So my first blogiversary here at JWN passed Feb 6 and I didn’t even blog that day. Oh well.
My first post, here, was about Colin Powell’s speech to the UN just the day before.
What a lot has happened in this past year!
Back in early January (2004) I wrote a CSM column urging that the administration should be held accountable for its many serious mis-statements over Iraqi WMDs– in Powell’s speech, and of course, elsewhere. I actually had no idea that that process of being-held-accountable would proceed as far and as fast as it has in the past month.
Not nearly enough, of course. I looked at the make-up of the Commission of Inquiry that the Prez himself appointed (to investigate himself… how does that work again??), and I noted along with most other commentators that of the seven folks named to date, only one has any depth of the relevant expertise.
Judge Wald, I know a little bit. She specialized in family law; then, about six or seven years ago she was named to the bench of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
I interviewed her there, in The Hague, in 2001, shortly before her term at the court finished. She seems like a nice, compassionate person, and had a little exposure to intel matters when they used as evidence at the court. But still, I can think of many people who would have a lot more of the relevant expertise than her.
Anyway, I’m rambling a bit here. I mainly want to encourage readers to keep checking in periodically with JWN over the days ahead, even if I’m not posting regularly…
Oh, and tonight I have to write a column for Thursday’s CSM…
Congrats. Happy bolgiversary.
An admirer
Helena,
Since you are traveling now, perhaps you missed one of the best gems about this all-Bush-apponted yet completely independent commission. It seems Senator McCain, the first appointee announced, has already made up his mind. He has announced that he doesn’t believe the Bush Administration manipulated the intelligence. He further stated “The president of the United States, I believe, wouldn’t manipulate any kind of information for political gain or otherwise“.
Of course when you appoint the Commission of Foxes to adjudicate the question of who raided the hen house the results are 100% predictable.
Shirin– thanks! That certainly is a gem!