[Vision2020] NYT Paul Krugman "Just Trust Us"
Tom Hansen
thansen@moscow.com
Tue, 11 May 2004 20:40:06 -0700
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Ms. Pall would. And so would many many others.
Thanks again, Ms. Pall.
Tom Hansen
Just another Liberal Elitist loose in the Palouse.
"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil
and steady dedication of a lifetime." --Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.
-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]On
Behalf Of Pat Kraut
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 8:03 PM
To: vision2020
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] NYT Paul Krugman "Just Trust Us"
You would.
----- Original Message -----
From: Linda Pall
To: vision2020@moscow.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 8:59 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] NYT Paul Krugman "Just Trust Us"
Dear Visionaries,
I thought this column was right on the money.
All the best,
Linda Pall
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May 11, 2004
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Just Trust Us
By PAUL KRUGMAN
idn't you know, in your gut, that something like Abu Ghraib would
eventually come to light?
When the world first learned about the abuse of prisoners, President
Bush said that it "does not reflect the nature of the American people." He's
right, of course: a great majority of Americans are decent and good. But so
are a great majority of people everywhere. If America's record is better
than that of most countries — and it is — it's because of our system: our
tradition of openness, and checks and balances.
Yet Mr. Bush, despite all his talk of good and evil, doesn't believe in
that system. From the day his administration took office, its slogan has
been "just trust us." No administration since Nixon has been so insistent
that it has the right to operate without oversight or accountability, and no
administration since Nixon has shown itself to be so little deserving of
that trust. Out of a misplaced sense of patriotism, Congress has deferred to
the administration's demands. Sooner or later, a moral catastrophe was
inevitable.
Just trust us, John Ashcroft said, as he demanded that Congress pass the
Patriot Act, no questions asked. After two and a half years, during which he
arrested and secretly detained more than a thousand people, Mr. Ashcroft has
yet to convict any actual terrorists. (Look at the actual trials of what
Dahlia Lithwick of Slate calls "disaffected bozos who watch cheesy training
videos," and you'll see what I mean.)
Just trust us, George Bush said, as he insisted that Iraq, which hadn't
attacked us and posed no obvious threat, was the place to go in the war on
terror. When we got there, we found no weapons of mass destruction and no
new evidence of links to Al Qaeda.
Just trust us, Paul Bremer said, as he took over in Iraq. What is the
legal basis for Mr. Bremer's authority? You may imagine that the Coalition
Provisional Authority is an arm of the government, subject to U.S. law. But
it turns out that no law or presidential directive has ever established the
authority's status. Mr. Bremer, as far as we can tell, answers to nobody
except Mr. Bush, which makes Iraq a sort of personal fief. In that fief,
there has been nothing that Americans would recognize as the rule of law.
For example, Ahmad Chalabi, the Pentagon's erstwhile favorite, was allowed
to gain control of Saddam's files — the better to blackmail his potential
rivals.
And finally: Just trust us, Donald Rumsfeld said early in 2002, when he
declared that "enemy combatants" — a term that turned out to mean anyone,
including American citizens, the administration chose to so designate —
don't have rights under the Geneva Convention. Now people around the world
talk of an "American gulag," and Seymour Hersh is exposing My Lai all over
again.
Did top officials order the use of torture? It depends on the meaning of
the words "order" and "torture." Last August Mr. Rumsfeld's top intelligence
official sent Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the commander of the Guantánamo
prison, to Iraq. General Miller recommended that the guards help
interrogators, including private contractors, by handling prisoners in a way
that "sets the conditions" for "successful interrogation and exploitation."
What did he and his superiors think would happen?
To their credit, some supporters of the administration are speaking out.
"This is about system failure," said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican
from South Carolina. But do Mr. Graham, John McCain and other appalled
lawmakers understand their own role in that failure? By deferring to the
administration at every step, by blocking every effort to make officials
accountable, they set the nation up for this disaster. You can't prevent any
serious inquiry into why George Bush led us to war to eliminate W.M.D. that
didn't exist and to punish Saddam for imaginary ties to Al Qaeda, then
express shock when Mr. Bush's administration fails to follow the rules on
other matters.
Meanwhile, Abu Ghraib will remain in use, under its new commander:
General Miller of Guantánamo. Donald Rumsfeld has "accepted
responsibility" — an action that apparently does not mean paying any price
at all. And Dick Cheney says, "Don Rumsfeld is the best secretary of defense
the United States has ever had. . . . People should get off his case and let
him do his job." In other words: Just trust us.
