"But we have this -- we're left with this thing. We basically had centuries of stasis and stability and stagnation in the Middle East, which produced terrorism, but also produced the crushing of human capital for century after century -- 9/11 happens, the Taliban is thrown out, Saddam is deposed, people are voting with purple fingers.
And now we have a moment of turmoil. We don't know this turmoil -- it could be worse, it could be better. But it's a moment of turmoil. I think the Iraq war and the deposition of Saddam Hussein was part of the things that encouraged, instigated the turmoil. It's very messy, very complicated.
But, in 100 years or in 50 years, we will look back and see where the turmoil went and maybe we will have a better sense of how the Iraqi elections, getting rid of Saddam, getting rid of the Taliban helped lead to maybe getting rid of Mubarak, Gadhafi and all the rest." Brooks
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"I mean, let's be very blunt about it. Al-Qaida was responsible for 9/11. Iraq had nothing to do with it. Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and no ability or capacity to deliver those weapons that were nonexistent.
JIM LEHRER: And you don't dispute that, David?
DAVID BROOKS: No. Well, we obviously thought what we thought back then.
But I always thought that the need to disrupt the Middle East was one of the reasons why it was necessary.
MARK SHIELDS: Unstated.
JIM LEHRER: Unstated.
And goodbye.
(LAUGHTER)"
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Laughter? Really? I have respected Shields and Lehrer, but that's it for me. Only a cretin would find this funny even ironically. Brooks is the kinder, gentler neocon on the national scene, but he is still a neocon. His comment about the "need" above has always lain at the heart of the neocon desire to invade Iraq and reduce it to the "year zero." It never had anything to do with oil and it still has nothing to do with oil.
I hope this guy from the 3rd ID thinks this is funny.
The sadly amusing thing about the neocon present happiness at revolution across the region is that none of it has benefited Israel. pl
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec11/shieldsbrooks_12-16.html
