Dowd: Attack of the Wolfman

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/24/opinion/24DOWD.html?pagewanted=print&position=

It would be hard to top the grandiosity of Bill Clinton's self-pity. The man, after all, compared himself to communism with a straight face.

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Still, the former president pales when put up against the grandiosity of Paul Wolfowitz's self-delusion. On Tuesday, Mr. Wolfowitz, Rummy's top deputy, told the House Armed Services Committee that one reason so many negative stories come out of Iraq is that "a lot of the press are afraid to travel very much, so they sit in Baghdad and they publish rumors — and rumors are plentiful."

Beyond sliming journalists (much as he slimes his hair with his own saliva in Michael Moore's new movie) who are risking their lives traveling around Iraq to cover the cakewalk that became chaos, Mr. Wolfowitz dodges the responsibility he bears for turning Iraq into a shooting gallery and Al Qaeda recruitment center.

When challenged by Democratic lawmakers about the lack of a connection between Saddam and Sept. 11, Mr. Wolfowitz was unrepentant — and unmoved by the 9/11 panel's conclusion that Saddam and Al Qaeda had no collaborative relationship.

"I don't need proof of involvement in Sept. 11 to be concerned that Saddam Hussein is providing mutual support to Al Qaeda," he said. "It seems to me it's like saying if someone breeds Rottweilers and leaves the gate open but doesn't tell the dog who to attack, that he's not operationally involved in the thing." (What's he talking about, and why are we still paying him?)