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<DIV><SPAN class=3D952013803-12052004><FONT color=3D#0000ff size=3D2>Ms. =
Pall=20
would. And so would many many others.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D952013803-12052004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D952013803-12052004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Thanks again, Ms.=20
Pall.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D952013803-12052004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D952013803-12052004><FONT color=3D#0000ff size=3D2>Tom =
Hansen</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D952013803-12052004><FONT color=3D#0000ff =
size=3D2>Just another=20
Liberal Elitist loose in the Palouse.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D952013803-12052004><FONT color=3D#0000ff=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV><SPAN class=3D952013803-12052004>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: =
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; =
mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; =
mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">"Patriotism=20
is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and =
steady=20
dedication of a lifetime." --Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV></SPAN> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> =
vision2020-admin@moscow.com=20
[mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Pat=20
Kraut<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, May 11, 2004 8:03 PM<BR><B>To:</B>=20
vision2020<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] NYT Paul Krugman "Just =
Trust=20
Us"<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>You would.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Dlpall@moscow.com href=3D"mailto:lpall@moscow.com">Linda =
Pall</A>=20
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dvision2020@moscow.com=20
href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A> =
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, May 11, 2004 =
8:59=20
AM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] NYT =
Paul Krugman=20
"Just Trust Us"</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Dear Visionaries,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I thought this column was right on =
the=20
money.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>All the best,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Linda Pall</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><IMG alt=3D"The New York Times" =
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border=3D0><!-- ADXINFO classification=3D"logo_strips" =
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</DIV></FONT>
<H5>May 11, 2004</H5>
<DIV><NYT_KICKER><FONT color=3D#666666 size=3D-1><STRONG>OP-ED=20
COLUMNIST</STRONG></FONT> </NYT_KICKER><NYT_HEADLINE version=3D"1.0" =
type=3D" "></DIV>
<H2>Just Trust Us</H2>
<DIV></NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE version=3D"1.0" type=3D" "><FONT=20
size=3D-1><STRONG>By PAUL =
KRUGMAN</STRONG></FONT><BR></DIV></NYT_BYLINE>
<DIV>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 align=3Dright border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV><NYT_TEXT>
<P><IMG height=3D33 alt=3DD=20
src=3D"http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/d.gif" width=3D30 =
align=3Dleft=20
border=3D0>idn't you know, in your gut, that something like Abu =
Ghraib would=20
eventually come to light? </P>
<P>When the world first learned about the abuse of prisoners, =
<ALT-CODE=20
idsrc=3D"nyt-per-pol" value=3D"Bush, George W" />President Bush said =
that it=20
"does not reflect the nature of the American people." He's right, of =
course:=20
a great majority of Americans are decent and good. But so are a =
great=20
majority of people everywhere. If America's record is better than =
that of=20
most countries =97 and it is =97 it's because of our system: our =
tradition of=20
openness, and checks and balances. </P>
<P>Yet Mr. Bush, despite all his talk of good and evil, doesn't =
believe in=20
that system. From the day his administration took office, its slogan =
has=20
been "just trust us." No administration since Nixon has been so =
insistent=20
that it has the right to operate without oversight or =
accountability, and no=20
administration since Nixon has shown itself to be so little =
deserving of=20
that trust. Out of a misplaced sense of patriotism, Congress has =
deferred to=20
the administration's demands. Sooner or later, a moral catastrophe =
was=20
inevitable.</P>
<P>Just trust us, John Ashcroft said, as he demanded that Congress =
pass the=20
Patriot Act, no questions asked. After two and a half years, during =
which he=20
arrested and secretly detained more than a thousand people, Mr. =
Ashcroft has=20
yet to convict any actual terrorists. (Look at the actual trials of =
what=20
Dahlia Lithwick of Slate calls "disaffected bozos who watch cheesy =
training=20
videos," and you'll see what I mean.)</P>
<P>Just trust us, George Bush said, as he insisted that Iraq, which =
hadn't=20
attacked us and posed no obvious threat, was the place to go in the =
war on=20
terror. When we got there, we found no weapons of mass destruction =
and no=20
new evidence of links to Al Qaeda.</P>
<P>Just trust us, Paul Bremer said, as he took over in Iraq. What is =
the=20
legal basis for Mr. Bremer's authority? You may imagine that the =
Coalition=20
Provisional Authority is an arm of the government, subject to U.S. =
law. But=20
it turns out that no law or presidential directive has ever =
established the=20
authority's status. Mr. Bremer, as far as we can tell, answers to =
nobody=20
except Mr. Bush, which makes Iraq a sort of personal fief. In that =
fief,=20
there has been nothing that Americans would recognize as the rule of =
law.=20
For example, Ahmad Chalabi, the Pentagon's erstwhile favorite, was =
allowed=20
to gain control of Saddam's files =97 the better to blackmail his =
potential=20
rivals.</P>
<P>And finally: Just trust us, Donald Rumsfeld said early in 2002, =
when he=20
declared that "enemy combatants" =97 a term that turned out to mean =
anyone,=20
including American citizens, the administration chose to so =
designate =97=20
don't have rights under the Geneva Convention. Now people around the =
world=20
talk of an "American gulag," and Seymour Hersh is exposing My Lai =
all over=20
again.</P>
<P>Did top officials order the use of torture? It depends on the =
meaning of=20
the words "order" and "torture." Last August Mr. Rumsfeld's top =
intelligence=20
official sent Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the commander of the =
Guant=E1namo=20
prison, to Iraq. General Miller recommended that the guards help=20
interrogators, including private contractors, by handling prisoners =
in a way=20
that "sets the conditions" for "successful interrogation and =
exploitation."=20
What did he and his superiors think would happen?</P>
<P>To their credit, some supporters of the administration are =
speaking out.=20
"This is about system failure," said Senator Lindsey Graham, a =
Republican=20
from South Carolina. But do Mr. Graham, John McCain and other =
appalled=20
lawmakers understand their own role in that failure? By deferring to =
the=20
administration at every step, by blocking every effort to make =
officials=20
accountable, they set the nation up for this disaster. You can't =
prevent any=20
serious inquiry into why George Bush led us to war to eliminate =
W.M.D. that=20
didn't exist and to punish Saddam for imaginary ties to Al Qaeda, =
then=20
express shock when Mr. Bush's administration fails to follow the =
rules on=20
other matters. </P>
<P>Meanwhile, Abu Ghraib will remain in use, under its new =
commander:=20
General Miller of Guant=E1namo. Donald Rumsfeld has "accepted =
responsibility"=20
=97 an action that apparently does not mean paying any price at all. =
And Dick=20
Cheney says, "Don Rumsfeld is the best secretary of defense the =
United=20
States has ever had. . . . People should get off his case and let =
him do his=20
job." In other words: Just trust=20
us. </P></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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