Via Pogge, we find this lovely gem: Blair committed his government to war in Iraq in July 2002, eight months before the war actually began. This means that the whole affair with the UN, the Security Council vote, everything was a sham.
Well sorry, I had already assumed that was the case long ago. I mean, evidence is nice and all, but don't we trust our eyes? It was obvious from the days immediately after 9/11 that this administration was rearing to go after Iraq, and was simply looking for an excuse. So color me un-shocked by this latest "smoking minute" as Pogge calls it.
One of the more disturbing things about the whole Iraq war is the ease with which the US public was "pushed" in to war. (If you want to read an excellent academic article, read "Threat Inflation and the Failure of the Marketplace of Ideas" by Kaufman.) The war was sold to the American people with such ease, that it really makes you wonder if we are any smarter than Nazi-era Germans, or any other group of people who've been fooled by propaganda. There are three depressing possibilities that I can see:
1) The American people are unusually warlike (or stupid.) I don't really believe this, but if it's true, it's terrifying given the American military preponderance.
2) The American government can act basically without constraint from either press, congress, or the people. Also terrifying, for the same reason.
3) (And this is one I lean towards) This war couldn't have happened with another country. The American people have been hammered with anti-Saddam messages ever since 1991, so when it came time to "finish him off", most people were behind it.
Now, the thing about #3 is that it doesn't eliminate the government's ability to drum up a war, but it does mean that the timeline is longer.
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