BTW, was anyone really surprised that Bush finds the details concerning "outrages upon human dignity" vague in the Geneva Convention? The man was president of his fraternity AND in Skull & Bones! He's probably doled out and (and this is the only thing that gives me some small feeling of satisfaction) received treatment that most normal people would consider outrages upon human dignity. Thankfully, John Oliver finally acknowledged that bit of Bush's personal history on the Daily Show the other night.

Because neocons are hauling out the "hindsight is 20/20" argument on Iraq, I think that it is worth repeating that this outcome was widely predicted by people who had even a rudimentary understanding of the issues. This included well-known conservative politicians whose expertise was available to the president, had he ever decided to take his job seriously.

Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in 'mission creep,' and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs ... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-cold war world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the U.N.'s mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different -- and perhaps barren -- outcome.

"A World Transformed," by George H.W. Bush and Brent Scowcroft, 1998.

Yes, but Bush said he listens more to his Father in heaven than his actual father....

I'm really liking John Oliver!

I'm really liking John Oliver!

The two Johns are my new favorite parts of the Daily Show team (that aren't Jon).

Yes, but Bush said he listens more to his Father in heaven than his actual father....

So what we need is a really good ventriloquist as a mole in the White House...

I'm missing Bush the Elder. I never thought that day would come. Oh, for the days of a President who understood foreign policy!

I feel I should note once again that what Bin Laden et al wanted to accomplish with 9/11 was to provoke an armed response from the West, so as to fuel the rise of jihadism. Seriously, it was like he was waving a big red flag and the Bush Administration was a particularly stupid bull.

This is something that's been driving me absolutely insane since the occupation began. Two things, actually -- the "flypaper" argument, and what Bin Laden wanted to accomplish with 9/11.

The "flypaper" argument, or "we fight them there so we don't have to fight them here," is easily the stupidest argument I've never heard. Even if we were fighting a regular army (which, as the administration and their propagandist puppets constantly like to remind us, we are not), who ever heard of an army that couldn't spare just a few guys to sneak into enemy territory for some special attack mission? It's absolutely idiotic to think that because our army is in Iraq that suddenly everyone planning an attack somewhere else, likely with the cell already set up and plans in motion, is going to drop everything and run to Iraq to get shot by US guns, tanks, bombs and missiles.

And secondly, what Bin Laden wanted. As Theo pointed out, it seems most likely that what Bin Laden wanted was to provoke an armed response in the Middle East by the US. Anybody with even a modicum of intelligence can tell you that if your enemy wants something, the last thing in the entire world you should ever do is to give it to them. READ FUCKING SUN TZU! Seriously? Sun Tzu would take one look at our current situation, shake his head, and tell us we're fucked.

Oh, for the days of a President who understood foreign policy!

Oh, for the days of a President who understood ENGLISH.

Oh, for the days of a President who understood ENGLISH.

Which may explain the problem with what Shrub thinks his Father in heaven is telling him.