The Washington Post has a report today concerning the survivors of the shot-down CH47 in Iraq. Story.
“It started out fun,” said Sgt. Christopher Nelson, one of 12 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, based in Fort Sill, Okla., aboard the helicopter and in Iraq since April. “We were just ready to go.”
I bet some people in Washington DC feel much the same. And, of course, in London. Now where was that inquiry report again? And what about this?
“Perle, a member of the Defense Policy Board, said in a telephone interview that he was approached last winter by Imad al Hage, a Lebanese businessman, with what was described as a offer by Saddam Hussein to hold elections and perhaps to permit the entry into Iraq of a small number of U.S. troops.”
Yes, it’s Dickie Pearl, the well-known warmonger and War on Trrrr booster again. This time in the role of backchannel diplomatist. Hard to believe – no wonder it didn’t happen. Kissinger was much better at the game of looking like a dangerous nuclear nut in public whilst talking for real objectives in private. Mind you, I’d give a year’s blog to see the CIA phone notes for that particular day. After all, this was one of the men who advised Ernst von Rumsfeld that The Company was a haven of Saddam-loving pinko limpwrist self-hating liberals. He never said a word. Mind you, at least this is true:
“Likewise, Air Force Col. Jay DeFrank, a Pentagon spokesman, said that “any suggestion that al Hage’s offer could have avoided war is nonsense.”