WSJ Columnist: Obama Should Give Stephen Hadley The Medal Of Freedom
WSJ Columnist: Obama Should Give Stephen Hadley The Medal Of Freedom
In the Wall Street Journal today, President Bush’s former Chief Speechwriter William McGurn writes that National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley has “earned” the Presidential Medal of Freedom “for work that made possible the success we are now seeing in Iraq.” McGurn argues that though “it’s possible that George W. Bush would award” Hadley, it would be better “for the country” if President-elect Barack Obama were to honor Hadley:
Were President Obama to do so, a good man would receive an honor he richly deserves. The American people would see a new president confident enough to acknowledge the success of a decision he opposed. And the world would know that when the United States does leave Iraq, we intend to walk out with honor instead of being helo’d off an embassy rooftop.
McGurn’s argument in favor of Hadley is based solely on the idea that “without this good man’s courage and persistence, there would have been no surge.” It’s true that Hadley made many of the key decisions regarding the surge and that the strategy has achieved important gains in reducing violence in Iraq (though true political accommodation in Iraq is still elusive). But McGurn’s focus on the surge ignores Hadley’s role in selling the Iraq to the American people based on false information:
– Hadley was a member of the White House Iraq Group, which was assigned to “educate the public” about the threat and whose creation coincided with the “escalation of nuclear rhetoric” before the war.
– Hadley disregarded memos from the CIA and a personal phone call from Director George Tenet warning that references to Iraq’s pursuit of uranium be dropped from Bush’s speeches. The false information ended up in Bush’s 2003 State of the Union address.
– Weeks after the 2003 State of the Union, Hadley repeated the false uranium claim in an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune, saying that the Iraqi “regime has tried to acquire natural uranium from abroad.”
– Hadley also pushed to have the unsubstantiated claim that 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta had met with an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague months before the hijacking placed into then-Secretary of State Colin Powell’s speech to the United Nations.
McGurn claims that “awarding Steve Hadley the Medal of Freedom would cost Mr. Obama nothing, save possibly a few howls from the Daily Kos.” Clearly, those “howls” would be well-deserved.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
What is this idiot smoking?
November 18th, 2008 at 11:47 amAfter we give recognition to Hadley, we can recognize the work Hitler did in Europe.
I can’t beieve what idiots we have printing news…or should I say garbage!!!
November 18th, 2008 at 11:49 amHadley? Hardly,.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:50 amForget the medal, just build a statue of him in Richard Perle’s “George W. Bush Square” in Baghdad. He can visit it on his way to The Hague.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:50 amWhat Obama SHOULD do is award all in Chimpy’s administration (including Chimpy) a free trip to The Hague.
In chains, if possible.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:51 am.
Classic Bush…
… Reward the biggest looser.
.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:54 amShould this award be given to him before his trial for war crimes or should Obama wait to present it posthumously after Hadley is executed?
November 18th, 2008 at 11:54 amSheesh.. McGurn could be KKKarl Rove’s older brother, from the looks of it.
What is it w/ these flabby, pasty-faced, over-the-hill white guys?
November 18th, 2008 at 11:54 amAwww, c’mon! They’re punking us, right? Right??
November 18th, 2008 at 11:54 amBush should give the now meaningless award, not Obama. Hadley can join Peter Pace, Tommy Franks, Paul Bremer, and George Tenet in their Bush Hall of Shame.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:54 amWhat TROS says.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:55 amMcGurn claims that “awarding Steve Hadley the Medal of Freedom would cost Mr. Obama nothing, save possibly his credibility, his self-respect, and his soul.”
November 18th, 2008 at 11:56 amI am getting sick and tired of this “the surge worked” nonsense. First of all, the surge had little to nothing to do with the drop in violence. Paying the Sunni tribes not to shoot at American troops, Muqtada Al Sadr’s Cease Fire, as well as the horrifying ethnic cleansing of neighborhoods are the reason violence is down.
Aside from that, every indication is that more troops is not the way to truly beat an insurgency. We must build schools, provide clean water, improve the electrical grid, etc…very little of which we have done.
Shooting these “insurgents” and increasing our violent response to display a “show of force” just turns the population and even somewhat sympathetic Iraqis will turn against the the occupying force. It doesn’t matter if you kill 1 insurgent if you create 5 more in the process.
