David Sirota: A Cronkite Moment for the War on Terror

[marmar]

from In These Times:


A Cronkite Moment for the War on Terror
Tom Brokaw states the glaring truth about the Boston bombings.

BY David Sirota

“The stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.”—Reverend Jeremiah Wright

In 2008, the hysterical backlash to the above comment by Barack Obama's minister became a high-profile example of one of the most insidious rules in American politics: You are not allowed to honestly discuss the Central Intelligence Agency's concept of “blowback” without putting yourself at risk of being deemed a traitor to country.

Now, five years later, with America having killed thousands of Muslim civilians in its drone strikes and wars, that rule is thankfully being challenged—and not by someone who is so easily smeared. Instead, the apostate is one of this epoch's most revered journalists—and because of that, we will see whether this country is mature enough to face one of its biggest national security quandaries.

This is the news from Tom Brokaw's appearance on “Meet the Press” last Sunday. Discussing revelations that the bombing suspects may be connected to Muslim fundamentalism, he said:

We have got to look at the roots of all of this because it exists across the whole (Asian) subcontinent and the Islamic world around the world. I think we also have to examine (America's) use of drones (because) there are a lot of civilians who are innocently killed in a drone attack in Pakistan, in Afghanistan and in Iraq. And I can tell you having spent a lot of time over there, young people will come up to me on the streets and say, ‘We love America, but if you harm one hair on the head of my sister, I will fight you forever.’ And there is this enormous rage against what they see in that part of the world as a presumptuousness of the United States.

As one of the establishment's most venerated voices, Brokaw is not prone to radical statements. But in a nation that often avoids acknowledging its own role in intensifying cycles of violence, it is unfortunately considered radical to do what the NBC News veteran did and mention that our violent attacks abroad increase the chance of retributive attacks at home. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://inthesetimes.com/article/14922/a_cronkite_moment_for_the_drone_age

[leveymg]

1. Brokaw isn't Cronkite. He's been a cheer leader for every misconceived adventure since Vietnam.

If Brokaw has come to this realization, though, you know the policy of remote assassinations has completely, irreversibly, failed.

[marmar]

2. Agreed, because he also said something to the effect that in the wake of Boston.....

...... people should be willing to accept more civil liberties intrusions.

Nonetheless, coming from a mouthpiece for U.S. imperial ambitions, this is notable.

[byeya]

3. Agree with you 100%

[alsame]

4. People have been warning about

blow back since we began our latest invasions. The fact that Brokaw is allowed to speak about it means TPTB know the chickens are indeed coming home to roost and will continue to do so for decades.

It always amazes me that a large portion of Americans are so vengeful and scream for blood when we are attacked but are incapable of imagining that those in countries we bomb could possibly feel the same way.

[randome]

5. The Bomber Brothers were not from Iraq or Afghanistan or Pakistan.

I seriously doubt their motivations were that 'mature', although it remains to be seen what, if anything, we can learn from Tsarnaev.

Neither one of them, from what we've learned so far, seem to have had much in the way of reflection on their actions.

[jakeXT]

6. If you believe in blowback than CIA, DHS & FBI should be dismantled /nt