TO IRAN AND WROTE THIS "THE NEW YORK TIMES" OP-ED.
I HELPED SELL THE FALSE CHOICE
OF WAR ONCE.
IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN.
COLONEL LAWRENCE WILKERSON JOINS
ME NOW.
ME NOW. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION, COLONEL,
TO THE PRONOUNCEMENT, INTERNALLY
CONTRADICTORY, FRANKLY, ABOUT
THE INTELLIGENCE THAT LED TO
THIS STRIKE?
THIS STRIKE? >> I THINK IT’S A BUNCH OF BULL
FRANKLY.
FRANKLY. AND I THINK WE’RE GOING TO FIND
OUT IT’S A BUNCH OF BULL.
THEY’LL TRY TO DRAFT IT TO MAKE
IT LOOK AS IF IT WERE IMMINENT
AND SO FORTH.
BUT IT’S A BUNCH OF BULL.
THIS MORNING AT 2:00 A.M., I WAS
ON THE LINE WITH LONDON AND I
WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE THEIR
M.O.D. SPOKESPERSON THERE,
MINISTER OF DEFENSE SPOKESPERSON
GO ON BEFORE ME.
AND HE MADE A VERY ELEGANT, MUCH
MORELL
MORELL MORE ELEGANT THAN ESPER, TRUMP
OR POMPEO, TO APPEAL TO THIS
SIMPLY BEING A TACTICAL STRIKE.
AND THERE WOULD BE NO ESCALATORY
DIMENSION TO IT.
I THEN WENT ON AND SAID, WRONG,
MR. SPOKESPERSON.
MR. SPOKESPERSON. THIS IS A STRATEGIC MOVE OF THE
FIRST ORDER, AND IT WAS A
STRATEGIC MOVE THAT COULD LEAD
TO WAR.
TO WAR. AND EVEN WORSE, IT WAS A
STRATEGIC MOVE THAT HAS GIVEN
THE INITIATIVE FOR WHETHER THAT
WAR STARTS OR NOT TO OUR ENEMY.
THAT IS TO SAY, IT IS UP TO IRAN
NOW AS TO HOW PROPORTIONAL OR
NOT PROPORTIONAL IT IS IN ITS
RESPONSE, INEVITABLE RESPONSE TO
WHAT WE’VE DONE.
SO WE SURRENDERED THE STRATEGIC
INITIATIVE TO IRAN.
>> IT’S A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT
THERE TO IRAN.
ALL OF US -- THIS HAPPENED, IT
SOUNDS FROM THE REPORTING THAT
THE PRESIDENT HAD LOBBIED BEHIND
THE SCENES FOR IT TO HAPPEN.
THE INTELLIGENCE BEHIND IT IS
UNCLEAR.
UNCLEAR. ALL THE COVERAGE FOCUSES ON WHAT
DOES THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT DO?
WHAT CALCULATIONS DO THEY MAKE
AND THIS SORT OF COLLECTIVE HOPE
THAT IT’S LIMITED, WHICH IS JUST
A BIZARRE SITUATION TO FIND
OURSELVES IN.
OURSELVES IN. >> IT IS.
>> IT IS. THAT’S WHERE WE’VE PUT OURSELVES
WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE
PRINCIPALLY, BUT OTHERS LIKE
LINDSEY GRAHAM AND ESPER AND SO
FORTH LEADING THE PRESIDENT TO
THIS TROUGH SO HE COULD DRINK
OUT OF IT.
THAT’S WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
WHAT I’M HEARING FROM TEHERAN
GIVES ME A LITTLE BIT OF HOPE
BECAUSE WHAT I’M HEARING IS
WE’RE NOT GOING TO WITHDRAW FROM
THE JCPOA, THE NUCLEAR
AGREEMENT.
AGREEMENT. WE WANT TO KEEP CHINA AND RUSSIA
AND WE’RE WILLING TO KEEP THE
EUROPEANS, SO WE’RE NOT GOING TO
WITHDRAW.
WITHDRAW. WE’RE NOT GOING TO KICK OUT THE
INSPECTORS AND WE’RE NOT GOING
TO LEAVE THE NONPROLIFERATION
TREATY AS KIM JONG-IL AND NOW
KIM JONG-UN DID.
WE’RE GOING TO DO WHAT WE HAVE
TO DO TO KEEP ALL BUT AN
AGREEMENT ALIVE.
AGREEMENT ALIVE. WE’RE GOING TO BE PROPORTIONAL
AND TAKE OUR TIME TO THE
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. THE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, IS
PROPORTIONALITY IS IN THE EYE OF
THE BEHOLDER.
THE BEHOLDER. >> OF COURSE.
>> IF TRUMP IS EVEN MORE IN
PERIL POLITICALLY, THEN HE MAY
DO SOMETHING EVEN IF IT’S A
PROPORTIONAL RESPONSE.
PROPORTIONAL RESPONSE. SO I’M REALLY WORRIED THAT WE
ARE ON A PATH TO WAR.
>> I WONDER WHAT YOU MAKE OF
WATCHING PEOPLE THAT FAMOUSLY
ARGUED FOR THE IRAQ WAR,
FAMOUSLY TALKED ABOUT THE
INTELLIGENCE IN THE IRAQ WAR,
NOW MAKE THE CASE ONCE AGAIN.
I THOUGHT OF THIS CLIP OF MIKE
PENCE WHEN HE WAS A MEMBER OF
CONGRESS IN 2004.
THIS IS HIM ANNOUNCING THAT THE
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION HAD
BEEN FOUND IN IRAQ.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> I AM HERE TO REPORT AS THE
UNITED STATES MILITARY CONFIRMED
IN IRAQ ON MONDAY, WEAPONS OF
MASS DESTRUCTION HAVE BEEN FOUND
IN IRAQ IN THE FORM OF TWO
SEPARATE ARTILLERY SHELLS
CONTAINING SARIN AND MUSTARD
GAS.
GAS. WHERE ARE THE WMDs?
WE’VE BEEN ASKED AGAIN AND
AGAIN.
AGAIN. MR. SPEAKER, THEY’RE WHERE
THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN, HIDDEN IN
IRAQ, WITHIN THE REACH OF
TERRORISTS, A THREAT TO THE
IRAQI PEOPLE, U.S. SOLDIERS AND
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. >> YOU WOULD THINK THAT THAT
WOULD HAVE ENDED HIS CAREER AND
THE CAREERS OF OTHER PEOPLE, AND
YET HE’S THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES AND THE CODERY
OF PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED HIM
SUPPORTED THE UNIMAGINABLE
DEVASTATION OF IRAQ ARE ALL
STILL PLYING THEIR TRADE.
>> YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
YOU COULD HAVE PLAYED A TAPE
SIMILAR TO THAT -- MAYBE NOT
KWIES
KWIES QUITE AS ASENINE, ALL OF THEM
ARE THERE PUSHING FOR WAR WITH
IRAQ IN 2002 AND 2003.
THIS IS THE SAME CROWD.
PRESIDENT OBAMA TOLD ME IN THE
ROOSEVELT ROOM JUST OUTSIDE THE
OVAL OFFICE IN A MOMENT OF RARE
CANDOR.
CANDOR. HE LOOKED AT ME AND GENERAL PAUL
EATEN ACROSS THE TABLE, JOHN
KERRY BESIDE HIM.