International Women’s Month Tribute to my Mom & Acknowledging Joe Biden’s Role in the Iraq Invasion on its 20th Anniversary
A Bringing Light Into Darkness listener sent me the following words to consider on or about the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq: “Two decades ago, the United States invaded Iraq, sending 130,000 US troops into a sovereign country to overthrow its government. Joe Biden, then chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, voted to authorize the war, a decision he came to regret…Biden, now the US president, recently traveled to Warsaw to rally international support for Ukraine’s fight to repel Russian aggression…Biden declared: ‘The idea that over 100,000 forces would invade another country – since world war II, nothing like that has happened’…The president spoke these words on 22 February, within a month of the 20th anniversary of the US military’s opening strike on Baghdad.” Stephen Wertheim The Guardian 17MAR23
The author, Stephen Wertheim, went on to write: “The White House did not attempt to correct Biden’s statement. Reporters do not appear to have asked about it. The country’s leading newspapers, the New York Times and Washington Post, ran stories that quoted Biden’s line. Neither of them questioned its veracity or noted its hypocrisy.” I think this article and the full content of our show tonight captures the important realization that we have two political parties that find little to agree on except promoting unjust military conflicts and how the mainstream media, both conservative and liberal are their complicit allies, keeping the US public ignorant of important newsworthy considerations.
“in a broadcast exclusive” on 2/18/20 during Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now news program, a new film, directed by the Center for Economic and Policy Research’s Mark Weisbrot, that exposes Biden’s central role in pushing for an Iraq invasion was presented. It’s called Worth the Price? Joe Biden and the Launch of the Iraq War. The documentary is narrated by Danny Glover. It was released during the Presidential democratic party debates. Mark Weisbrot shared these words with Amy regarding Joe Biden and his role in the March to unjust Iraq War:
“You’ve had his vote for the Iraq War, has been brought up. But there’s never been a presentation of what he actually did, which was, he was the most important elected official in this country, after George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, in enabling and allowing and getting the authorization for the war through Congress. That was a huge role in bringing us this war. It wasn’t just a vote for the war. He was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And, you know, when I was going through this footage, it was amazing, all the things that he did. He argued very strongly for the war. He had a lot of influence.”
So, on the 20th anniversary of what can arguably described as the most devastating foreign policy blunder of this century, namely the US Iraq War invasion, BLID presents the sound track of this 20 minute short documentary directed by Mark Weisbrot and narrated by Danny Glover.
We also celebrate International Women’s Month with a tribute to my mom Barbara aka Bobby.
Siempre fieles, Pgatos 3/20/23 pgatos00@gmail.com