It might be noted that some of that "irrefutable video evidence" came in the form of computer-generated images of an alleged Russian Buk missile battery traveling down darkened Ukrainian roads, very persuasive scenes, much like Secretary of State Colin Powell showing computer-generated images of Iraq's "mobile chemical weapons labs" in 2003, labs that didn't exist.
It also might be remembered that Iraq's Saddam Hussein was also accused of mounting "an elaborate cover-up" of his WMD stockpiles, that also didn't exist. The point being that slick presentations, which rely mostly on assertions and allude to untested evidence, aren't always accurate. Skepticism is not only a sign of journalistic professionalism but is necessary to avoid horrible misjudgments, especially on questions of war and peace.
Blaming Russia for Everything
But Friedman just plunges ahead, also asserting that on Sept. 19, Russia bombed a U.N. relief convoy heading for Aleppo. In this case, Friedman cites U.S. intelligence officials who say that "almost certainly" Russia did it, although I had been told that some CIA analysts feared the attack was launched by Al Qaeda's chief Syrian ally, Ahrar al-Sham, using a U.S.-made TOW missile. The United Nations also withdrew its initial assertion that the attack was an airstrike (although Friedman leaves that fact out, too).
President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney receive an Oval Office briefing from CIA Director George Tenet. Also present is Chief of Staff Andy Card (on right).
(Image by (White House photo)) Details DMCA
This is not to say that the Russians are innocent in these terrible incidents. Further evidence might convincingly prove that they are guilty -- and, if they are, accountability should be assessed as appropriate. Horrible errors happen in war, such as the U.S. airstrike that killed some 62 Syrian soldiers in eastern Syria on Sept. 17 as they were fighting off an attack by Islamic State militants.
The problem with propagandists like Friedman is that they ignore the illegal actions of the United States, including mounting military attacks on countries without United Nations' authority or without the justification of self-defense, in other words, outside the realm of international law. It's also illegal to supply weapons to terrorists, as has been occurring in Syria both directly by Saudi Arabia and other U.S. "allies" and indirectly by U.S. covert operations giving arms to "moderates" who then turn them over to Al Qaeda.
While putting on blinders regarding U.S. violations of international law and their human consequences, such as the Syrian refugee flow, the sanctimonious Friedman bizarrely blames Putin for this human suffering, too.
Friedman cites a scholar named Robert Litwak in claiming that "Putin's departure from standard great-power competition -- encouraging a flood of refugees and attacking the legitimacy of our political system -- 'is leading to shifts in global politics that could have revolutionary consequences, even if Putin is not motivated by revolutionary ideology.'"
Friedman's solution to this highly questionable if not imaginary problem is to increase the pain on Putin and Russia, saying "it's now clear that we have underestimated the pressure needed to produce effective engagement, and we're going to have to step it up. This is not just about the politics of Syria and Ukraine anymore. It's now also about America, Europe, basic civilized norms and the integrity of our democratic institutions."
While it's always tempting to dismiss Friedman as a nitwit, the sad reality is that he is an influential nitwit who helps shape "elite" American public opinion. He is now contributing to a new "group think" that is even more dangerous than the one he helped construct in 2002-2003 regarding the Iraq War.
Today, this new "group think," which -- like the Iraq one -- is based on a false or selective reading of the facts, could lead to a nuclear war that could end life on the planet.
[For more on this topic, see Consortiumnews.com's "Do We Really Want Nuclear War with Russia?" and "Obama Warned to Defuse Tensions with Russia."]
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