We are not "the cause of the World's troubles"

But we are the cause of our own, somewhat...

VA COURT OF APPEALS (.doc) borrowing from Blackstone (wiki)

The definition of an accessory after the fact is one of ancient origin. "To constitute one an accessory after the fact, three things are requisite: 1. The [obfuscation] must be completed; 2. He must know that the [obfuscator] is guilty; 3. He must receive, relieve, comfort or assist him. It is necessary that the accessory have notice, direct or implied, at the time he assists or comforts the [obfuscator], that he has committed [obfuscation]."

Now, that last one--#3--requires an unconditional relationship with one's conscience and a disdain for magical thinking. But what does Rummy love to say? "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." Mmmmmm, many nod knowingly. “We know where they [wmd] are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.”

Somewhat.

Well, my granny had a saying: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; try it a third time and I'll drop a hand grenade down your pants. (She turned quite salty after the bum's rush from Singapore in '42.)

Anyway, the Editorials from Red and Blue states don't seem to much care for Donald's American Legion speech, and they seem to have tired of their "Accessory" role. Somewhat.

http://www.latimes.com/...

Even more offensive is Rumsfeld's "blame America first" canard. Who exactly has been pushing what he called "the destructive view that America -- not the enemy -- is the real source of the world's troubles"? Certainly no one in mainstream American political discourse

http://www.charlotte.com/...

The Hitler analogy is a baseless smear. The choice isn't between present policy and appeasement. It's between present policy and a more effective policy. Many Americans who favor strong action to combat terrorism disagree with Mr. Rumsfeld's way of going about it. They include many retired generals and several Republicans in Congress. Appeasers? Baloney!

http://www.roanoke.com/...

Responsible critics don't want to placate Osama bin Laden. They want to defeat the radical Islamist movement he inspires. In the five years since al-Qaida's attacks on the United States, the movement has metastasized. So no one in this administration should be trying to silence those who question its strategy. The answers, after all, are years overdue.

http://www.ajc.com/... (Atlanta)

To blame Donald Rumsfeld is not to blame America. To blame President Bush is not to blame America. To blame those of both parties in Congress who have lacked the courage to perform their duties of independent oversight in the conduct of this war is not to blame America. It is not patriotism to sit in silent submission to those who have led this country into the most serious foreign policy blunder in our history. It is not moral confusion to point out that with its embrace of torture as a legitimate weapon, and with its refusal to abide by the Geneva Conventions, it is the Bush administration that has undercut the moral standing of the United States in a struggle in which moral standing is of utmost importance.

Now, Donald, what was it you wanted tell us about Iran?

h/t to Dana for the linkwork
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