Hagel: White House’s justification of Iraq is like ‘Alice In Wonderland.’
By on Apr 1st, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Hagel: White House’s justification of Iraq is like ‘Alice In Wonderland.’
Last night on the Daily Show, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) repeated his claim that the Iraq war has been “one of the great blunders of American history,” and that the White House is justifying “something that’s unjustifiable”:
Your question about how the administration deals with this now–well, they continue to justify something that’s not justifiable. It’s Alice in Wonderland: what’s up is down, what’s down is up.
Watch it:
Recently, Hagel rejected the idea that the surge has been a “success” considering the fact that U.S. has “lost over 900 dead Americans since the surge.”
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I don't mean to sound cynical, but is this Hagel's out-the-door legacy building tactic?
April 1st, 2008 at 12:42 pmI mean to sound cynical: this IS Hagel's out the door legacy building tactic.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:43 pmI M P E A C H - & - C O N V I C T !
April 1st, 2008 at 12:48 pmI really don't care why he's barking - he's barking in the right direction. Now, if the dog would bite...
April 1st, 2008 at 12:49 pmAnd Bush and Cheney are still in office because....???
IMPEACH BUSH CHENEY
April 1st, 2008 at 12:50 pmHague Trials '09
If this is Alice in Wonderland... We can only hope that Bush & Cheney will get caught by the Queen of Hearts...
April 1st, 2008 at 12:56 pmEven though this is Hagel's out the door legacy building tactic, at least he's saying something.
I have often wondered why all the Republicans march in lockstep to Cheney's orders. Most of America is against the war, and think it was sheer idiocy to invade at all, including many of the constituents in Republican districts. You would think that at least one of them would run for re-election on an "Iraq was a blunder" platform.
Of course, if Cheney has something on all of them, it might be that the only people who can say what they want are the people who are choosing to leave.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:57 pmI don't see Hagel's strategy as an out-the-door policy for his Senate career as much as a foot-in-the-door policy for the SecDef slot under President Obama.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:02 pmThe value in what Hagel is saying is that you don't hear it on the corporate megaphone---ever. Seriously, when one of those wingnut bobbleheads blathers, "The surge is working", how many times have you heard some reply "Yup. We've lost 900 of our soldiers since its inception."?
Say what you will about Hagel, this is a perspective we should all be emphasising.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:03 pmHagel is one of the few Repubs who voted no at first. And he's been outspoken against it many times. I don't agree with much of his other politics, but I admire him for his stance on Iraq.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:05 pmVery good point Miss Molly.. He seems to pull all the strings. Nothing would surprise me if he had private files on everyone of them.
It's one way to keep Republicans in line....
April 1st, 2008 at 1:05 pmI wouldn't even call this a war. The idiot just invaded a country that posed no threat to the US because of its oil resources and its inability to retaliate. Invading a country for oil and destroying its people, resources, history and culture is downright simple ABUSE!
April 1st, 2008 at 1:05 pmThe rabbit hole is definitely deeper nowadays.
And Bush has lost his head. (...cue Cheney, Queen of Hearts)
I'm not a big Hagel fan, but when asked if he might support Obama, he hesitated & didn't respond for a moment.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:05 pmI'll tell you exactly why. Retaliation. They will harbor no dissent.
If Hagel's son were running for congress like Nick Smith of Michigan then he would probably be concerned. They are some vicious, revenge oriented zealots.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:06 pmThe Surge is also a surge in U.S. tax payer dollars, as in probably doubling or tripling al Sadr's bribe payments.
_AIO_
April 1st, 2008 at 1:07 pm.
Oh look, Hagel's on John Stewart's show...
Does this make Hagel a comedian?
Sad that only comedy shows show the shocking truth to our stark reality. The Myth System Management is doing a heck of a job... NO?
.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:08 pm.
DaTruth Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 1:05 pm
It's called a WAR CRIME!
.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:10 pmIt isn't like Alice in Wonderland. It is just a bunch of lying from a pack of rabid liars who wanted to have a war for fun and profit.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:11 pm[the White House] continue to justify something that’s not justifiable. It’s Alice in Wonderland[...]
Ah... that explains the trolls at ThinkProgres: They are the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledum, and Tweedledee...