Had we put our energy into improving the conditions in the country and employing Iraqis and using Iraqi companies instead of KBR and Haliburton would have had much better results than the “surge”.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:00 pmThe Hague is a joke, as is the EU.
What Obama should do is award these jerks, all of them, 10 to 20 in Leavenworth. Kucinich had it right.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pmMaybe Hadley should be appointed to Obama’s transition team to provide continuity .
November 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pmhttp://www.democracynow.org/2008/11/17/obama_taps_ex_cia_officials_tied
If there is an editorial board in America more delusional than the Wall Street Journal’s, I’d like to know about it.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:04 pm“Heckuva job, Stevie!”
November 18th, 2008 at 12:04 pm7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
November 18th, 2008 at 12:05 pmsince we live in a democracy, why not put it to a vote? if a majority of the family members of the soldiers who lost their lives in iraq want to give hadley a medal, then so be it.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:05 pmOops.
Anyhoo, freeman, I’m sure you’ll let us know when you find something Obama is doing right won’t you?
November 18th, 2008 at 12:07 pm49erDem Says:
“If there is an editorial board in America more delusional than the Wall Street Journal’s, I’d like to know about it.”
Second only to that other Murdoch rag the New York Post. Less circulation than WSJ but slightly more delusional IMHO.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:08 pmSo now the Presidential Medal of Freedom is basically like those trophies they hand to every 5 year-old soccer player – Thanks for Participating! You’re a Winner!
November 18th, 2008 at 12:09 pmshorter version:
A former Bush administration member thinks Bush should give another former Bush administration member a medal.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:11 pmObama wont give Hadley the honor but there are thousands od innocent dead Iraq men/woman/children that have something for him. Then there’s the millions that moved out of Iraq because their homes were bombed or taken over by anyone who wanted a home. Yes the tortured men, raped woman/children that Mr. Hadley allowed to be attacked will be more then happy to let him know how they feel. Now the UN should include Hadley on the charges of War Crimes.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:12 pmThe so-called “Surge” is/was not a strategy, I know because me and my men and thousands of others were “surged” into Iraq 4-5-6-even 7 times since 2003. Everytime there was an election there was a “surge”, it was just called something else. You sacrifice one area by pulling out to beef up another area, thats not a war tactic, thats playing “chase”.
Some of you would be surprised to know how many times we relieved the SAME units or people that we took over for 12-15 months ago. How the hell you “surge” with the same Soldiers, Marines, Airmen over and over is beyond me. And to call it a success only comes from someone whose never been or who gets to walk thru a market with a Battalion sized security force.
Please lets stop all this talk of the so-called success of the so-called “surge”, starting with Mr. “I know how to win wars, even though I have never been in charge of a Company, Squadron, Platoon, Battalion, etc…, and I’ve only seen death from above” McCain. This FAILED strategy is not the reason for less violence in Baghdad, there are less people to kill in Baghdad then there was before. If Mr. Sadr decides to let his militia loose, then will you see the true effects of the so-called surge.
So in closing, no Medal of Freedom for Mr. Hadley, and everyone that received one during this administration should have theirs revoked.
RIP
November 18th, 2008 at 12:13 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
November 18th, 2008 at 12:16 pmThese people just can’t stop! You just can’t write this shit!
They have no shame. No responsibility. No accountability. He should never get the Medal of Freedom. All he deserves is a Razzie.
sbobker Says:
The Hague is a joke
Hey, did you hear the one about Radovan Karadzic? He’s been on the run for 12 years and now, wouldya believe it, he’s awaiting trial in the Hague for crimes against humanity!!! I tell you, the people of Srebenica reckon it’s the best joke evah. Justice is such a rib-tickler.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:18 pmPerhaps they ought to award the Medal of Freedom to Saddam Hussein (posthumously, of course) for providing the opportunity for all that democracy- and freedom-spreading…
(The above was brought to you by Snarktastic Productions, Inc.)
November 18th, 2008 at 12:24 pmThe “surge” worked only when our soldiers didn’t die as much. Is that working? Remember last year when we were pissed at the democrats for funding the war? When democrats voted to fund the MRAP program to get our soldiers out of hummvees(60% of the American soldier fatalities in Iraq were from being blown up in HUMMVEEs), did that equal to the “surge” working? It must be dubya lojik.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:26 pmFreeman, thank you for the link to Obama’s intelligence transition team.
