[Peace-discuss] FW: Kicking Ass in Afghanistan (fwd)

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Good comment from Francis Boyle on the position of those -- often
Democratic liberals -- who say, "Well, I supported going after al-Qaeda in
Afghanistan, but Bush's attack on Iraq has hurt the War on Terrorism."
--CGE]


>From Richard Clarke, Against All Enemies, page 24:
 
When, later in the discussion {on the evening of Sept. 11, with Bush and
his crisis advisors}, Secretary Rumsfeld noted that international law
allowed the use of force only to prevent future attacks and not for
retribution, Bush nearly bit his head off. "No," the President yelled in
the narrow conference room, "I don't care what the international lawyers
say, we are going to kick some ass."

--------------------------------

Notice that Rumsfeld was correct in his opinion: International law only
permits the use of force in self-defense, not for retribution; and
retribution is never self-defense. In addition, Rumsfeld clearly advised
Bush and his top advisers that a war against Afghanistan for retribution
would be illegal. But Bush made is quite clear that he knew his war
against Afghanistan would be illegal, that he did not care about
international law and international lawyers, and that his primary
motivation for going to war was to kick some asses of Muslims/Asians of
Color in Afghanistan. So much for the putative legality of the Bush war
against Afghanistan. It is yet another US racist war of aggression against
People of Color in a Third World Country.
 
And so much for those shameless legal apologists of the Bush Jr. war of
aggression against Afghanistan. They just wanted to kick some ass too --
so long as it was Muslims/Asians of Color. They are just a gang of bigots,
racists, and war-mongers.
 
Francis A. Boyle