So apparently this United States diplomat went to an interview on Al-Jazeera and told his interviewer something that anybody with any common sense and a basic knowledge of history already knows about the Iraq War:
"I think there is a big possibility (inaudible) for extreme criticism and because undoubtedly there was arrogance and stupidity from the United States in Iraq."
Not exactly enlightening to me or anything, that statement is extremely shocking not only because it came from the mouth of somebody in the Bush administration, but also because it is rational and based on actual facts and evidence.
Yes, Mr. Fernandez was correct about the "arrogance and stupidity" on the United States' part of the Iraq War. He did forget naivete, of course, but arrogance and stupidity definitely describe a great number of Bush administration officials' comments about this war:
1. Dick Cheney - "My belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators."
2. President Bush - "Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualities."
3. President Bush - "My answer is bring 'em on!"
4. Dick Cheney - "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the Iraq insurgency"
And that's just a quick sampler of public comments; who knows what kind of the stupid, arrogant shit they've said behind close doors while forming policy. Clearly Mr. Fernandez knew exactly what would cause him to mention the fact that the U.S. was guilty of arrogance and stupidity in the Iraq War.
But that interview was on Friday. The truth of that interview has come out today: apparently Mr. Fernandez's words were not properly translated by Al-Jazeera. Evidently, Mr. Fernandez was not, in fact, the first current Bush administration official to use logic and evidence to generate an accurate, sensible thought about his superiors' policies and actions, as we had been led to believe by earlier accounts of his interview. A new translation of Mr. Fernandez's interview reveals his intended comments: "All the evidence is there: we were greeted as liberators, fought off a few pesky insurgent gnats, and -- just as Jesus Christ our Lord had spoken righteously through the words of his messengers George W. Bush and Dick Cheney -- Iraq is now a democracy. This has been God's plan all along, and because of the wisdom of Donald Rumsfeld, it has come to being. Praise Jesus Christ the King and Savior!" I guess that didn't make much sense to the translators at Al-Jazeera, who fiendishly came up with the "arrogance and stupidity" angle, if only to curse and take away the job of the infidel Alberto Fernandez.
It was a nice try, Al-Jazeera, but Bush & Co. know better than that. Explained one senior White House official, "I can only assume his remarks must have been mistranslated. Those comments obviously don't reflect our policy." And exactly what policy is he talking about? Oh, I forgot -- the standard Bush/Cheney policy of humility, intelligence, reason, and preparedness that has been the hallmark of this unanimously successful Iraq War. Silly me.
I do feel sorry for Mr. Fernandez, however, because his mistranslated words are going to cost him. While Bush will surely forgive Mr. Fernandez to his face, Mr. Fernandez almost assuredly will be transferred by the State Department -- to a secret prison in Europe just as a precaution under the new Military Commissions Act. But don't cry too long for Mr. Fernandez; after all, he voted for President Bush, so he would merely be receiving the justice he deserves in this case.
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