The following is the unedited text of a letter to the editor of the Ozaukee Press. The letter is in response to a gathering by democrats living in Ozaukee County where the film "Uncovered: the Whole Truth About the Iraq War" was shown. The advertisement inviting fellow citizens to the event suggested an 'open and honest discussion of our concerns'. I was not able to attend, but as described here, and by others in attendance, the event did not exactly live up to it's billing:
IN MY OPINION
By Joe Dean
In "Uncovered: the Whole Truth About the Iraq War", the first and biggest lie comes approximately one nano-second into the film, on the title shot. This film has nothing to do with truth! Rather, we were treated to selective edits and pure propaganda as former disgruntled administration officials and staffers droned on and on using clichés that left me wanting to scream: "You and President Clinton were there for eight years - why didn't you do something?"
One striking example of the poisoned atmosphere in the room Thursday night came as a clip showed President Bush in his State of the Union Address. As our President outlined the dangers we face as a nation, people in the audience literally and repeatedly laughed at our Commander in Chief. As the hate-filled movie spewed further lies, the obscenity of decent people losing any sense of objectivity left me completely and utterly sad. A tough, honest debate at this critical time in our country is one thing. Passionate disagreement is the bedrock of our Republic. However, the movie: "Uncovered" and the lemming effect I fear that it had on much of the audience last week smacks of a giant step backward. Checking your brains at the door and hitting the gutter with Michael Moore type crap-olla is downright dangerous. More, such trash in the form of a "documentary" is an injustice to the remaining liberals that are capable of a thoughtful debate. I relish their company and their arguments. Where are they this election season?
Al Zarqawi continues to slowly slice off innocent peoples' heads, terrorists target and kill children in Russia and Iraq, we are the "sworn enemy" of these terrorists, yet the combined intellectual response of the "progressives" can be summed up as: "Bush lied, people died?"
In case you missed it, John Kerry also voted for the liberation of Iraq! He looked at the same evidence as all of the other Democrats in support of the invasion and he too voted for the Iraq War. You might argue that he changed his mind since then, changed it many, many, many times in fact. And, that Senator Kerry really only was against the liberation of millions of people after slipping in the polls and after Governor Dean started winning in Iowa. Still, there is no denying he said, "knowing what I know now, I would still be for the war."
The rank hypocrisy of so many Democrats' own words juxtaposed against the viewpoints expressed in "Uncovered" is mind boggling. I urge readers to do their own research and discover the countless news articles and video clips from such notable Democrats as: Joe Lieberman, Bob Graham, Dianne Feinstein, Tom Daschle, Tom Harkin, Madeline Albright, Sandy Berger, Barbara Boxer, Robert Byrd, Wesley Clark, Nancy Pelosi, Carl Levin, and Henry Waxmen all of whom and many others, before the election-waffle season, supported President Bush's view.
Some quotes deserve special attention: On September 23, 2003 in the Washington Post, Al Gore said, "We know that he (Saddam) has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.” Less than a week later, Ted Kennedy said, "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." John Kerry himself, at Georgetown University on January 23, 2003 stated: "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real."
Former President Clinton said, "We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." In 1998, Bill Clinton also stated, "The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists."
On the floor of the Senate (S.J. Res. 45) on October 10, 2002 Hillary Clinton cautioned: "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members."
The fact that so many Democrats were for the Iraqi war is indisputable. The fact that Saddam wanted us dead and had plans for developing WMD is undeniable. Progressives may prefer to believe Saddam over their own Democratic leadership (and astonishingly, blame President Bush in the process!), but that is a ridiculous, perhaps fatal, miscalculation. The nexus between terrorists and WMD, contrary to the mind-numbed laughter in the room last Thursday night is indeed a grave danger to the civilized world. 9/11 happened. Thinking people should read the actual 9/11 and Duelfer reports rather than listen to biased and false excerpts, or the words of disgruntled former administration staffers, or the trendy, malicious and false information in the latest DVD. An honest reader of the facts (heck, any reader with a pulse) will quickly conclude that if the UN wants to help, fantastic. In the meantime, this world body best get to work cleaning up their own house of massive corruption and abysmal human rights record.
True grit has been demonstrated under the leadership of George W. Bush. Women and children in Afghanistan have been liberated. The days of filling mass graves and of an Iraqi regime specializing in barbarian rape and the torture of children are over. In January, thanks to the unfathomable bravery of coalition troops, our brother and sister Iraqis will be voting.
But this good news is colored with sadness. Sadness for any loss of innocent life and sadness for the loss which is the Democratic Party of my grandparents. The party once steeped in empathy for those less fortunate has devolved into one which increasingly is made up of people so blinded by ideology that they have come to represent a party of gutter politics. Too often, disrespectful of heartfelt opposition, too often aligned with simple and inane name calling, with uninformed Hollywood elites, voter fraud, and extreme positions. The lack of real communication is disheartening. My conservative friends seek the same goals as my liberal friends: Peace and freedom, environmental protection, high quality education for all, helping those in need, affordable health care, a strong economy, a fair and simple tax code, tolerance, diversity, individual freedom, and fair economic practices. They differ on the means to these noble ends.
So, the film "Uncovered" underscores a painful conclusion. Far too many liberals have taken their collective eye off the ball. They view winning at any cost as the only goal. They view Republicans as the enemy. Winning is one thing; cheating and the blatant use of disingenuous, disrespectful propaganda to do so, is another. It is time for all of us to retake the high road. Please join me and other Independents in voting for George W. Bush. Vote for freedom, respect for one another, and yes, for a safer world.
Dean is the former Mayor of Port Washington
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