2008 Woodie Awards
Guest Opinion: Rove the war criminal
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Opinions
In July 2002, a high-level classified British government document, the Downing Street Memo, was written, which reads in part, "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," according to the Sunday Times of Britain.
In August 2002, the secretive White House Iraq Group was formed to market and sell the Iraq war to Congress, the American public, and international allies, according to the Washington Post. Rove chaired weekly White House Iraq Group meetings throughout 2002 and 2003. Public rhetoric against Iraq was escalated by the group, which came up with such phrases as "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."
The Bush administration made at least 935 demonstrably false statements to the American people about the threat posed by Iraq prior to the invasion, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
Independent reports estimate that between 150,000 and 1 million Iraqi civilians are dead because of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. At least 5 million are internally displaced or refugees outside of their country. Basic services such as electricity, running water, sanitation, health care, and education literally do not exist in most of the country, and a lake of sewage in Baghdad is so big that it is visible on Google Earth.
The evidence and facts speak for themselves, and this is an open-and-shut, clear-cut case. Rove is a traitor to the American people and a war criminal, and the only place he has a "right" to speak is inside of a courtroom. The UI Antiwar Committee has organized a "Karl Rove Welcoming Committee" coalition of student and community groups from across the state, and hundreds are expected to protest Rove's paid presence in our community beginning at 5:30 p.m. on March 9 in the IMU South Room (179). Iowa City is not a safe haven for war criminals.
David Goodner
UI senior
The author is a member of the UI Antiwar Committee.
In August 2002, the secretive White House Iraq Group was formed to market and sell the Iraq war to Congress, the American public, and international allies, according to the Washington Post. Rove chaired weekly White House Iraq Group meetings throughout 2002 and 2003. Public rhetoric against Iraq was escalated by the group, which came up with such phrases as "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."
The Bush administration made at least 935 demonstrably false statements to the American people about the threat posed by Iraq prior to the invasion, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
Independent reports estimate that between 150,000 and 1 million Iraqi civilians are dead because of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. At least 5 million are internally displaced or refugees outside of their country. Basic services such as electricity, running water, sanitation, health care, and education literally do not exist in most of the country, and a lake of sewage in Baghdad is so big that it is visible on Google Earth.
The evidence and facts speak for themselves, and this is an open-and-shut, clear-cut case. Rove is a traitor to the American people and a war criminal, and the only place he has a "right" to speak is inside of a courtroom. The UI Antiwar Committee has organized a "Karl Rove Welcoming Committee" coalition of student and community groups from across the state, and hundreds are expected to protest Rove's paid presence in our community beginning at 5:30 p.m. on March 9 in the IMU South Room (179). Iowa City is not a safe haven for war criminals.
David Goodner
UI senior
The author is a member of the UI Antiwar Committee.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
Nile Williamson
posted 2/27/08 @ 8:32 AM CST
The author should have given a pseudonym such as George Orwell since his statesments are so far fetched and unducumented so as to constitute Orwelliun fiction. (Continued…)
taco
posted 2/27/08 @ 2:34 PM CST
Oh David Goodner, you are nothing if not predictable! I notice you don't seem to have updated your Des Moines Register blog since November. Is the DI the only Iowa print publication left-of-center enough to continue to give voice to your rantings on a daily basis?
For everyone's consideration, the personal pronoun "I" does not seem to appear anywhere in this "guest opinion". (Continued…)
Charlie
posted 2/27/08 @ 3:32 PM CST
David Goodner is correct in labeling Karl Rove a traitor to his country unworthy of the invitation and offer of $40,000 to speak at the University of Iowa. (Continued…)
Todd
posted 2/27/08 @ 4:03 PM CST
David Goodner is a well known anti-Semite in the Iowa City area. He's publically stated that terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah are "morally superior" to Israel. (Continued…)
Robert Berner
posted 2/27/08 @ 4:20 PM CST
By my lights, few if any speakers are worth a $40,000 honorarium. And Karl Rove absolutely isn't. But calling him a traitor or a war-criminal doesn't do anything for me either. (Continued…)
biggy
posted 2/27/08 @ 4:42 PM CST
nothing like free-speech liberals trying to silence others with opposing points of view. and of course they also label their opponents 'FASCISTS.'
boring and predictable. (Continued…)
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