Catherine J. Gatian – 7/11/05

This page was last updated on July 11, 2005.

‘Bring our troops home now’; Catherine J. Gatian; Beaver County Times; July 11, 2005.

The last time we heard from Ms. Gatian she was railing against electronic voting machines. This letter confirms my belief that Ms. Gatian likely buys the left theory of the day and promotes it.

I was wondering when someone would jump on the Downing Street memo. There’s a reason its “newsworthiness” fizzled out so quickly; there was nothing to it.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“The Downing Street memo is evidence that the administration ‘fixed’ the intelligence to fit the policy.”

[RWC] Anyone who reads the memo knows this allegation is false. Here’s the relevant passage in the memo.

“C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime’s record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.”

The story fizzled for a couple of reasons. First, the memo refers to a person’s perception of the attitude in Washington. There are no quotes.

Second, the usage of “fixed” was not as in “the fix was in.” In this context, the British tend to use “fixed” as Americans use “centered.”

“The American people were deceived about weapons of mass destruction. The government rushed into war and is now occupying a sovereign nation. More than 1,700 soldiers are dead. This pre-emptive aggression has ignited a civil war that analysts say could go on for many years.”

[RWC] Nothing more than liberal talking points.

I missed the civil war. Even Ms. Gatian’s fellow travelers have been acknowledging the terrorists in Iraq are mostly imports.

“Middle- and low- income Americans are sacrificing their loved ones in addition to their health care and retirement to fund the unjust war. Stop the blood shed for oil. Bring our troops home now.”

[RWC] More liberal talking points. What a waste of words.