It all makes sense now.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:13 pmMiss molly said: "I have often wondered why all the Republicans march in lockstep to Cheney’s orders."
The Republicans with control or input over policy are all making stinking shitpiles of money on the war. That's why it continues despite public opposition. That saddest part is that well-meaning Republican voters continue to carry the water for these guys based on their misplaced feelings of loyalty and patriotism.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:16 pmWhen R-NE is more reasoned than I-CT, why does LIEberman get to caucus and chair D committees?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:19 pmAt least Hagel is talking anywhere he can (Dalily Show, Countdown). Maybe Darth Cheney doesn't have any files on him and that's why he can openly speak his mind on the crime of the millennia which is the Iraq occupation.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:26 pmsorry typo: I meant "Daily" not Dalily. Dalily? lol
April 1st, 2008 at 1:27 pmWho cares....what we should be discussing is how loud were the boos that herr dubyah received at the Nationals game.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:28 pmalphainfinityomega Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 1:07 pm
The Surge is also a surge in U.S. tax payer dollars, as in probably doubling or tripling al Sadr’s bribe payments.
The splurge is working!
April 1st, 2008 at 1:34 pmFor the last FIVE YEARS Iraqi children have been getting killed by our weapons. Somebody needs to start talking about that.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:36 pmWhat are all you libs going to do if a Dem takes office and realizes that we can't just pick up and leave Iraq? It's our duty to not leave the Iraqis high and dry. It may have been a mistake to go in there in hindsight, but it would be a bigger mistake to leave the region more instable than when we got there.
Speak Out. Be Heard - FREEDOMSPEAKS.COM
April 1st, 2008 at 1:38 pmI thought Exlax settled that for us -- there was only a "smattering" of boos and TP lied about them being "loud".
Apparently, when I heard loud boos, I was only hearing what i wanted to hear.
So why doesn't that work when I hear stuff I don't want to hear?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:39 pm"What are all you libs going to do if (insert straw man arguments here)"
April 1st, 2008 at 2:00 pm>It’s our duty to not leave the Iraqis high and dry.
Why? So we can support a country whose constitution says "there will be no laws which contradict islam"?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:06 pmfamilyman Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 1:36 pm
For the last FIVE YEARS Iraqi children have been getting killed by our weapons. Somebody needs to start talking about that.
Can't wait for Bush to start babbling about the sanctity of human life again.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pmB-b-b-u-t whhhy isnt Mr. Hagel refusing to acknowledge the drop in violence in iraq???
April 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pmFreedomspeaks said:
That's the tragedy of this mess. Anyone, Dem or GOP who tries to fix this mess, is gonna get it on his/her hands, and it doesn't come off easy. I suggest we start by trying Bush and Cheney for war crimes, apologizing to the whole world for letting these guys do so much damage, asking for help to fix the mess, and going after OBL again as a murderer.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:08 pmbut it would be a bigger mistake to leave the region more instable than when we got there.
Yeah, and what are YOU going to do when you pull your head out of your *** and realize that our very presence in Iraq is destabilizing?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:08 pmI suggest we start by trying Bush and Cheney for war crimes, apologizing to the whole world for letting these guys do so much damage, asking for help to fix the mess, and going after OBL again as a murderer.
This would be an EXCELLENT course of action to take.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:10 pmfreedomspeaks - April 1st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Republican logic: If you make a mistake, solve it by 1) never admitting your original mistake, 2) insulting your critics, 3) lying about having a plan of action, and 4) repeating the same action that got you in trouble over, and over, and over.
Don't forget to justify your actions with highly hypothetical scenarios that will never be tested against reality.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:12 pm>and going after OBL again as a murderer.
gosh, why reduce him to a common thug when we could put him on an anti-pedestal and make him out to be some demonic super-warrior like bush has?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:12 pmHagel is selling a book and vying for the VP job in the Democratic administration.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:16 pmFascistspeak; Take your old, tired, swastikas and go hang yourself. You and your ilk are not wanted here.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:17 pmInvading a country for oil and destroying its people, resources, history and culture is downright simple ABUSE!
