Randi Rhodes: Rewriting GWB/OBL

As new details of Operation Geronimo leak out, we have learned that those in the White House Situation Room during the assault on Osama bin Laden’s hideout had turkey pita wraps, cold shrimp, potato chips, and soda… all from Costco. Even in the middle of all this, the President was mindful of the budget deficit. Not only would a Republican administration never get bin Laden, if they did launch an assault like this, the people in the Situation Room wouldn’t be eating food from Costco. They would fail to get bin Laden, and they would spend twice as much on snacks not doing it.

Everyone on the rightwing is rushing to give credit for the capture of bin Laden to George Bush. Ironic… during the 2008 & 2010 elections, nobody on the right was willing to admit they had ever even heard of anyone named George Bush. I’m sorry, but the phrase “we have George Bush to thank for this” should only be used in relation to economic collapse, unemployment, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most of the budget deficit.

The rightwing wants to credit harsh interrogation methods, black site prisons, and waterboarding for the intel that led to bin Laden’s killing. It’s well documented that torture results in misinformation. So the biggest clue that the intelligence that led to bin Laden was not obtained under torture is the fact that it turned out to be correct. The proof that it didn’t result from torture comes, of all places, from Donald Rumsfeld. Talk about intel—this is the only actionable intelligence that ever came out of Donald Rumsfeld. Rummy said “It is true that some information that came from normal interrogation approaches at Guantanamo did lead to information that was beneficial in this instance. But it was not harsh treatment and it was not waterboarding.” I’m shocked, if only because it’s a coherent statement from Donald Rumsfeld. That sentence is not only the truest sentence he ever said, I’m pretty sure it’s the shortest sentence he ever said.

The life of Osama bin Laden makes you wonder about the choices people make. Bin Laden came from a very wealthy family. He could have lived his life in luxury, using his great wealth to disseminate his hatred and his mad ideas through quasi-legal means… kind of like how the Koch brothers do it.

Today’s Homework | Discuss