I Am Deeply Ashamed

I read this with horror, and then went to the links showing the videos of Iraqi prisoners being tortured.

Granted, some of the pictures being described were so blurry that they could have been anything, but there were others that were crystal clear. The worst part in my mind was the hype that went into the buildup before the war and the excuses after. Iraq in general and Saddam Hussein in particular were demonized and the U.S. soldiers portrayed as gallant white knights come to free the poor oppressed people.

George W. Bush, from a press conference on 1/12/04: "The world is more peaceful as a result of Saddam Hussein not being in power."

George W. Bush, from a press conference on 11/13/04: "Well, first of all, the goal of the terrorists -- whether they be Baathists, or mujahideen fighters, or al Qaeda-type fighters -- is to create terror and fear amongst average Iraqis -- is to create the conditions where people are just so fearful for their lives that they cannot think positively about freedom."

George W. Bush, from a press conference on 10/8/03: "I was not about to leave the security of the American people in the hands of a madman. I was not going to stand by and wait and trust the sanity and restraint of Mr. Saddam Hussein."

This page is fairly typical of the thinking of the pro-war set - that anyone who reminded us of the U.S.'s part in Saddam Hussein's government or implied that this was not going to be a clean sweep was unAmerican and in league with the devil.

And now we see that "we" are "they," and everyone is the same. And George Bush is Lord of the Flies.