Schieffer: Can We Handle the Truth?

Why Does The Government Hide The Facts About The Iraq War From Us?

(CBS)  Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

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During the court martial scene in the movie "A Few Good Men," young Navy prosecutor Tom Cruise put Marine Colonel Jack Nicholson on the stand and demanded the truth.

Nicholson replied, "The truth? You can't handle the truth!"

A memorable line, but we are left to as: Has the government concluded Nicholson's character was right, that Americans can't handle the truth?

As the war has grown worse, we have heard government spokesmen from the top on down tell us "Stuff happens," "Mission accomplished," "Enormous progress," "The good news is not reported."

We can't even get a straight story on how our troops die.

Last week, the Pentagon first reported that four Americans were killed in Iraq while repelling an enemy attack. Then on Friday we were told they had actually been kidnapped during a shootout and executed, two of them handcuffed and shot in the head.

In the hours after the killings, reporters who had pieced together the real story were told their version was inaccurate. The new Secretary of Defense claimed he was unaware of the new information an hour before it was announced.

The government argues that public criticism hurts the war effort, but it is being damaged much more by its own loss of credibility brought on by such incidents.

Truth is the foundation of democracy and Americans can handle the truth — they demand it. History shows that when they fail to get it, they no longer follow their leaders, no matter the cause. They are more likely to just change leaders.

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E-mail Face the Nation.

[bluestardad]

Make the Congress and the Administration define who the enemy is in Iraq. The Neocons cannot tell you who we are sending our troops to fight. It is a sure bet that the Chicken Hawks are not going to go fight. Saudis are aiding the Sunnis and Iran is aiding the Shiites and the 12 former members of Saddam%u2019s regime are running scared hiding in caves! So how do we tell our troops to fire upon? Why is America even there? OK here is your chance, don%u2019t just set in front of your computer and complain spouting meaningless rants of sludge, do something about it! This is the contact address for your Senator! Send them a message of your opinion. All Class Two Senators are up for Reelection in 2008. Be respectful even if they do not deserve it because their office does! http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[j0hnwi11iams]

Here is the truth:

The Fascists LIE. Guilt through free association.

[j0hnwi11iams]

People actually spitting on soldiers? My GOD do you people have any shame spreading FALSE rumors like that.

Yeah, the reich wingers spread the same misinformation about returning Vietnam vets. Not ONE actual case. LIARS.

[j0hnwi11iams]

Truth is to conservatives what sunlight is to vampires.

[hillaryin08]

Here is another news flash: The Democrat war protesters have started to take it out on the troops!

I guess this is their way of supporting them by spitting on them and calling them names.

[mikekleber]

It makes me sick to hear Bush all of a sudden threatening Iran. I firmly believe he is planning some type of action against Iran before he leaves office. And, after hearing Cheney in his recent interview, our dynamic duo has an attack of some sort in the works. Congress should make a deal with Bush, Cheney and Rice: the three of them would get all of the support they're requesting if each one spends one month personally in combat in Iraq. I think our troops would be home before you know it.

[bluestardad]

Even handed Reporting; When will the American Media and Government hold equally accountable the other people feeding insurgents in the Iraq war? The Saudi Arabian Government is providing financial, military and personnel aid to the Sunni insurgents also. We never hear President Bush or the media demanding they Saudi back off its support to the Sunni insurgents as he does his rhetoric against the Iranians. 15 of the 19 hijackers that hit us on September 11, 2001 were from Saudi and so was Bin Laden! These people are friends of the Bush family! But they are still killing American Soldiers. The American people have spoken on November 7, 2006 and demand that our elected officials pull our troops out of Iraq and start negotiations with all countries in the region on an equal basis. This Rovian Sound Bite that disagreement with the Presidents policies in the Middle East provides aid and comfort to the enemy is preposterous and rejected by the American people. First off the President and his Rovian Neocons Chicken Hawks who got us into this war don%u2019t know who the enemy is. Nor can they define the enemy we are fighting now! Is the enemy the Saudi back Sunnis or the Iranian backed Shiites that have been our friends for 20 years, could it possibly be the hold outs from the old Saddam regime or maybe just anyone who disagrees with President Bush?

