots some real target practice.

As Colin Powell famously stated - "You break it, you own it". George W. Bush broke it based on lies.

 

[DaGoose]

I have always supported Obama's war effort. It's the only thing he got right.

The only thing Bush was critisized for was his foolish invasion and occupation of Iraq. That was when he started saying he didn't care abour Bin Laden and really wasn't concerned about him.

Did Saddam have chemical weapons at one time? Of course. Because Ronald Wilson Reagan sold them to him.

But it's also a fact that Iraq was not a threat to anyone least of all us and it turned out that the critics of the Iraq War were right all along.

And the Neo-Cons are always saying that they support our troops. Yet if one of them dare critisize an unjust war that eventually killed him they are ready to say, "Fuck that soldier".

Well fuck you too.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree on this. I'm glad to live in a post-Saddam world, where we get to theorize about how bad he might have been. Having been the first of two brothers to be in Kurdistan, I'm glad he's gone.

History has already shown that Saddam had a stabilizing effect on the Middle East. He's about the only one who kept Iran in check. No doubt that Saddam was a bastard. We should have known that when Reagan helped put him in power and armed him to the teeth to hold Iran in check.

Not one of our soldiers should have been in Iraq, let alone the nearly 5000 that were killed there and will never return to their families. And for what? Just because Bush all but came out and said it was a direct attack from Iraq? Never again should we EVER invade a nation that poses no threat to our national security.

That's why websites like the following were created.....

Iraq Veterans Against the War | You are not alone

 

[auditor0007]

Thank you, Tomas Young, and best wishes!

Truthdig - The Forgotten Wounded of Iraq

Thank you for what, writing a letter that is nothing more than a collection of Democrat talking points to President Bush? I would think he could think of better things to do with the last few days of his life than serve as a propaganda tool for the Democrat Party.

As much as it is true that the vast majority of Americans supported the Iraq War in the beginning, the evidence proved out that we had no business being there. Our leaders failed us miserably on this one, and it is important to acknowledge that so we don't make the same mistake again in the future. The truth is that Viet Nam, Iraq, and even Afghanistan have all been massive debacles that in the end did nothing to make Americans safer. That is the important lesson to be learned. We killed hundreds of thousands for nothing. We tens of thousands of our own sons and daughters to their deaths for absolutely nothing.

I'm not one to call for war crimes against our leaders, because things really are more complicated and what was done was in a state of war. That being said, if we aren't intelligent enough to now admit that these wars have all been massive cluster fucks, then we have not learned a single thing and are destined to make the same mistake over and over again. This is not a political issue; it is a moral issue and it really should not be influenced by political beliefs.