What do Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath party officals who sat in on UN Weapons Inspection interviews with Iraqi scientitsts to intimidate the scientists have in common with Justice Department officials who sit in on interviews conducted with the 9/11 commission?
Everything, because clearly they are the exact same thing! No one doubts that should the interviewee say the wrong thing, the Justice department will quickly issue agents to go to the interviewee’s house, grab his family, send them through a wood chipper, and then put their remains in plastic bags on the porch of the interviewee’s house. George Bush and John Ashcroft are just like Saddam!
Look- I am not happy with the slow pace of the investigation, but ANY comparison between the Justice Department sitting in on interviews and the behavior of Saddam’s Baa’ath regime is simply over the top and disgusting (although Kevin’s commenters seem to not know the difference).
Jonas
You did notice that the claim of intimidation came from the chair of the commission- Thomas Kean, didn’t you? This isn’t about a slow pace of investigation, this is about access to information, and why the Bush administration is trying to prevent access to information.
ME
Moreover, Thomas Kean is a Republican.
Kevin Drum
OK, rhetoric aside, John, do you think Ashcroft should insist on having monitors present? Or not?
Intimidation is intimidation. *Of course* Ashcroft isn’t Saddam, but that’s all the more reason he shouldn’t use Saddam’s methods. Right?
John Cole
MY gut response is that I do not like having monitors there, but we do not know why they are there.
Right now, it is merely an assertion that they are there is to intimidate. It may be that they are there for completely valid and legitimate reasons, like to keep people from accidentally releasing confidential information that is being used to build a case against terrorism suspects. There are a list of reasons that might warrant having the monitor (who may be a lawyer there for the interviewees protection- most of the time people are deposed, their lawyer is present) in place.
Instead of researching it and looking into it, the first thing we see all over the blogosphere are comparisons to the murderous thugs of the Hussein regime. That is over the top.
John Cole
And by the way, I reject this basic premise, which seems to be the root of the problem:
but that’s all the more reason he shouldn’t use Saddam’s methods. Right?
He isn’t using Saddam’s methods, unless you are stating on the record that he is going to have interviewees and their families murdered if they say something to the commission that Ashcroft doesn’t like. Surely you do not mean that, do you? Any comparison to Saddam is, IMHO, illegitimate.
Jonas
John
Once again, it’s the commisioners who are upset about the monitors intimidating people. I think we both agree that the people on the commission understand the difference between leaking sensitive information and intimidation. It’s silly to even use that as an excuse. And anyway, if the commissioners don’t have clearance to hear classified info, then what is the point of this investigation?
John Cole
Jonas- I understand who is upset. Now, one more time for posterity- I am upset about the comparison between ANYONE from the Justice department and Hussein’s thugs. Do you get the issue, now?
ME
So John, why is this filed under “Democrat Stupidity”? If Kean, a Republican, is the one concerned about monitors, why are you picking on this as an example of Democrats in action? Frankly, this is a perfect example of your moral obtuseness — refusing to call a spade a spade.
Kevin Drum
Nah, he’s probably referring to me. I’m a Democrat.
BTW, why weren’t you offended by my “Stalin-esque” description? If any comparison of our methods with Saddam’s methods is bad, surely a comparison with Stalin’s methods is worse?
Or are you secretly a Stalin lover?
(Just kidding there….)
John Cole
Actually- I was referring to the fact that it was predominantly Democrats who were acting as if this was an issue. You see- I respect Kevin, just as I respect Gary Farber, Yglesias, Ted Barlow, Jesse, TalkLeft, and many others etc.
When they criticize me, I check my perceptions- because, after all, they have credibility in my eyes.
BTW- I ignored the Stalin comments because that seemed to me to be pretty much like Godwin…
Jonas
nytimes.com/2003/07/10/nyregion/10CLIN.html
Tucker Carlson compares Hillary Clinton to Pol Pot. He must think they are exactly the same. Are you outraged?