How a Handful of Neoconservative Israelists, with a Think-Tank plan written for Mr. Netanyahu, Played the United States into Unnecessary War in Iraq for Israel, Setting in motion the Slow Decline of a once Great Nation, the United States of America
by Lee Whitnum, Candidate for the U.S. Senate, I-CT
Disclaimer: any issue with the facts of this document should be addressed to the source.
THE BACKGROUND LEADING UP TO WHAT HAPPENED:
1. In the 1980s the intellectual leadership of the U.S. shifted from being WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) to Jewish. This fact was documented in the controversial New York Times bestseller: "Crashing the Gates, The De-WASPing of America’s Power Elite" by Robert C. Christopher.1
2. This shift was not without its prices. The new intellectual leaders were publishers Norman Podhoretz of Commentary Magazine and the Kristol family, father and son, of The Weekly Standard.
3. Both Kristol and Podhoretz are apparently Israelists – people who believe the goals of the United States and Israel are one in the same.
4. Podhoretz once declared "I am a Jew first, American second." 2
5. Podhoretz’ Commentary Magazine was dubbed the “Neocon Bible” by The Christian Science Monitor.
6. They are also both Neoconservative. It is important to note that Neoconservatives are not Conservative. They are Israelists who believe, according to Pat Buchanan, in "intervention, wars for democracy, and a passionate attachment to Israel."3
7. In the leadup to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Podhoretz argued strongly for military intervention, claiming that Saddam Hussein posed a direct threat to the United States4 (which was not true). Kristol repeatedly called for "Regime change" in The Weekly Standard, specifically "...any sustained bombing and missile campaign against Iraq should be part of any overall political-military strategy aimed at removing Saddam from power." 5
8. Corresponding with the rise in the Neoconservative power was the rise in the power of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. In 1982 President Ronald Reagan wanted to publicly thank AIPAC for help with the War Powers Act, but Tom Dine - head of AIPAC - decline preferring to maintain it’s low profile..6
9. And "under the radar" they have stayed - in thirty years they have grown to the most powerful force in Washington and thus the world.7 They have a hand in every political election. See my item on my personal encounter with a pro-Israel extremist group dubbed "Euphemistic Support Groups" by Senator Paul Findley.
10. I, Lee Whitnum, conducted a simple poll in 2008 of 100 Caucasian men in Fairfield County, CT – mover-and-shaker types – leaders who are presumably well-informed. It revealed that only two out of a hundred had ever heard of AIPAC. It is no accident that the most powerful force in Washington - a force larger and more powerful than the AARP or the NRA - is still unknown to the average American.
11. In 1996 Richard Perle (a.k.a the "Prince of Darkness") submitted a report to Prime Minster Netanyahu of Israel: A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm. Widely known as Clean Break, a document that called for the toppling of dictators in the Middle East. It stated “an important Israeli strategic objective” was “removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.”8 It also advocated “hot pursuit” of the Palestinians. This basically translates to violence again the indigenous non-Jewish underclass.
12. The aforementioned recommended violence no doubt contributed to the 1988 formation of al Qaeda by Abdullar Azzam - a Palestinian man deeply driven by the injustice to his people (and it is an injustice). 9
The stage was set: 1. The domination of the D.C. Conservative intellectual community; 2. Financial control of every Congressional election to ensure pro-Israel politicians, thereby securing an endless flow of U.S. funding to Israel; 3. Control of the message to the American public; 4. An aggressive plan that included "preemptive" violence and "hot pursuit" against the non-Jewish underclass; 5. The formation of a terrorist group the result of the violent injustice inflicted by the Israeli government on its non-Jewish underclass for sole purpose of maintaining a Jewish ethnic majority.
THE SPECIFICS OF WHAT HAPPENED:
13. Israel wanted Saddam out of power because he was giving $20,000 to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. 10
14. According to Pat Buchanan the Neoconservatives: “Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith, Wurmser, Bolton all belong to a clique ...who see U.S. and Israeli interests as identical” and they control “U.S. policy in the Middle East since Bush was sworn into office,” but they were “plotting and propagandizing for war on Iraq long before 9-11.” 11
15. In 1998, Perle and his other neoconservative buddies were all members of the Project for the New American Century a Washington think tank. "were among the signatories of a letter to President Clinton calling for the removal of Hussein."12 Clinton, being bright, had turned them down. A similar letter sent to Bush by the neocons – this time it actually worked! Bush was not as bright, had delusions of grandeur, was not a reader and so he was easily manipulated. //www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm
16. Before he left office Clinton spoke to then President-elect Bush and he also had Sandy Berger talk with his successor Condoleezza Rice, stating clearly that getting al Qaeda be “the highest priority,” 13 but this reality was ignored.
