"...Invading Another Country on a Completely Trumped Up Pretext"

I was wondering the same thing myself, but the Earth Bound Misfit is more succinct:

 

Why Hasn't John Kerry's Head Exploded? When he makes statements like this:  

"You just don't in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext," [U.S. Secretary of State John] Kerry told the CBS program "Face the Nation."

 

Right. As a senator, Kerry voted to invade another country based on a completely trumped up pretext. 

Let's admit the fact that Putin took a page out of our own playbook: Gin up a false rationale for military action, get legislative approval and then invade another country.

 

It seems we Americans have a pretty short memory.  But that's OK because the Very Serious People remain in charge, so we're in capable hands.

 

Conflict of Interest Among the "Very Serious People"

From Think Progress, this disturbing tidbit about a conference this week in DC:

NBC’s David Gregory To Headline Conference For Major Republican Advocacy Group

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which calls itself “the voice of small business,” is one of the Republican party’s strongest allies. The group spent over $1 million on outside ads in the 2010 campaign — all of it backing Republican House and Senate candidates (and, Bloomberg News reported last month, “another $1.5 million that it kept hidden and said was exempt” from disclosure requirements). The group is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Obamacare law and bankrolled state governments’ challenges to the law. The NFIB has also taken stances against allowing the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases, opposing regulations on businesses, and supporting curtailing union rights.

The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics states:

Journalists should:
— Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
— Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
— Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.

This confirms to me what I have always suspected: Mr. Gregory is a tool.  What passes for journalism among the Very Serious People of DC is pathetic.  They are afraid to ask the tough questions for fear of losing access to the rich and famous.

 

Very Serious People

From a DOD-sponsored distance learning class that I am currently taking on military logistics, one of the lessons is a cautionary tale about the man, who at the time, was the chief warrior of the United States of America. This lesson deals with the logistics of the initial days of the Iraq war in 2003.  I quote the entire lesson, it's short:

"Bring war materiels with you first, then forage on the enemy." -Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu always emphasized the need to be prepared to go to war at any time, be able to take with you what you need, and not have to return to resupply.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made the decision to deploy mostly combat units in the weeks before the invasion, and held back Army and Marine Corps logistics and support units. Battalions of tanks and armored vehicles dashed forward in pursuit of the enemy, leaving behind a trail of broken-down vehicles because there were no repair parts. Some units even ran dangerously low on ammunition and had problems getting resupplied. Others that needed M-16 rounds received unneeded tank shells instead.

An important lesson, "Bring with you what you need," was not learned.

General Paul Kern noted in an interview that "American forces managed to prevail only because of the creative ability of individual soldiers to pull the pieces together. They are the heroes."

Bottom line: beware of Very Serious People. Don’t be in awe of them, for often they are stunningly wrong.