#1552 Invasion of Iraq, 20 years later
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 1 April 2023
⏱️ 78 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date 3/31/2023
Today, we take a look at the history and legacy of the invasion of Iraq by the United States under George W. Bush and his administration with the support of the vast majority of Americans who had been systematically mislead by falsified evidence used to make the case for war.
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SHOW NOTES
We spend today's show with two Iraqis looking back at how the unprovoked U.S. invasion devastated Iraq and helped destabilize much of the Middle East.
Ch. 2: How To Start A War And Get Away With It Part 1 - AJ+ - Air Date 3-16-23
Twenty years ago the U.S. began its invasion of Iraq. What came next is a story well tread— a bloody, brutal and senseless war— but what lead up to the invasion deserves just as much scrutiny
20 years after the launch of the disastrous invasion of Iraq, Mehdi is asking: Isn’t it finally time to hold George W. Bush accountable for the brutal war and the lies he told us about it?
Ch. 4: How To Start A War And Get Away With It Part 2 - AJ+ - Air Date 3-16-23
Ch. 5: Norman Solomon on the Iraq Invasion, 20 Years Later - CounterSpin - Air Date 3-24-23
We’ll talk about it with author, critic and longtime friend of FAIR Norman Solomon. What passes for debate about why we must remain at some kind of war—cold, hot, corporate, stealth, acknowledged, denied has roots worth studying in 2003.
Ch. 7: “To Start a War” by Robert Draper - PBS - Air Date 8-7-20
On the Washington Week Extra, New York Times Magazine writer at large and National Geographic contributing writer Robert Draper discusses his latest book, "To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America into Iraq.”
“The story of the past 20 years is a story of destruction, devastation, corruption, incompetence, but also a story of resilience,” says Nadje Al-Ali, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Brown University
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Sam hosts Spencer Ackerman, columnist for The Nation and author of the Forever Wars newsletter on Ghost, to discuss his recent piece “The Unlearned Lessons From the War in Iraq”.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 12: Leftists are now war mongers - Ronald Bruce Meyer
Ch. 13: Senseless war - VoicedMailer Marg
Comment on your recent Ukraine podcast - VoicedMailer Trevor
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 14: Final comments on the moral responsibility of inaction in Ukraine
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | During today's episode, I'm going to be telling you about a progressive show I think |
| 0:06.5 | you should check out. |
| 0:07.5 | It's the Laura Flanders Show, keep an ear out mid show when I tell you more about it. |
| 0:12.5 | And now, welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of the Left podcast in which we shall |
| 0:17.5 | take a look at the history and legacy of the invasion of Iraq by the United States under |
| 0:22.9 | George W. Bush and his administration with the support of the vast majority of Americans |
| 0:28.8 | who had been systematically misled by falsified evidence used to make the case for war. |
| 0:34.9 | Clips today are from Democracy Now, AJ Plus, the Medihesson Show, Counter-Spin and PBS, |
| 0:41.9 | with an additional members-only clip from the majority report. |
| 0:51.6 | Well, it was 20 years ago today when the U.S. invaded Iraq on the false pretext that |
| 0:57.2 | Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction. |
| 1:02.7 | The attack came despite worldwide protest and the lack of authorization from the United |
| 1:08.3 | Nations Security Council. |
| 1:10.6 | At around 5.30 a.m. local time in Baghdad, March 20, 2003, air-raid sirens were heard in |
| 1:19.2 | Baghdad as the U.S. invasion began. |
| 1:22.7 | In the hour, President George W. Bush gave a nationally televised speech from the |
| 1:27.4 | Oval Office announcing the war had begun. |
| 1:52.7 | Some Hussein's ability to wage war. |
| 1:55.9 | These are opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign. |
| 2:00.5 | I want Americans and all the world to know that coalition forces will make every effort |
| 2:06.5 | to spare innocent civilians from harm. |
| 2:09.2 | We come to Iraq with respect for its citizens, for their great civilization, and for the |
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