North Korea …

Posted on Thursday 26 June 2008

While waiting for the [utterly infuriating] House Hearings on the Torture Memos, I watched President Bush and Steven Hadley discussing their very successful negotiations with North Korea concerning their nuclear program. Tough negotiations, well executed, strongly monitered. It’s a beautiful example of a strong country throwing its weight around in the world for the benefit of the whole world – a testimony to the power of right-thinking diplomacy.

For a moment, I was proud of Bush and Hadley. And I thought maybe history could have at least one kind thing to say about their tenure. But I had other thoughts – thoughts that actually brought a tear to the corner of my eye. If only these two men had not given in to the exhotations of the Neoconservatives, they could have applied these same skills to the problem of Iraq. Even if Saddam Hussein had stonewalled their efforts and we had ended up going to war, it would have been a just war. I would support it if it was justified and at the end of firm diplomacy and the public, verifiable demonstration of a clear and present danger. They didn’t do that and will live in infamy because of their rash and irresponsible Invasion of Iraq.

I hope that what_might_have_been dawns on both of these men. It might bring them some peace down the line instead of spending the remainder of their lives living with an awful truth they can’t let themselves see. They’re two former little boys who probably dreamed of future greatness, but they blew it when the time for greatness came. They lied and then they tried to cover-up their mistakes. Maybe they’ll get off without punishment, but that’s not exactly what those  little boys dreamed of…

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