[gray_owl_55]

Bob, after reading the venomous hatred being spewed by those who buy into the politics of fear and bigotry in the disguise of %u201Cpatriotism%u201D or blind loyalty seem to be having the most difficulty separating fact from deception. It appears that some of us can%u2019t handle the truth.

Arguing about %u201Cwhich strategy to win%u201D to use in Iraq is intended to be a distraction so we won%u2019t question how bad the policy is. Our foreign policy in the Middle East is to export democracy through aggressive military intervention. Central to this policy is %u201Cthe belief that the U.S. military must control the world, or else the world will descend into chaos%u201D. This quote was taken directly from a primer on Neoconservatism. Sound familiar? Substitute the word %u201Cworld%u201D for %u201CIraq%u201D. WMD was just the pretext to initiate this policy. Fear, patriotism and trust were the tools used to manipulate our loyality. To those who say it doesn%u2019t matter how we got into Iraq we must complete the mission. %u201CThe Mission%u201D has always been building a presidential and republican legacy. Iraq was supposed to be the mission trophy because it was percieved to be an easy victory. Now that this illconcieved pretext and disastrously executed con game is falling apart. At what point does blind loyality become nieve denial, and finally recognition that you have been hoodwinked?

[dallison7]

There is no way God or no God that it is natural for men to be with men and women to be with men.
Posted by Covair63 at 01:19 PM : Jan 29, 2007


HUH???

[drdilemma]

The people in Washington DC are called '' REPRESENTATIVES ''
not the people in power....
Posted by USAwatchman at 01:41 PM : Jan 29, 2007

Too bad the Duh-cider and Darth Cheney can't grasp this concept. I guess in their eyes they are representing the few thousand die hard neocons who ignore truth, oh and the executives of Halliburton...

[drdilemma]

The people in Washington DC are called '' REPRESENTATIVES ''
not the people in power....
Posted by USAwatchman at 01:41 PM : Jan 29, 2007

Too bad the Duh-cider and Darth Cheney can't grasp this concept. I guess in their eyes they are representing the few thousand die hard neocons who ignore truth, oh and the executives of Halliburton...

[getcentered]

Covair63:

Do you understand how you're repeating arguments that are just plain lies? I would say your comments are a little ignorant as well.

Iraq was not filled with terrorists, Afghanistan was. If we did not attack Iraq then we would have exponentially more resources to fight, "the war on terror", WHERE IT SHOULD BE FOUGHT. The war in Iraq has increased the chances for terrorist attacks everywhere.

Thanks to Bush's lover Karl Rove, a wave of ignorance has swept across our nation. Hopefully it's coming to an end.
Get informed people!

[usawatchman]

Jim Webb, D-Va Freudian slip = FACE THE NATION

Don't get me wrong , I think his heart was in the right place...
but this may be one of the reason

WE HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS
WITH THE PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON DC..

When asked about the WAR protester in Washington DC
Jim Webb, D-Va said on Face the Nation

'' I have a strong belief that in this country,
one of our greatest strengths
is that we have the right to stand in front of the people in power
and state our views...''

PEOPLE IN POWER???

Jim Webb, D-Va , FYI (For Your Information)
WE THE PEOPLE , are the PEOPLE IN POWER
WE THE PEOPLE , are in CONTROL

All of the BUREAUCRATS and POLITICIANS
in Washington DC are there to REPRESENT US (The PEOPLE)

The people in Washington DC are called '' REPRESENTATIVES ''
not the people in power....

[usawatchman]

Thank you Bob Schieffer. :)
Posted by jh6379 at 10:02 AM : Jan 29, 2007

AMEN..! Here is more...