17. In the meantime, the Neoconservatives were flattering Bush telling him to “trust his gut” and that he had “good instincts.” 14
18. Once Bush was in power the Neoconservatives pestered him constantly about attacking Iraq. Bush at first fought them stating that the US needed support from other nations in order to attack Iraq - something the US did not have. 15
19. That problem was easily solved. Card carrying Israelist and Neoconservative Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (the seat I’m trying for now) along with Paul Wolfowitz spoke at the Wehkunde convention 2002, the largest meeting of European political leaders. Lieberman’s speech furthered the Neoconservative agenda by pushing for war with Iraq. 16
20. The neoconservatives used the bombing on September 11, 2001 as their chance to get their agenda through. They were hell-bent and Wolfowitz was described by Bob Woodward as “a drum that would not stop” in his insistence that George Bush take down Iraq.17
21. The day after 9-11 Richard Pearle was apparently coming from the White House and he stopped George Tenet, stating, Saddam must pay for this. Tenet was shocked – everyone knew it was al Qaeda.18
22. The Neocons continued to sequester Bush, the voice of fact could not get to the president. Richard Clark, Counterterrorism Czar, who should have been allowed access to the president, could not get in to see him….19
23. …but, Elie Weisel, survivor of Auschwitz and Nobel Peace Prize winner, showed up at the White House without an appointment with our president. He hung around Condoleeza Rice’s desk, he got our president’s ear and the message was the same as the Neoconservatives’ message: Take action against Iraq. He told Bush, “In the name of morality how can we not intervene?”20
24. At the same time a Neoconservative in the Pentagon was busy on the same agenda. According to head of the CIA George Tenet, neoconservative violated the established CIA protocol. Slides routinely go from the Pentagon to the President. Slides with real intelligence were substituted with Neoconservative slides, which went to Bush. (A treasonous act in my opinion). 21
25. For some reason the insistence of the Neoconservatives’ to take down Iraq, despite General Zinni and others’ argument that it was not pressing, seemed to be fueled by a bizarre Holocaust reference. According to author Thomas Ricks, “For Feith, as for Wolfowitz, the Holocaust--and the mistakes the West made appeasing Hitler in the 1930s, rather than stopping him--became a keystone in thinking about policy. Like Wolfowitz, Feith came from a family devastated by the Holocaust.” 22
26. It was a full-scale assault on George W. Bush by the Neoconservatives who sequestered him and were relentless in their insistence that Bush attack Iraq. According to Bob Woodward, even Colin Powell who observed their browbeating stated to the President Bush, “You don’t have to be bullied into this.” 23
27. In that period leading up to the decision for war, Vice President Cheney visited several Arab nations. “The leaders pounded on him (Cheney) not about Iraq, or the threat of Saddam Hussein, or terrorism, but about the Middle East peace process. He kept hearing that the president had better get involved and throw his weight around to set the region on some process to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;”24 their concern for the obvious was not a surprise to Colin Powell or Tommy Franks, who were both “of like mind”25 but it was a “wake up call” for Cheney according to Bob Woodward who was apparently clueless to the real reason for wide-spread anti-American sentiment.
28. For war to transpire, the Neoconservatives would need Congressional approval. Judith Miller a card-carrying neoconservative and ex-girlfriend of Richard Pearl wrote a phony article for the New York Times – a move that eventually got her fired. Her article falsely stated that Saddam had WMD. 26 Her article also greatly influenced policy during the lead-up to war as described by a senior military officer: ‘The media has far more effect on intelligence analysis than you probably realize.’ I t would only emerge later- and long after the war began-that the Times story had been flat wrong 27
29. The press did not verify any of Judith Miller’s claims. The shocking failure of the press to check the facts is extensive covered by PBS in this report by Bill Moyer. 28 http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/video_popups/pop_vid_btw1-1.html
30. One year, almost to the day, that Joe Lieberman and Paul Wolfowitz buttered up the European community for war against Iraq, Colin Powell addressed the United Nations to state the case for attacking Iran. 29 Powell knew what he was doing, he was being a good soldier. To the people who read – what he did was unforgivable - he knew better and went along. There were never any weapons of mass destruction and there was no link between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. That was the end of Powell’s political career and the beginning of the decline of the United States of America.
31.Bush declared war on Iraq instead of going after the real enemy, Osama bin Laden, or tackling the main root of anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment:: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is Israel's refusal to make peace or restitution to its non-Jewish underclass for fear of losing a Jewish majority.
32. “False rationales presented as justification”30 for war, mainly the belief that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, were presented to the United States Congress to get the necessary vote to go to war. The United States Congress was played.
