The Dogs of War Still Bark

Also at Informed Comment is a report by David Swanson abount a recent event sponsored by Freedom Watch and the Foundation for Democracy in Iran, in which former CIA director James Woolsey, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and former UN ambassador Alan Keyes demanded war on Iran. It's a good takedown of all the lies behind the Neo-Conservative wars of the past decade. And the war they want next.

Swanson, author of War is a Lie, not only refutes every possible rationale for war with Iran, he also exposes the language and rhetorical tricks that sell their disastrous schemes to the public.

Just when you might have thought we’d scraped the bottom in Iran war advocacy, Alan Keyes took a turn at the karaoke stage. Keyes was quite upset about the “imperialistic essence of Islam since its inception.” Never mentioning the one nation with military bases on every continent, Keyes stood strong against “imperialistic ambition that rears its head throughout the world.” Who do we find resisting our aggressive wars all over the world, Keyes asked, using other language — why, Iran, of course. We’re being “beaten and pummeled” around the world every day by forces driven by Islam and Marxism. Who knew?

“I’m not going to say that those in power in our own country are as hostile to our nation’s security as our enemies are. I’m not going to say that,” said Keyes before saying it, hitting on a very common propaganda technique that equates war opposition with joining the other side of a war — even if there is no other side because there is no war yet.

Swanson reports that the event was largely unattended. I can only hope that the sponsors' plans go unheeded. Neither America nor the world needs another war.