Winograd Report

Because Israel is faced with real "existential threats," in contrast to the phony ones conjured up by Senator McCain and the other Republican clowns, it tends to take its wars a bit more seriously. For the Republican Party and its many allies, a war is a profit center for It and its clients in the military-industrial complex rather than something serious enough to put aside Party in favor of the Nation.

Consequently, we managed to blunder into a ridiculous and costly war and wage that war utterly fecklessly without anybody bothering to check how and why. None of those who led us into that war, from Bush to Clinton to Edwards, want the truth to come out, but the country needs to hear it.

Israel, with a boost from the same clowns, made a similar mistake in Lebanon, but they ended the disaster quickly and conducted a real inquiry to find our what went wrong. That inquiry was the Winograd commission, and its final report has been produced, and it is scathing in its condemnation of the blunders of the government and military.

Americans, by contrast have done nothing. Even the 9/11 inquiry, it is now alleged, turns out to have been corruptly undermined by its own chief of staff.

If Obama survives next Tuesday, he, as one of few not tainted by agreeing to the war, should call for an independent commission to investigate the war: its origins, its misconduct, and how to prevent future blunders of the same type. If Hillary objects, he should beat the heck out of her on the issue.

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