BIG MONEY is buying up SMALL NEWS PAPERS
in the

NORTH AMERICAN UNION
TOLL ROAD CORRIDORS

in order to COVER UP opposition
to the TOLL ROAD being OWNED by FOREIGNERS

in order to COVER UP that some of these roads
had been paid for by the PUBLIC ALREADY
and are being GIVEN to these FOREIGNERS

in order to COVER UP politicians
who HAVE SOLD OUT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC

Big Business Buys Silence of Toll Road Critical Newspapers
Foreign corporation in desperate lunge to quell massive popular dissent against Trans Texas Corridor & North American Union

http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/toll_road_business_buys_silence_of_critical_newspapers.htm

[getcentered]

1.
Mr. Bush staunchly defended his Iraq policy, saying that he had adjusted tactics to reflect changing conditions on the ground.

"HE" didn't adjust anything, I'm sure of it.

2.
It is "tough on the American psyche," he said, repeating a phrase he had used before.

It's more than tough, it's killing us.

3.
"loud voices" in the Democratic Party for him to withdraw troops.

There are loud voices all over America, Republicans and Democrat alike, and not many are saying, "Withdraw troops" or "cut and run". We do get to hear from Republicans all the time that Democrats would "cut and run". It's just not true and you sound like a broken record.

I think the problems we face in Iraq are far more complex for a dumb president and ignorant Republican leadership to understand.

Family of mine is in the Marines. He is in danger. Bush and the neo-cons put him there. I don't trust Republicans to do anything else with him.

If it was legal, I'd slap these fools, but I'll vote instead and put some smarter people leadership positions.

[getcentered]

We weren't given the facts about the Iraq war from before it started!

This war in Iraq is EXACTLY what the experts (the CIA, Pentagon) said it was going to be.

Fools rush in and that is what we did going into Iraq, so calling the people wanting this war stupid or arrogant fits the bill just fine.

The military commanders do not want unnecessary deaths, but right now, they are on the ground in Iraq, by order of the President. People are dying all around our troops and they cannot do much about it. They do not know why they are there, or why the people in Iraq started killing each other.

If the experts said it would be this way, why did we not take the time to create a better plan? I think I know part of the reasons: "politics".

The party wanting this war needed it to BEGIN quickly or it might never come to pass.

How unfortunate for our brothers and sisters in the military that they can be wasted along side of Iraqi people without a known, true and just cause.

[covair63]

on that last comment it was supose to be women to women

[covair63]

I can't believe how stupid people are.If they really believe they if we had just stayed home that those fanatics would have done the same.
They would be here now and we would be fighting them in our streets.If you would only listen that is their whole purpose for living is to kill the great satan which they claim is America.
The muslims can say what they want but their Koran says an infidel is to be made a slave or to be killed.And what has our great nation done but to let one get elected to congress.
and these people who want to say there is nothing wrong with being homosexual is stupid too,There is no way God or no God that it is natural for men to be with men and women to be with men.

[i-tack]

feelfree1,

Regarding your comment, "I don't think that you represented my position very well. I am not advocating to stop reporting on the Middle East. I am instead advocating in favor of accurate, fact-based reporting from this region."

Not exactly sure where your comment stems from, but my apologies if I misrepresented you.

As for my position on energy, the Middle East is the mess it is in because of oil. As long as the money from oil goes into that region we will be dealing with it.

Conservation is a tool towards energy indepedence, but it is only one tool. Nuclear power is a tool (with issues), coal, wind, solar, geothermal, etc. are tools. The combination of tools will allow us to grow as an economy and survive as a nation.

Full independence will drive other countries to seek out the same and the resulting loss of revenue will impact the Middle East dramatically. Let's face it, this will bring down some regimes who are favorable to the US. About the only country in the region that wouldn't be hurt financially is Israel.

Hope you are not a closet Israel hater like others on this site.

Have a good day.

[random_radar]

"In war, truth is the first casualty."

Aeschylus the Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC - 456 BC)