Perjury in the Court of Public Opinion

by Monica Smith [courtesy of Blog for America]

This past Sunday, the venerable New York Times published a lengthy screed in which it was revealed that some twenty-two high ranking retired military men and one still on active duty in the Pentagon had been suborned to give false evidence, about the conduct and progress of the aggression against Iraq, to the electronic and print media.

To those of us who have been attentive to foreign press reporting, as well as a few unembedded independents like Dahr Jamail, that the truth wasn't getting through the major media filters is not news. Neither does the suborning of the pensioners come as much of a surprise. After all, the Bush Administration has made an art out of circumventing Constitutional limitations on the federal government by suborning private corporations to do its dirty work; of course for a hetfy price that we the people pay.

Nevertheless, that men who have sworn to honor the Constitution and serve the United States have lied to the public, not to protect the nation but to cover up malfeasance, comes as a bit of a shock. As does the fact that fully twenty-two are identified by name and rank.

One really has to ask, "Have you, at last, no shame, sirs?"