"I'd like to say this whole Vanity Fair [an American publication - eds] piece merely represents a case of rats jumping from a sinking ship, but after all the death and mayhem these people have caused, that would be an insult to rats."
Being "right" can sometimes be an unwelcome, and even dreadful, thing. Take, for instance, a boy who is convinced that a monster lives in his closet. He may hope he’s wrong. He may take solace in his parents' soothing reassurance that the alleged monster is just a figment of his imagination.
But what if the door swings open and a beast really does emerge? The child may have a fleeting thought of, "Ah ha! See? I told you so!" But his glee will quickly evaporate in the face of his new, perilous situation.
On September 20, 2004, I wrote a column entitled It's Almost Scapegoat Time. In that piece, I predicted the war in Iraq would end in failure and, when the failure became undeniable, the neo-conservatives would begin searching for a "fall guy" to take the blame:
My prediction is that the Iraqi situation will continue to deteriorate over the next year or two. At some point, the American people will then rise up and demand answers. Any number of things may be the final straw, such as the initiation of a draft or the extension of hostilities outside of Iraq. But whatever the underlying cause, the American people will not continue to bleed in Mesopotamia indefinitely.
At that time, our good friends the neocons are going to be in a serious bind. Having agitated for this war based on dubious arguments and questionable political maneuvering, they may find themselves in the spotlight.
In an honest culture, the neocons would stand up and take the blame. They would admit that this whole debacle was their idea, and that they were being deceptive when they sold it to the American people. They would offer sincere apologies and then fall on their swords as a way of making amends to their fellow countrymen.
But, alas, we live in foul times. And the neocons do not follow the code of the Samurai. So in keeping with America’s degenerate contemporary culture, what they really need is a "fall guy." The neocons need to find a sucker [American slang for a victim of lies or deception - eds.] to whom they can pass the buck while they lick their wounds and live to fight another day...
