Once again,
Michael Moore has thrown a
monkey wrench in the general direction of
George W. Bush, It seems Moore had interviewed
Porter Goss the President's nominee to replace
George Tenet as director of the
Central Intelligence Agency. According to Moore, during the interview Goss, a veteran of
military intelligence stated he wasn't qualified for the post. Apparently his language and research skills weren't of the right type, and he lacked the necessary
expertise. Those sort of statements, if
confirmed, should prove explosive during Goss' confirmation
hearings.
Personally, I see Goss' nomination as progress. Goss at least knows that he doesn't know the Middle East. That's a real step up from most of the rest of the Administration. Vice President Dick Cheney knew there were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq before the war. He continues to insist they exist today even though by now we all know differently. Goss' predecessor, the extremely popular George Tenet, called the case against Iraq a 'slam dunk". The President, Cheney and every Republican who had lungs spent the pre-war insisting that Iraq posed an "imminent danger" to the United States. The 9/11 commission report found differently pointing out that the sanctions had so weakened the Iraqi military as to leave it a pale shadow of the force we steamrollered in 1991. Condoleeza Rice continues to insist Saddam Hussein was a threat, and that the President did the right thing by ordering the invasion. Donald Rumsfeld "knew" that American troops would be mostly out of Iraq within sixty days. He even fired Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shimenoseki for daring to tell Congress the real occupation would require 200,000 troops, even though telling Congress the truth was the General's job. Rumsfeld knew better. These are the people "in the know".
Personally, I find Moore's revelations a relief. We've had almost four years of an administration that 'knew' it was right and everything. This knowledge has turned a large budget surplus into the largest deficit in American history. Their convictions have turned America from a moral authority to a reprobate, a nation that most people regard more as a threat than a friend. Their certainty landed America into a military quagmire. Their War on Terror has proven been a real gift to Al Quaeda recruiting.
Frankly, I'm sick of an administration full of people who know everything. Considering their record, I'm ready for a little honest ignorance. It would be an improvement.