June 6, 2003: from CNN Newsnight with Aaron 'enabler' Brown. Tonight: Randy Cohen (who writes a column called "The Ethicist" for the NY Times Magazine) wipes the floor with Aaron's ass!
BROWN: There's an interesting right or wrong, I'm not sure exactly where it centers, in this whole debate and discussion over weapons of mass destruction and what the government may have known, may have sort of known, but made it sound like maybe they knew more, all of that. What do you see there?
COHEN: I see you being surprising gentle, Aaron. I think the story - and I think this is the big ethical story of the week - is many people are asserting that the president is a liar, that the president lied about - in order to get our country into a war. That's a serious story.
BROWN: Well, yes, but it's also - that would be a very serious story. One should have evidence of that, though, shouldn't one, before one makes that argument?
COHEN: Do you mean, before one drags the country into a war?
BROWN: Well, that also. But before one asserts that anyone, including the president of the United States, is a liar, one ought to be able to prove that.
COHEN: Well, it's an interesting problem, that the - and more and more papers are reporting it now, that the president listed three causes for the war, Iraq was an imminent threat to us, and to its neighbors, that Iraq was connected with the events of September 11, and that there would be weapons of mass destruction there.
None of these things have been found. And I think many people believe the burden is on the president to prove his case. And if he doesn't, he then, it seems to me, is either a liar or a fool, and that's a very awkward position to be in.
BROWN: Well, couldn't -- how are we doing on time here? Oh, well, that answers that question. Why is the burden on the president, and why are those the two choices? Why isn't one of the choices that intelligence was simply wrong? They thought they were right, but they were wrong. That is also a possibility.
COHEN: Well, yes, but the alternatives then are corrupt or incompetent. And that if you are so wrong about all three causes, then I wonder if you can honorably hold -- continue to hold your office. It's an important thing. Many people died.
BROWN: They died (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COHEN: And the questions of his integrity have been raised by many places.
BROWN: And I agree with that.
COHEN: By members of both parties. I think it has to be taken seriously as an ethical matter, absolutely.
Thousands died.
No comments:
Post a Comment