Comments on: Step Into The Light http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/04/21/step-into-the-light-2/ Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:59:36 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: MikeD http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/04/21/step-into-the-light-2/#comment-9150 MikeD Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:18:01 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/04/21/step-into-the-light-2/#comment-9150 <p>This guy was (is) very, very close to Condoleeza RIce. It isn’t him who should have considered resigning, at least not most importantly. In my opinion it was his job to forcefully advise his principal about his view of what was being done, perhaps suggesting that she threaten to resign, perhaps threatening to resign himself if she did not make a major issue of it. If all that failed, yes, perhaos he should have considered resigning. But ultimately had he convinced Rice to resign herself, that would have been a far greater contribution to changing the policy. We who follow this regard Philip Zelikow as a big name, but in the actual public consciousness, it would have barely registered. A Rice resignation would have been a different story. </p> <p>I’m not saying he did enough. But a quiet resignation by him would have had so little effect that I think we should seriously consider the possibility that it really wouldn’t have been the right course for him.</p> This guy was (is) very, very close to Condoleeza RIce. It isn’t him who should have considered resigning, at least not most importantly. In my opinion it was his job to forcefully advise his principal about his view of what was being done, perhaps suggesting that she threaten to resign, perhaps threatening to resign himself if she did not make a major issue of it. If all that failed, yes, perhaos he should have considered resigning. But ultimately had he convinced Rice to resign herself, that would have been a far greater contribution to changing the policy. We who follow this regard Philip Zelikow as a big name, but in the actual public consciousness, it would have barely registered. A Rice resignation would have been a different story.

I’m not saying he did enough. But a quiet resignation by him would have had so little effect that I think we should seriously consider the possibility that it really wouldn’t have been the right course for him.

]]> By: dosido http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/04/21/step-into-the-light-2/#comment-9118 dosido Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:08:54 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/04/21/step-into-the-light-2/#comment-9118 <p>Hey Spence. My first knee jerk response to the fact that the administration wanted to destroy his memo is so that the claim in <em>their </em>memos of “to our knowledge we are unaware of any blah blah blah”. Basically leave unacknowledged any differing and plausible legal views coming to their attention. Think of the extra work and thinking involved in having to write up arguments to reject these views v. just deleting them. I’m tired of these guys.</p> <p>OTOH, I’m very heartened to know that yes, there are/were some conservatives who felt these actions were wrong. And they too were not heard.</p> Hey Spence. My first knee jerk response to the fact that the administration wanted to destroy his memo is so that the claim in their memos of “to our knowledge we are unaware of any blah blah blah”. Basically leave unacknowledged any differing and plausible legal views coming to their attention. Think of the extra work and thinking involved in having to write up arguments to reject these views v. just deleting them. I’m tired of these guys.

OTOH, I’m very heartened to know that yes, there are/were some conservatives who felt these actions were wrong. And they too were not heard.

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