[Peace-discuss] leaders when they are wrong

[John W.]

At 03:25 PM 3/21/2006, Karen Medina wrote:

> > Schieffer: you played down the insurgency 10 months ago. You said it
> > was in its last throes.
>
> > Cheney: "the statements we've made, which I think were basically
> > accurate and reflect reality..."
>
>Because confronting them with their contradictions doesn't seem to be
>working...
>
>Cheney and Bush will never say they are/were wrong, just as Saddam
>Hussein will never say that he did anything wrong. I think that even to
>their last breaths will they hold to their beliefs that they were right, like
>Milosevic, they believe they are heroes. They have been lieing to
>themselves from day one.

Likewise, Hermann Goerring (spelling?) went to his death after the 
Nuremburg Trials convinced that he had done the right thing.  During his 
trial he was smug, even when confronted with overwhelming evidence of Nazi 
brutality.  To these people, the end justifies ANY means.  And they're 
convinced that their ends are pure.


>What I don't get is how human beings stop lieing to themselves? I mean,
>sure, as human beings we all tell ourselves little lies, but most of us later
>come to realize that we were wrong and at least admit it to ourselves.

Do we?  I can think of many counter-examples from my own life 
experience.  Of course, the stuff we do, and lie to ourselves about, 
doesn't impact as many lives as the actions of government leaders.


>But how do we get to that point of honest personal reflection?
>
>Then how do we get our leaders to do this and stop their madness?

These are excellent questions.  These are questions for the ages.  I have 
Biblical answers if anyone wants to hear them.  Otherwise I got nothin'.  :-)

John Wason



>-karen medina
>
>=================================
> >     Bob Schieffer: “Mr. Vice President, all along
> > Â Â Â Â the government has been very optimistic. You
> > Â Â Â Â remain optimistic. But I remember when you were
> > Â Â Â Â saying we'd be greeted as liberators, you played
> > Â Â Â Â down the insurgency 10 months ago. You said it was
> > Â Â Â Â in its last throes. Do you believe that these
> > Â Â Â Â optimistic statements may be one of the reasons
> > Â Â Â Â that people seem to be more skeptical in this
> >     country about whether we ought to be in Iraq?”
> >     Dick Cheney: “No. I think it has less to do with
> > Â Â Â Â the statements we've made, which I think were
> > Â Â Â Â basically accurate and reflect reality, than it
> > Â Â Â Â does with the fact that there's a constant sort of
> > Â Â Â Â perception, if you will, that's created because
> > Â Â Â Â what's newsworthy is the car bomb in Baghdad. It's
> > Â Â Â Â not all the work that went on that day in 15 other
> > Â Â Â Â provinces in terms of making progress towards
> >     rebuilding Iraq.”
> > Â Â Â Â Face the Nation, March 19, 2006,
> > Â Â Â Â http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/26/ftn/
>
> > Â Â Â Â http://www.vietnam-war.info/quotes/quotes2.php
> > Â Â Â Â Council for a Livable World
> > Â Â Â Â 322 4th Street, NE
> > Â Â Â Â Washington, D.C. 20002