Could ‘Decision Points’ Rewrite History?

By on November 9, 2010 in News 14

Aaron Cynic writes at Diatribe Media:

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern published a brilliant and damning piece regarding former President Bush’s upcoming memoir, Decision Points. In his essay, McGovern points out W’s little talked about “damn right” remarks he made when authorizing the waterboarding of terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Not only did W sign off on the form torture as an acceptable practice, but added “damn right” and asserted that the torture saved lives.

McGovern not only points out the glaring falsehood in that assertion, but shows exactly how the torture of prisoners became a recruiting tool for insurgents in Iraq. In addition, he rightly states that the under-reporting of the torture issue in the media, coupled with plenty of support (or shoulder shrugging) of the American public at large implicates us all. The essay comes on the heels of Bush’s related comments regarding the “lowest point” in his presidency, when Kanye West hurt his feelings by saying he didn’t care about black people during Hurricane Katrina.

Read the full post at Diatribe Media

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  • 5by5

    Only if people are stupid enough to believe it. Which, if the last election is any indication, is a possibility.What’s most striking about the book is that out of all the FUBAR crap that happened under that man’s watch, thousands of people dying in 9/11, Katrina, Iraq, millions losing jobs and homes – he identifies the “worst moment” as when he suffered a personal insult from a frickin’ rapper.If that doesn’t sum up how self-absorbed, if not clinically sociopathic that man is, I don’t know what does.

  • Anonymous

    Only if people are stupid enough to believe it. Which, if the last election is any indication, is a possibility.What’s most striking about the book is that out of all the FUBAR crap that happened under that man’s watch, thousands of people dying in 9/11, Katrina, Iraq, millions losing jobs and homes – he identifies the “worst moment” as when he suffered a personal insult from a frickin’ rapper.If that doesn’t sum up how self-absorbed, if not clinically sociopathic that man is, I don’t know what does.

  • http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

    I’m not sure it matters if this book rewrites a history built on lies with an ever so slightly different group of lies. There are only two stance on this book…rabid support and unquestioned faith…and total disbelief complete eye rolling sarcasm as we read every other sentence. It changes nothing really. People with brains read it and see a vapid self possessed jackass excusing his failures and treating massive screw ups lightly…and his fans see a great patriot who suffered nobly for his country and his faith. The game is zero sum.

    • Hadrian999

      We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.
      –George Bernard Shaw

  • http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

    I’m not sure it matters if this book rewrites a history built on lies with an ever so slightly different group of lies. There are only two stance on this book…rabid support and unquestioned faith…and total disbelief complete eye rolling sarcasm as we read every other sentence. It changes nothing really. People with brains read it and see a vapid self possessed jackass excusing his failures and treating massive screw ups lightly…and his fans see a great patriot who suffered nobly for his country and his faith. The game is zero sum.

  • Ironaddict06

    Let me start by stating i’m not condoning or condemning waterboarding. It seems everyone complains at any techniques used in interrogation. When the military or CIA use psychological, they are also blasted as torture. Yes I agree physical torture is a bad tool, because your enemy will either agree to anything to stop the torture, could make your enemy more resistant, torture of prisoners became a recruiting tool, or all of the above.
    What techniques should be used in interrogation?

  • Ironaddict06

    Let me start by stating i’m not condoning or condemning waterboarding. It seems everyone complains at any techniques used in interrogation. When the military or CIA use psychological, they are also blasted as torture. Yes I agree physical torture is a bad tool, because your enemy will either agree to anything to stop the torture, could make your enemy more resistant, torture of prisoners became a recruiting tool, or all of the above.
    What techniques should be used in interrogation?

    • Tuna Ghost

      You can bet that the CIA and intelligence agencies all over the world have come to similar conclusions and are working very hard on an answer to your last question. Whether we’ll ever get to find out is up in the air (although, when you think about the circumstances under which you may conceivably find out, i.e. actually being interrogated, maybe it’s better not to know).

  • Tuna Ghost

    You can bet that the CIA and intelligence agencies all over the world have come to similar conclusions and are working very hard on an answer to your last question. Whether we’ll ever get to find out is up in the air (although, when you think about the circumstances under which you may conceivably find out, i.e. actually being interrogated, maybe it’s better not to know).

  • Tuna Ghost

    I think the question posed by the title neglects the fact that very few people take Bush seriously, even the more gullible ones. “Rewriting History” is not the same as one man attempting to justify fucking up several countries.

  • Tuna Ghost

    I think the question posed by the title neglects the fact that very few people take Bush seriously, even the more gullible ones. “Rewriting History” is not the same as one man attempting to justify fucking up several countries.

  • Andypierre19

    I am still trying to finish the book. It’s funny to that we forgot some moments from the past, this is also history, I guess that old sayin’ is very true. “If you don’t learn from the past, you’re doomed to repeat it.” We can never really understand the stress of public office in the Oval Office as he did face. The thing is also, the public, we as the voters, have to remember that it was all of our votes that we elected him, twice. Also that every political party is responsible for something, not just Bush. Clinton did face problems with Iraq before, so did Bush 41, Reagan and Carter. It’s too ealry right now to judge his post-presidency. I believe history will be somewhat average to him. It will just take a very long time to really say what was right and what was wrong.

  • Andypierre19

    I am still trying to finish the book. It’s funny to that we forgot some moments from the past, this is also history, I guess that old sayin’ is very true. “If you don’t learn from the past, you’re doomed to repeat it.” We can never really understand the stress of public office in the Oval Office as he did face. The thing is also, the public, we as the voters, have to remember that it was all of our votes that we elected him, twice. Also that every political party is responsible for something, not just Bush. Clinton did face problems with Iraq before, so did Bush 41, Reagan and Carter. It’s too ealry right now to judge his post-presidency. I believe history will be somewhat average to him. It will just take a very long time to really say what was right and what was wrong.

  • Hadrian999

    We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.
    –George Bernard Shaw