Back on August 28, 2002, Mother Davis made a prediction:
…predictions, in general, are dangerous to make. Would I make a prediction that global warming is going to continue for the next decade? Nope, cause I don’t know that. Would I make a prediction about whether George W. will find a way to stay in the White House for another four years? Nope. Would I even make a prediction that a war against Iraq will result in heavy American casualties. Nu-uh. My crystal ball is not open for service, folks. I hate making predictions. Instead, I prefer to talk about what makes good sense, and what doesn’t.
That said, I’m going to make a prediction. The Bush White House is going to continue to allow itself to get slammed around for a while longer on the whole idea of invading Iraq. The most common critique, that W. and his advisors have not made a substantive case for the need to invade Iraq, is a pretty solid one. Bush’s most cogent argument so far is that Saddam Hussein is evil. One evil man, and so we send 200,000 troops to invade a foreign country? No wonder the American public thinks Georgie is baked on this one!
Part two of this prediction, though, is that George W. will finally speak, and reveal some extra-special super-duper threat from Iraq that was previously undisclosed. Heck, we know how much this White House loves to keep secrets. This revelation will shock and frighten the American public, and it will make those who oppose war look naive. Have you noticed how scant George W. is on the details? I think he’s saving up to drop a really big shoe and make some noise. Expectations about the support for an invasion of Iraq, just like with the debate, are lowered, so that he can come in and surprise everyone and look fairly sensible doing it.
Now here’s the kicker – prediction part three: this revelation will be based on intelligence from a detainee (you know, one of those people that the American government is holding hostage, I mean prisoner, I mean in detention, without charging them with a crime or observing their human rights established by international law). This detainee will spill the beans, which will allow the government to uncover other evidence of a terrifying connection of the Iraqi government to all things EVIL. But, President Junior and his amazing administration of advisors will not be able to disclose the identity of the detainee or the source of the evidence. In other words, there won’t be a scrap of actual verifiable proof that the evidence, the detainee who provides it, or the evil Iraqi plot to destroy us all exist at all! That information will remain classified for national security purposes. When questioned about it, the Bush Administration will in effect say, “Trust us. This is not the time for argument. We’re at war!”
You know what else, I’ll bet that the American people will buy it. They’ll be too scared to think things through, and once again will choose security over freedom. We’ve seen over the last year what kind of cockamamie schemes Bush and company can get away with when the American people are scared.
Mother Davis was right on the money. George W. Bush waited some months, then rolled out his Weapons of Mass Destruction claims, which we were told were based on “slam dunk” evidence we couldn’t see, which came from unnamed detainees and defectors.
And, sadly, Mother Davis was right about the American people, too. They ate it up, they swallowed it, and they cheered as George W. Bush marched off to a wholly unnecessary war.
Mother Davis was right. But I just can’t muster up the word “congratulations.” I’d rather she’d been wrong.
