This weekend, we had yet another member of a disgraced Republican foreign policy team chime in on Iraq. This time it was Elliot Abrams who never left the stage despite his role in Iran-Contra (he pled down from felonies to misdemeanors). It inspired me to organize a club: The Silent Chorus of Past Disgrace.
The idea here is that those who partake of major screw-ups can be seen but should not be heard. They can grimace, gnash teeth, jump up and down, gesticulate, but not speak up as they have very little credibility. They get TV and newspaper and online media time for the sake of "balance" but they should not. I am not saying that they should not be allowed to speak, but I don't see why anyone has to give them a microphone and a camera. Let them rail in private clubs, on street corners, and elsewhere. But why give them attention they no longer deserve? That is why I don't provide links to their posts anymore.
Charter members of the organization would clearly be: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, Bremer (oy!), and Oliver North (he joins Abrams in the indicted wing). Kissinger should be an honorary member. Note: George W. Bush is not a member because he has some humility or something that keeps him out of the news, plus paining those portraits takes a lot of his time.
The question is: are there Democrats who are as guilty of making incredibly stupid decisions in US foreign policy that undermines their credibility? If so, are there ones that still show up on TV and elsewhere? I would not mind adding them to the club in the name of "balance." I just don't think that Madeline Albright or Leon Panetta have the same kind of record of creating stupid policy. Sure, I am biased, but again, give me some Dems to include. I don't mind fostering the silence of Left/Center-wing foreign policy screwups.
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