Tuesday, September 30, 2008

To Joe Biden: Time for Confession

By Ray McGovern
September 30, 2008

Dear Senator Biden,

I don’t have to remind you of the importance of this Thursday’s debate from a political perspective. But as you prepare, I invite you to spare a few minutes to look at the opportunity from a moral and religious perspective.

Read on.
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

INCOMING>>>>>

While I agree with Ray McGovern's call for candor and share some of his concerns about Senator Biden's political record, I find his infusion of religious ideology into the issue of war powers and the current election campaign to be an odious charade.
Perhaps our pious commentator should take his own advice, sans any religious doctrine, and explain some of his own adventures in deception and dishonesty regardng the American people. He might begin with explaining how he justified using the good name and honorable reputation of Scott Ritter to bolster his own credibility.
There is no doubt that we, the American people, have been once again, presented with two less than desirable choices for our next presidential administration; but does any reasonable person really think that McCain/Palin is the better choice? What possible good can come out of trashing the only viable chance we have, even if it is only a marginal choice?

Tue Sep 30, 12:22:00 PM 2008
ficheye said...

I agree with the first comment by 'sirscud'.

This article posted by Ray McGovern seems to be aimed towards filling us all with a little MORE hopelessness than we already feel. It's entirely possible that Ray believes in creationism after you read his history and current affiliations with the church.

The best choice for any of us to make is to choose the lesser of two evils. And we all need to be inspired to do that... not to go purchase a gun and end it all. Sure, Biden is flawed. Flawed, and he has hairplugs as well. But we created these people... they reflect us. We need to change ourselves and our government and it's gonna be painful. Can you help us with that Ray? It seems that you can't. To be of value to us as on online commentator it would be great if you could be helpful beyond the usual denigrating tactics practiced by most 'expose' journalists.

Analyst for the CIA, the most reviled and secretive institution in our nation besides the NSA? Church of the Saviour? It's amazing how many Americans, as they age, decide that Jesus is going to forgive them after all that sinning. If Jesus even existed at all, I know one thing for sure... he'd be pissed. It's scary to think, as well, of just how many 'Veterans' have gotten Jesus after all their misdeeds, and now they want to be assigned great credibility after all of their bad judgments. Help us, Ray. And leave out the bible quotes. It hurts this website for you to wax so hopeless at this critical juncture.

Tue Sep 30, 01:03:00 PM 2008
Anonymous said...

Yes, this sanctimonious hectoring, though to be expected from Sister Mary McGovern by now, is much to the discredit of Consortium News.

Robert Parry! Time for confession!

What happened to incisive reporting and informed, well-spoken Op-Ed? Your readers deserve more than preachy, tired sour-grapes from ex-CIA careerist Ray McGovern.

Wed Oct 01, 11:10:00 AM 2008
Anonymous said...

Confession may indeed be good for the soul, but as a last moment debate tactic (forced by external events barely a month before election day) in my opinion Ray McGovern's sanctimonious advice for Joe Biden to plead mea maxima culpa is too transparently self-serving, and way too late.

McGovern may well be correct that Palin is loading up to expose the glaring inconsistency between Obama the prescient anti-war presidential candidate, and Biden the unwavering hawk, on the issues of invading Iraq and staying the course with a continuing US military occupation presence in the Middle East. Expect more breathless hype about surging on to victory, too.

But who didn't see this coming a mile away? It was the first thing I thought of on the day that Barack's choice of Joe Biden for the veep slot was announced.

I can't believe that Senator Biden's long public record of open support for the Bush regime's propaganda push to attack Iraq wasn't strategized over long and hard by the Obama campaign's inner circle before Biden was added to the ticket. Rather than groveling before God, and beseeching forgiveness for his personal and the nation's collective sin, I suggest instead some variation on the following theme:

"Sometimes great nations make great mistakes. Vietnam was one such mistake, over thirty years ago. Invading Iraq in 2003 was another.

I have now come to realize that I was wrong (like millions of other patriotic, conscientious Americans were wrong at that time tumultuous time), and I deeply regret that my Senate votes gave support to the Bush administration's doctrine of preventive, or preemptive, war.

Barack Obama, the candidate for president at the head of our Democratic ticket, had the sound judgment to speak out against the invasion back then. Events have proven Senator Obama was right (while so many of the rest of us in government, in both parties, and in the media, got it wrong). Painful as it is, I acknowledge that reality. But what about John McCain - the leader of the Republican ticket?

John McCain stood in the Rose Garden along side his old friend Senator Joe Lieberman to help George Bush push the Iraq war authorization through Congress six years ago last fall without any hearings, with only perfunctory debate and with little time for serious reflection. John McCain is still proud of his personal role in that whole process.

Whether it's due to temperment or lack of judgment, it has become clear to me that my old friend John McCain simply will not learn from his own past mistakes, just like George W. Bush remains in deep denial to this day.

The American people now know it is time for a complete change of policy direction in Iraq. Keeping American troops on occupation duty on the ground in the Middle East indefinitely - like John McCain promises to do - would make us all less safe here at home, at a staggering cost in additional blood and and treasure.

It's time for America to change course and move on, and restore our position in the world after eight years of George Bush's unilateral military recklessness. Putting John McCain and Sarah Palin in charge of the Bush foreign policy team in Washington DC would mean four more of the same - four more years of squandered resources and blowback, four more years of bravely soldiering on, but tragically marching in the wrong direction.

I have learned. They never will."

Bill from Saginaw

Wed Oct 01, 04:40:00 PM 2008

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