By Jessie Lilley
It's about 30 years since I got my basic education in American politics. That was the year that my mother and I sat and watched the Watergate hearings. I learned about the Constitution of the United States from Sam Erwin, Lowell Weicker, Fred Thompson and the magnificent Howard Baker who summed it all up with the question, "What did the President know and when did he know it?"
What did he know? I think he knew it all. Even if he didn't know about the break-in beforehand, he sure as hell knew about it right afterwards and all he had to do was fire a whole flock of subordinates and save himself. But he didn't. And the coverup that was ordered festered into what Sam Erwin suggested was the greatest tragedy in the history of the country. More so even than the Civil War wherein, Erwin noted, there were great moments of heroism and sacrifice on both sides, but there was no heroism or sacrifice in Watergate.
This was not quite true, I think. Reflecting on Watergate recently, due to a long-ass political discussion with Linaweaver, I think there was heroism involved in the ultimate scandal. Brad asked me who my favorite Republican president of the 20th century was. I thought a moment and replied, "Nixon." I think I surprised him and explained, "He taught me so much about politics, and he gave me Watergate and all its players." Judge John Sirica was astonishing. Sam Erwin himself is a hero of mine and always will be. I charge you all-if you haven't seen any of the footage or even-God forbid-you don't know what I'm discussing here, for your own sake and the country's, find it and see it. Listen to it and see that the general consensus is wrong. The lesson of Watergate is not "Don't get caught." That's not it at all damn it!
I am extraordinarily ashamed about that "point in time," but exhilarated by the result. The lesson is that the system in this country can and does work. No man or woman in the United States of America is above the law. Mr. Nixon's disgrace is all he deserved for trying to win that case in court: all the truly wonderful things he accomplished as President are brought so low by Watergate and in the end, he is reviled.
With this in mind, I have been considering the now infamous 16 words: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." It seems this information is not true. We are told that forged intelligence reports are to blame. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice blamed the British. Assistant Secretary of State Paul Kelly admitted he was concerned about the information. US Secretary of State Colin Powell didn't mention any of this in his discussions with the UN after the fact. CIA Director George J. Tenet said he should have told the White House not to use that information. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said we were missing the point. President Bush didn't say much except that he stands behind what he said and his decision to go to war as well as the fact that he was pleased that Mr. Tenet did what had to be done. Now everyone is accepting responsibility for the error and I guess since that's been said, they expect us to all go away and forget about it.
The President of the United States gave the people of this country false information regarding his reasons for going to war. This information was in the State of the Union Address delivered to us on January 28, 2003. And so the United States Military engaged Iraq under what seem to be false pretenses.
As of this writing [7/31/03] between 6 and 8 thousand Iraqi civilians have died as a result of this action and on 7/18/03, the death toll on American military personnel surpassed that of the first Gulf War of 1991. Granted our losses are small in comparison to Iraq's. We lost 147 soldiers in 1991, and today the count is over 200. No doubt Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his ilk would consider these losses insignificant, though I doubt the families of the dead would agree.
William Jefferson Clinton lied about having sex. He was impeached over bullshit. And oh! The calamity. Special Prosecutors, closed door hearings, semen-stained dresses, reputations ruined, yada, yada, yada. Nobody died.
George Bush lied about Saddam Hussein's actions. Stack up the corpses.
The people of the United States of America require the truth. We are not children who can't handle and/or understand adult matters. We are the people Lincoln mentioned in the Gettysburg Address: "... that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
We, the people, no longer tolerate secrets and lies in the White House. That is the lesson of Watergate.
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"All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character� serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; �make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction.
� they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion."
-Excerpted from George Washington's Farewell Address, 1796.
To read the Farewell address click here.
This article was first published in Worldly Remains and remains the property of the author Jessie Lilley. If you wish to reproduce all/any part of this article then you should seek the author's permission in writing.
� 2002 Jessie Lilley, All Rights Reserved
