Bill Bennett: Iraq is 'Going Nifty' and Our Occupation is a 'Blessing for the People of Iraq'
While discussing the overblown "ground zero mosque" fake controversy on CNN's The Situation Room over the Cordoba House which as John noted started with wingnut extremist Pam "Atlas Shrugs" Geller, Bill Bennett decided to let America know that he thinks our illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq is "going nifty" and a "blessing for the people of Iraq". On what planet is having your country which was not a threat to us illegally invaded, millions of people displaced, your infrastructure blown to hell, being poisoned by DU, and another country occupying you so they can have military bases permanently set up on your soil something going "nifty" or "a blessing".
Someone should tell Bill Bennett that he really needs to lay off of Rush Limbaugh's drugs or whatever the hell he's taking. Un-friggin' believable... "a blessing". Hey Bennett, why don't we drop a few bombs on your neighborhood and then you can tell us how "blessed" you feel. Better yet, how about going over to Iraq yourself for a year or two to live and you can come back later and let us all know how wonderful it is there.
I recently posted Jeremy Scahill's speech talking about how terrible our "mainstream media" is and the need for more real journalists and especially those willing to go overseas and report on what's happening un-embedded from the U.S. military. Here's example 101 of the need for that... Bill Bennett, history revisionist who wants to tell us how wonderful things are going with our military occupation when I'm fairly sure he's never stepped foot in that country himself. I've never seen any reporting from Bennett from Iraq, just bloviating on the politics of our invasion as he did here.
BLITZER: So, Bill, is this going to be a huge political issue between now and November 2nd?
BENNETT: I think it will be big but it looks like Democrats are lining up against the president. 54 percent of Democrats the most recent poll don't agree with the president. I understand Harry Reid issued a statement he issued a statement saying he doesn't agree with the president. I don't know where his support is. Schumer and Gilibrand so far have been silent. This is a losing issue. He shouldn't have gotten into it. Gibbs said, the white house spokesman said for two weeks, this is a local issue. We're not going to get involve the in it, but they stepped in and now they're going to have to live in it. They're wrong on all counts and it will be an issue because you can not talk about 9/11 in this way as if you're instructing the American people as if they have it wrong. They don't have it wrong.
CARVILLE: Well, you know, I think that it's not a good idea. I didn't think it was a good idea, these wars. I don't think it's a good idea to try to change the way $1.2 billion people live.
BENNETT: I don't know what that means.
CARVILLE: That's what Donald Rumsfeld says. We're going to change the way they live.
BENNETT: What does have that to do --
CARVILLE: You're telling people you can't build a mosque at the old Burlington Coat Factory. I think the whole world is watching us.
BENNETT: That's -- that's right. We are saying it is wrong to build a mosque there because this thing was done in the name of Islam. And even though you may not have approved it, this guy Ralph's credentials are questionable. You should have the sensitivity to realize this is going to go down the wrong way for very rational reasons.
CARVILLE: I'll make the distinction. Islam did not attack us. Al Qaeda did. And we ought to be at war with al Qaeda and not Islamists.
BENNETT: Islamists did.
CARVILLE: I see the distinction clearly. We ought to be at war with al Qaeda.
BENNETT: The federal republic of Germany did not build Trablica but the federal republic of Germany should have the decency not to have a federal republic of Germany monument at the site of Trablica or Auschwitz.
CARVILLE: Again, I have many many Muslim friends that I hold their friendship dearly. They did not attack us.
BENNETT: Fine.
CARVILLE: And I see the distinction clearly. We ought to be at war with al Qaeda.
BENNETT: Have they condemned the attack?
CARVILLE: Plenty of people have.
BENNETT: Your Muslim friends? Would they come on my radio show and tell --
CARVILLE: We're nine years into changing the way they live. I don't think it's going too nifty out there, but that's me. Maybe I'm missing something.
BENNETT: Oh, you mean Iraq? Well, that is going nifty, as a matter of fact. That is a blessing for the people of Iraq.
BLITZER: On that note, we're going to continue this discussion. I'm sure in the days to come. Because I think both of you are right politically this issue is not going to go away. It's going to dog a lot of the candidates between now and November 2, and maybe even longer than that. Thanks very much, James Carville and Bill Bennett.
