Leftist Hubris
In the realm of ideas and debate today, there are very few magazines that can touch the caliber of Commentary. One of the few magazines we bother to receive in physical form these days, we received the June 2005 issue yesterday. One of the things we always look forward to is the letters pages. Of all the magazines we read regularly, Commentary has by far and away the best exchanges; important people who know what they’re talking about write in and the author of the article, essay or review being discussed always has a chance to respond. Case in point: this month’s edition’s letters page discusses the CIA, First Amendment law, Israel’s Gaza settlers and, just to round things up, Shakespeare. That alone makes the price of admission worth it.
One of the current heroes of the American left these days is former CIA analyst and anti-terrorism expert Michael Scheuer, whose book Imperial Hubris is a must-read in liberal circles to confirm what they already know: that President Bush has badly bungled and needlessly inflamed the War on Terror. Among other things, Scheuer paints a picture of an American administration in thrall to Israeli and Jewish interests which was led to war by a clique that misread and wilfully distorted the available intelligence on Iraq prior to the war.
All of which makes the first letter so very interesting. Jointly written in response to a review in Commentary of Imperial Hubris, the letter is from former Washington Republican Senator Slade Gorton and long-time Democratic legal aide Jamie Gorelick. Both were members of the 9/11 Commission. Gorton is an excellent attorney with superb conservative Republican credentials; Gorelick is an excellent attorney with superb liberal Democratic credentials. They write:
The 9/11 Commission, on which the two of us served as commissioners, thoroughly and exhaustively interviewed Michael Scheuer, whose book Imperial Hubris is criticized at length by [Commentary book review author] Mr. Schoenfeld. On a number of factual issues, he was of real value. But much of what he had to say was not borne out by our investigation. (Emphasis added).
Interesting. Here you have a bi-partisan panel of experts stating flat out that “much” of what Scheuer had to say on the subject of the War on Terror just flat out isn’t true. In other words, one of the number one sources for the left’s constructed mythology of everything that has happened since 9/11 is simply unreliable beyond some factual assertions. Of course, when you get to Scheuer’s own letter in response to Schoenfeld’s review the reason why Scheuer is off base becomes obvious; the man is obsessed with “the Jews.” Scheuer writes:
As I recall, Mr Schoenfeld’s style is much the same style of research/spin engaged in by the Pentagon officials Douglas Feith and Paul Wolfowitz to prove the exitence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and the state/surrogate relationshp between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda.
Leaving aside for the moment that at no time did the President argue that there was a state/surrogate relationship between Saddam Hussein and Al-Queda, note that no one had mentioned either named man to date in the debate, yet here they are, the two “Jews” responsible. Later on Scheuer goes on to chamingly write the officers of the CIA “always remember that their passports are issued in Washington and not Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.”
It’s a Jewish plot! Authorized by famous Jews like George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld!
Let’s add it up: two 9/11 Commissioners say his assertions are not borne out by the facts and that much of what he says is simply not true. He writes and speaks of behind-the-scenes Jewish conspiracies by men with names like Wolf-O-Vitz. He impugns the motives of the men who led us to war and presents his view as the only intelligent course of action.
No wonder he is the toast of the Left.
One of the current heroes of the American left these days is former CIA analyst and anti-terrorism expert Michael Scheuer, whose book Imperial Hubris is a must-read in liberal circles to confirm what they already know: that President Bush has badly bungled and needlessly inflamed the War on Terror. Among other things, Scheuer paints a picture of an American administration in thrall to Israeli and Jewish interests which was led to war by a clique that misread and wilfully distorted the available intelligence on Iraq prior to the war.
All of which makes the first letter so very interesting. Jointly written in response to a review in Commentary of Imperial Hubris, the letter is from former Washington Republican Senator Slade Gorton and long-time Democratic legal aide Jamie Gorelick. Both were members of the 9/11 Commission. Gorton is an excellent attorney with superb conservative Republican credentials; Gorelick is an excellent attorney with superb liberal Democratic credentials. They write:
The 9/11 Commission, on which the two of us served as commissioners, thoroughly and exhaustively interviewed Michael Scheuer, whose book Imperial Hubris is criticized at length by [Commentary book review author] Mr. Schoenfeld. On a number of factual issues, he was of real value. But much of what he had to say was not borne out by our investigation. (Emphasis added).
Interesting. Here you have a bi-partisan panel of experts stating flat out that “much” of what Scheuer had to say on the subject of the War on Terror just flat out isn’t true. In other words, one of the number one sources for the left’s constructed mythology of everything that has happened since 9/11 is simply unreliable beyond some factual assertions. Of course, when you get to Scheuer’s own letter in response to Schoenfeld’s review the reason why Scheuer is off base becomes obvious; the man is obsessed with “the Jews.” Scheuer writes:
As I recall, Mr Schoenfeld’s style is much the same style of research/spin engaged in by the Pentagon officials Douglas Feith and Paul Wolfowitz to prove the exitence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and the state/surrogate relationshp between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda.
Leaving aside for the moment that at no time did the President argue that there was a state/surrogate relationship between Saddam Hussein and Al-Queda, note that no one had mentioned either named man to date in the debate, yet here they are, the two “Jews” responsible. Later on Scheuer goes on to chamingly write the officers of the CIA “always remember that their passports are issued in Washington and not Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.”
It’s a Jewish plot! Authorized by famous Jews like George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld!
Let’s add it up: two 9/11 Commissioners say his assertions are not borne out by the facts and that much of what he says is simply not true. He writes and speaks of behind-the-scenes Jewish conspiracies by men with names like Wolf-O-Vitz. He impugns the motives of the men who led us to war and presents his view as the only intelligent course of action.
No wonder he is the toast of the Left.