33. The insanity of that decision was best summed up by Senior NSC Counterterrorism Official Randy Beers who stated to Richard Clark, “They still don’t get it. Instead of going all out against al Qaeda and eliminating our vulnerability at home, they wanna fuckin’ invade Iraq again!”31
34. Most Members of Congress believed there were weapons of mass destruction based on the phony New York Times article OR they dutifully did what AIPAC wanted – putting their own campaigns and ambition before the wellbeing of our country.
35. A New Yorker profile of Steven Rosen, AIPAC's policy director during the run-up to the war on Iraqi, stated that "AIPAC lobbied Congress in favor of the Iraqi war."32 Additionally, AIPAC leader bragged in 2003 “quietly lobbying congress for War in Iraq was one of AIPAC’s accomplishments.”33
36. Joseph Wilson, ambassador to the country of Niger, wrote an op-ed to the Wall Street Journal claiming the Judith Miller report was false and that there was no yellow cake uranium and therefore no WMD.34 In retaliation, members of the administration outed CIA agent Valerie Plame, Wilson's wife, putting her life in danger. 35 A movie was eventually made about the danger to this married couple for exposing the truth. The movie, Fair Game, stars Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.
37. The Iraq war was a mess orchestrated by neoconservatives “Wolfowitz and the policy crowd” who seemed to grossly underestimate the task and had convinced the president that “war with Iraq would be relatively easy.”36 It ranged on for ten long-years.
38. Nothing was accomplished and much was lost; the Iraq War was a huge mistake. A James Zogby poll in December 2011: world-wide opinion and Iraqis themselves all believe that little was accomplished. 37 .
39. Additionally, the Iraq war made all Americans less safe. As Bush and the neocons Iraq War incited more terrorism than any previous administration by "radicalizing Muslim youth into heightened hatred of America." 38
40. When it was determined by the 9-11 Commission that there weren’t any WMD in Iraq; I thought some Neoconservatives would be fired and maybe even tried for treason. But in the insanity of this warped administration most of the Neoconservatives got promoted. Wolfowitz became president of The World Bank. Joe Lieberman was re-elected a senator from Connecticut, etc.
41. During the bi-partisan 9-11 Commission Congressional hearings, Congressman Lee Hamilton of Virginia asked FBI agent James Fitzgerald why did the terrorists attacked on 9-11. Fitzgerald responded, “They feel outrage against the United States and they sympathize with the Palestinians.39 (see the Youtube clip on this website under the real reason for 9-11.)
42. The report did not examine the real reason the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. But on in "The 9/11 Commission" report page 162, one of the 9/11 bombers, Marwin al Shehhi was reportedly asked why he and his roommate Mohammad Atta, never laughed. He said, “how can you laugh when there are people dying in Palestine?” 40
43. Bin Laden himself later stated that the 9-11 attack was all about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and our blind support of Israel amid such an injustice. Click here to view the AP Article
44. Richard Clark, former counterterrorism czar, once said, "...peace achieve there and hatred for America would evaporate” referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 41
45. Few Americans know the truth. Five years after 9-11 a whopping 50% of Americans still believed Iraq had had WMD even though the 9-11 Commission proved otherwise. 42 Many Americans still believed that Iraq was responsible for the 9-11 bombing even though Bush himself had publicly stated otherwise. They did not know, nor care, that the taking down of Iraq was a long-standing important Israeli objective.
46. ..and how could they? It rarely gets reported in mainstream press - mainly due to fear of being labeled an anti-Semite. Applied spin always makes Israel appear justified to inflict collective punishment on the non-Jewish civilian underclass. Israel is not the poor victim. To get past the spin you need to read and most Americans don't.
47. Ten years after the war, according to Johns Hopkins University, 600,000 Iraqi civilians are dead.43 The United States hasn't even begun to pay that price for that unnecessary tragedy.
48. In November 2011 talk show host David Gregory of "Meet the Press" pointed out that presidential candidate Herman Cain did not know about the Neoconservatives and what they did.44
49. No doubt Cain like most Americans listens to FOX news and knows less than those who watch other news sources according to a recent study.46 Most Americans were overworked, overfed and underpaid. They don’t read and this is, unfortunately, is to the detriment of our country.
50. Apparently in keeping the Netanyahu’s Clean Break, in 2008 Israelist Senator Joe Lieberman tried to pass the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment which would have declared Iran’s Army a “terrorist” organization thereby allowing George Bush to attack Iran without congressional approval. At the time that decision would have been disastrous for the US which was already engaged in two wars. Putin's intervention stopped any action. 47
51. Not one Neoconservative paid for what they did to our country. In fact they are even applauded by the ignorant. In October 2011 The American Emprise Institute sponsored a presidential debate where card-carrying Neoconservative Richard Kagan stood up and received applause.48
52. The United States walked away from the oil – all of it. War with Iraq, was never about oil or democracy. It was about hegemony and ideology. Israel would like domination of the Middle East with the United States paying the price. “Democracy” is a crock. Speaking of democracy: Israel has never been a democracy and Israel will never control the Middle East because of deplorable treatment, in the last 60 years, to its non-Jewish underclass in the “Jewish State.”