No...it's a war crime.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:19 pmOf course it is justifiable. Tricky Dick and his corporate friends have made millions (maybe billions) on the war. What better justification can a neocon have? what's your problem with that, Chuck?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:20 pmah, i really love these threads about right wing people not falling in lockstep with Uber Dumbya....really shuts our usual troll gallery up....other than one flaghumper spouting his "freedom isnt free..(its just sold cheap)" jingoist buffoonery...
April 1st, 2008 at 2:22 pm>and vying for the VP job in the Democratic administration.
wow. that would be a terrible idea. as if the republicans need a better excuse to knock off obama...just make him secretary of defense.. make no mistake.. hes pretty darn right wing, but hes been in war and unlike the chickenhawks running the show he understands its an ugly business..
April 1st, 2008 at 2:26 pmnot like "5 deferments" dick and some unnamed trolls here who were too busy working at mcdonalds to enlist..
Sen. Hagel has spoken out against the Iraq war since early in 2005. He was even accused of being a "liberal" by one of the conservative (stupid word to use for them) radio talk hosts...Limbaugh? In addition, he wants Gitmo closed, believes we should talk directly with Iran, asked Bush to push for an immediate cease fire during the Hizbollah-Israel war. He's also considered a liberal on many social issues. For sure, he's no lock-step Republican. Something that impressed me is that he told potential voters when he was elected to the Senate in 1996 that he would retire from the Senate in 2008, after two terms. He has done so.
Interesting article about him in the Guardian from March of 2007. (pdf. file)
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/Chuck%20Hagel%20Salon%20--%20Ewen%20MacAskill.pdf
April 1st, 2008 at 2:40 pm>Limbaugh
Yes...interesting enough, the moniker "betrayus" was intitially used by Limpballs against Hagel simply because he disagreed with the iraq war. now we have a general who agrees with the iraq war but is making millionaires out of the terrorists who were killing our soldiers and consorting with convicted fraudsters whose lies led us into this war, and republicans wail like sex starved babboons because moveon.org simply calls it like it is: what else do you call a man who gives american treasure to those who have shed american blood?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:48 pmActually I think he'd be an excellent SecDef. As much fun as it was to see him on The Daily Show, watch him on Charlie Rose.
He comes very close to endorsing Obama at 19:20.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:49 pmfreedomspeaks Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
What are all you libs going to do if a Dem takes office and realizes that we can’t just pick up and leave Iraq? It’s our duty to not leave the Iraqis high and dry. It may have been a mistake to go in there in hindsight, but it would be a bigger mistake to leave the region more instable than when we got there.
Speak Out. Be Heard - FREEDOMSPEAKS.COM
"It MAY have"? Ya think maybe? "It will be a bigger mistake to leave the region more instable(sic) than when we got there."
Agreed. It's a mistake that Shrub and those like you who blindly follow him made. You're responsible for it.Deal with it.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:53 pmHagel has made the "Alice in Wonderland" comment part of his rhetoric on this book tour. He also used it on CNN last week.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:53 pm>Hagel has made the “Alice in Wonderland” comment
Speaking of trippy things, did anybody see the episode of "lil bush" where dick cheney was a raver taking too much excstacy and giving everyone hugs? hilarious..
April 1st, 2008 at 3:05 pm> may have been a mistake to go in there in hindsight.
Right, maybe we should have someone other than the drunk who ran over the family do the surgery to try and put them back together..
April 1st, 2008 at 3:22 pmHe's flacking his book, but he's had more courage than many on the Iraq issue.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:57 pmOoops! Yep, it's the old, Minnow Routine, by Hegel; as part of the tired Neo-con 'snag a liberal, with a piece of poison bait' line of products...(which Rove built!)! As we have witnessed, 'soft' Republicans like Hegel, amount to do-nothings and obstructionists at their jobs! That's probably the opposite of what we need, that-is-to-say, funny men behind the walls of Congress!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:18 pmHey, that Senator Hagel your talking about is my Senator.
Although he votes Bush on most issues. There has been a couple of issues he has broke with Republicans on.
1) Iraq, obviously well spoken on, 2)Social Security privatization.
Hey I transfered with my job here some time ago, OK.
This is the Big Red State you know. All the Congressmen are Repubs.
hagel has taken some harsh emails from me on such items as Telecom immunity to Sam Alito. He does respond and tries his best to explain his position.
Look, At least it is not as bad as having Sen Inhofe....!
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:41 am