I fail to understand how people who twisted intelligence to support the Iraq war or supported torture/rendition are OK when working for the blue team, but bad when wearing red.
The point of this website is to push progressive positions. Unless it wants to change it’s name to Think Centrist. Keep up the good work.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:36 pmHanging the bastard after a trial would be more appropriate.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:42 pmA medal? Really? I can think of something much more appropriate to present Mr. Hadley with — a windowless cell in the Hague.
Just saying . . .
November 18th, 2008 at 12:44 pmkrazeeinjun has it right on the money:
“I can think of something much more appropriate to present Mr. Hadley with — a windowless cell in the Hague”
Hadley should be presented with a one-way ticket on the Second plane to the ICC. The first one should be filled with Chimpy, Darth Cheeeeney, Addington, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, and probably John Woo…One way – no return, to the Netherlands.
War Criminals all…..and should be treated as such…
November 18th, 2008 at 12:53 pmThe Medal of Freedom has become tarnished at the hand of Bush. While there are many to whom the Medal is well deserved, Bush has awarded to it to many that have brought shame to our country.
To name a few, Irving Kristol - Neo-Nitwit, Normand Podhoretz - Neo-Nitwit, L. Paul Bremer III – Incompetent, Tommy R. Franks - Just followed orders, and George J. Tenent - Failed to protect us from the largest terrorist attack on American soil.
Some others for Bush to give the Medal to are Dick Cheney, Ronald Dumsfeld, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Alberto “Bertito” Gonzales, and Karl Rove.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:08 pmSomebody really needs to tell the wingers that they lost the election. I don’t recall ever hearing so much unsolicited advice from the losing side to the winner after any prior election.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:14 pmMedal of Freedom?
November 18th, 2008 at 1:19 pmFcking for whom?
Not the Iraqis. Not the American people.
The CEO’s who profit from this war, perhaps?
Does anyone know what the Presidential Medal of Freedom was originally intended to be awarded for? I had never heard of it until Bush started awarding it to traitors and war profiteers. Surely that wasn’t the original concept of the award.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:29 pmHadley will get his medal right after George Bush gets his award for outstanding performance on the job.
/sarc off
November 18th, 2008 at 1:32 pmThe Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award a President can grant. Bush blurred the line by granting it to Generals Tommy Franks and Peter Pace. But, George W. couldn’t give a rat’s arse about such distinctions. Or should I say “dis stinks a ton”!
November 18th, 2008 at 1:43 pmI thought the Presidential Medal of Freedom was renamed the “Presidential Medal of Failure” after George Tenet, Paul Bremer and Gen. Tommy Franks all got one.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:50 pmThey have to give Hadley that. After all, the Medal of Stoopidity, the Medal of Ignerrence, the Medal of Incompetence, the Medal of Thuggery, and the Medal of Constitutional Shredding have already been taken.
Cheers,
November 18th, 2008 at 2:09 pmlet the traitor-boy Bush give lying, war-criminal hadley a medal of fascism if he wants to… Five years of war crimes and genocide in iraq… heck of a traitor, hadley…
November 18th, 2008 at 2:20 pmHe probably will.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:20 pmSomebody burst this guy’s bubble.
Give Hadley a wing in the Bu$h Library. Then give him a stretch of freeway to keep clean.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:38 pmSo for being completely wrong over and over about Iraq and being a shameless propagandist Hadley should get a MEDAL????? I can see how the Wall St. Journal would believe that. Medals for everyone kinda like a Neocon Special Olympics
November 18th, 2008 at 2:57 pmI understand that the repubs are trying to put in some spin to force Obama to do their bidding. for example – Graham (R-SC) saying that Obama needs to meet with McCain regularly.
But for Obama to reward the failed surge ???????????
November 18th, 2008 at 2:58 pmI want a MoF too! MoF’s for everybody! It doesn’t hurt anything to just give them out like candy. Especially if you’re giving them to people who like to violate the constitution. That makes sense. PALIN / WURZELBACHER 2012!!!
November 18th, 2008 at 3:33 pmElBruce – If Hadley gets a MOF, I fully support that you get one. But first you have to make sure I get the Nobel Prizes in Literature, Peace, and Medicine this year.
Must be all 3.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:21 pmReward him with a permannent appointment as deputy U.S. Ambassador to Iraq where he can enjoy the new Bush Green Zone Palace.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:14 pm