53. In May of 2011, during Netanyahu's visits I lobbied in Congress with several groups during the Move-Over AIPAC Conference. I was saddened to see the Weekly Standard and Commentary Magazine in so many Capital Hill offices.
54. Netanyahu’s Clean Break is coming true. The Israelist Neoconservatives continue to call for the taking down of Iran and Syria.
55. It is important to note that a handful of AIPAC extremist leadership does not represent the average America Jewish person,” a 2007 Gallup study based on 13 different polls, according to which 77% of American Jews were opposed to the Iraq war, compared to 52% of Americans. 49 Walt and Mearsheimer echoed this sentiment, "the war was due in large part to the lobby's influence, and especially its neo-con wing. The lobby is not always representative of the larger community for which it often claims to speak." 50
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End Notes (under construction)
1. Christopher, Robert C. "Crashing the Gates, The De-WASPing of America’s Power Elite" 1989, pg. 82
2. Podhoretz, Norman. "Ex-Friends," New York: The Free Press, 1999
3. Buchanan, Patrick J., “Where the Right Went Wrong” St. Martins Press, 2004, pg. 40.
4. Podhoretz, Norman.- quote on the Iraq war lead up? argued strongly for”
5. The Weekly Standard, November 16, 1998, editorial, online posting, newamericancentury.org, web.archive.org, accessed May 30, 2007.
6. Findley, Paul. "They Dare To Speak Out: People And Institutions Confront Israel’s Lobby," Third Edition. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 2003. pg. 31.
7. Mearsheimer, John J., and Walt, Stephen M. "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 151-199 Walt & M. book
8. Pearl, Richard. Clean Break: Securing the Realm
9. Wright, Lawrence, “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11” pg. 135.
10.“Palestinians Get Saddam Funds,” BBC News.March. 13, 2003
11. Buchanan, Patrick J. “Where the Right Went Wrong”. St. Martins Press, 2004,
pg. 40.
12. //www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm Add letter to Bush
13. Clark, Richard, A., "Against All Enemies, Inside America's War on Terror," Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2007, pages 2-6
14. Woodward, Bob, State of Denial New York: Simon & Schuster. pg. 11
15. Ricks, Thomas E., "Fiasco, The American Military Fiasco in Iraq," The Penguin Press, New York, 2006.
16. Ricks, Thomas, E. "Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq," New York: The Penguin Press, 2006. (Wehrkunde)
17. Woodward, Bob. "Plan of Attack." New York: Simon Schuster, 2004.?
18. Tenet, George, encounter with Pearle.
19. Clark, Richard, A., "Against All Enemies, Inside America's War on Terror". Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2007, page 242
20. Woodward, Bob, "Plan of Attack." New York: Simon Schuster, 2004. pg. 320.
21 Tenet, George, The Established Protocol Slides.
22. Ricks, Thomas, E., "Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq." The Penguin Press, New York, 2006. pag. 77
23 Woodward, Bob, "Plan of attack" Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2004, p. 22. (add: lunacy)
24. ?25 Woodward, Bob, "Plan of attack". Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2004, p. 112
26 Judith Miller
27. Ricks, Thomas, E., Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq. New York: The Penguin Press, 2006. pg. 56
28. http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/video_popups/pop_vid_btw1-1.html
29. ?
30. Clancy , Tom, with General Tony Zinni and Tony Koltz, “Battle Ready.” Berkeley Press, 2004, pg. 42
31. Clark, Richard A., "Against All Enemies, Inside America's War on Terror", Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2007, page 241
32.Rosen, Steph, Lobby in Favor of War.
33. New York Observer, 2003. quote: "Quietly lobbying Congress for war in Iraq was one of AIPAC's accomplishments this year."
34. Wilson, Joe, The Wall Street Journal. op-ed35 make ref. to Scooter Libby, Bob Novac and Valerie
36. Woodward, Bob, "Plan of Attack". Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2004, p. 11937. http://www.ibopezogby.com/polls/latest/
38. Clark, Richard A., "Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror," The Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, New York 2004. “peace Achieved there.
39. Fitzgerald
40. 9/11 Commission Rept. p.41. Clark, Richard A., Against All Enemies, Inside America's War on Terror. Simon & Schuster, Inc. 2007, peace achieved?
42.“Bush Rejects Saddam 9/11 Link,” BBC News.Sept. 18, 2003
43 Johns Hopkins U. on death toll44 David Gregory on "Meet the Press."
45 No corresp. quote 47. Kyl Lieberman amendmt.48. Reference to AEI debate.
49. Mearsheimer, John J., and Walt, Stephen M. "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 151-199 Walt & M. book
