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Still rolling along<\/FONT><\/B><\/A> as it has been all\nweek, yesterday’s Democracy Now! broadcast was another stunner, this time featuring an
\nArkin<\/B><\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A>, whose new book,
\ngovernment and its apotheosis under the current regime.
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Arkin, at right, a longtime investigative journalist and military-affairs analyst, has
\ndelved more deeply than anyone, including Sy Hersh, into the hidden corners of the Defense
\nDepartment and the intelligence agencies, according to observers like Steven Aftergood, who
\nwrites Secrecy News, the newsletter of the Federation of American Scientists, and Charles
\nHorner, former commander of the U.S. Space Command and the former Air Force general who
\nled the coalition air forces in Operation Desert Storm.<\/P>
\n
Hersh himself says in a blurb for the book that Arkin “makes amateurs of all of us who think
\nwe know something about America’s constantly expanding hidden world.” But you know what?
\nArkin offers a ray of hope in spite of his well-earned skepticism about the covert practices vs. the
\npublic declarations of the U.S. government — indeed, of all governments. When asked to assess
\nthe war in Iraq right now, he replied:<\/P>
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\n
Though the U.S. military is sort of marching in lockstep (at least the
\nleadership) saying, “We’re going to be there for another one or two years” (and they’re probably
\nholding their breath hoping that it ain’t any longer than that), the truth of the matter is that I think
\nthere’s been a sea change inside the American military in the last year where their enthusiasm for
\nthe process of democratization and the mission in Iraq has really evaporated. And since I’m close
\nto the military and follow the military, when I see something like that happen I really recognize
\nthat the Bush administration is operating on an ideological platform only [with just] tentative
\nsupport from its own military leadership. …
\n<\/P>
\nIt’s a sad day for America when, in October and November before an election, you have more
\nretired generals and admirals calling for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq than you have
\nDemocratic candidates. …[T]he truth of the matter is that [in the military] there’s a tremendous
\namount of discomfort as there has been from day one with the ideology of the Bush
\nadministration. The professional military has been shunted aside and has been ignored and their
\nadvice has been not taken seriously.<\/P><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
\n<\/P>
\nArkin continued:<\/P>
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\nAmericans should pay much more attention to the fact that there are
\nhigh-ranking officials, knowledgeable people, who formerly were high-level commanders in the
\nmilitary who are deeply concerned about, not just Iraq, but the way in which we are pursuing the
\nwar on terrorism and this notion that we’re going to win the war on terrorism by killing terrorists
\none at a time Wild West-style. …
\n<\/P>
\n[W]hen you have so many retired ambassadors, retired generals and admirals and others who
\nare themselves speaking out in an environment right now in which people are fearful of speaking
\nout, that’s really a significant sea change. And though those people were not willing to speak out
\nbefore the Iraq war, unfortunately, I really think we’ve seen a significant change in the past year
\nsince Fallujah, April, ’04 where they have said, “This is going nowhere.”<\/P><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
\n<\/P>
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