May 30, 2009
United States of Amnesia
As Gore Vidal said once, “we are the United States of Amnesia.” We are. We don’t read. We don’t know other languages. We don’t study our own history. Our history is the history of an idea – an imperfect idea.
Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines hosted a fantastic debate of various experts discussing the Bush legacy of torture.
The panel includes:
Michael Scheuer – Former CIA Analyst
Jumana Musa – Human Rights Lawyer
Larry Wilkerson – former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell
Jim Moran – US Congressman
While the discussion does cover many of the things covered in the media, some of comments made by the panelists are fantastic, including Wilkerson’s explanation in response to an audience question about the implications of not doing anything:
They’re serious in terms of diminishment of our real power in the world, because our real power is as much wrapped around an idea as it is around the military, nuclear weapons or whatever. We’re unique in that respect in the world and so many Americans seem not realize that, because they don’t know our history.
As Gore Vidal said once, “we are the United States of Amnesia.” We are. We don’t read. We don’t know other languages. We don’t study our own history. Our history is the history of an idea – an imperfect idea. Our constitution made people like you slaves, made them three fifths of a person. Our constitution has changed.
We’ve grown. We’ve moved towards that more perfect union. We ain’t there yet. We never will be there. But that idea is our most powerful weapon in the world and we have done consequential damage to that idea in the world. Our power has been diminished by doing that.
Or Michael Scheuer:
You can point fingers at the executive. You can point fingers at the CIA, but ultimately what’s reprehensible to me is that the Congress, after knowing about it, after funding these programs comes back and suddenly it’s clouds and rains in Casablanca and they’re shocked like Mrs. Pelosi who seems to be one of the greatest liars in America.
The second thing said about war. I think he is exactly right. The great tragedy of post-war American history is the Congress has supine reaction to its executive and letting one man – Democrat or Republican – guide 300 million people into war.
The third point, I would make, is this business of rendition and interrogation is important to get sorted out. But when the Congressmen and other people say this is a great recruiter for al-Qaeda. Let me tell you what’s the great recruiter for al-Qaeda. When Mr. Obama goes to Cairo and raises his arms with Hosni Mubarak and cheers for freedom; and then goes and kisses the royal buttocks of Crown Prince Abdullah in Saudi Arabia because we are dependant upon their oil. That’s much more a recruitment tool for al-Qaeda than happened at Abu Gharib or Guantanamo Bay.
