Geoff McKenzie
@geoffmckenzie.bsky.social
Biden also wore a symbol of capitol punishment and so does the pope CHECKMATE.
December 10, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Biden also wore a symbol of capitol punishment and so does the pope CHECKMATE.
This a fun game, because I guess you start with Hegseth and RFK, but then is it Noem? Bondi? Lutnick? Does Patel count? Don’t sleep in McMahon.
December 2, 2025 at 1:01 AM
This a fun game, because I guess you start with Hegseth and RFK, but then is it Noem? Bondi? Lutnick? Does Patel count? Don’t sleep in McMahon.
…subverting established standards of vetting along the way. This is how you manufacture a pretext: take some weak evidence and inflate it to cause alarm. I think Trump believes drugs are really coming in from Venezuela—and some are! (And I am not saying that Bush and Trump are in the same league.)
November 30, 2025 at 9:47 PM
…subverting established standards of vetting along the way. This is how you manufacture a pretext: take some weak evidence and inflate it to cause alarm. I think Trump believes drugs are really coming in from Venezuela—and some are! (And I am not saying that Bush and Trump are in the same league.)
“Made up” is not my thesis—and I haven’t said anything like that. The intelligence services didn’t come to the White House (or Congress) with worries about Iraq; it went the other way. The admin had an ideology and they went shopping for intel to confirm their bias and sell the war…
November 30, 2025 at 9:30 PM
“Made up” is not my thesis—and I haven’t said anything like that. The intelligence services didn’t come to the White House (or Congress) with worries about Iraq; it went the other way. The admin had an ideology and they went shopping for intel to confirm their bias and sell the war…
…of world governments. And the fact that a lot of Democrats also fell for that canard, whether truly or just publicly for political cover, proves my point about how easy a society is to gaslight. (I agree that 9/11 intensified that proclivity to an extraordinary extent. But Trump era also extrdnry.)
November 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
…of world governments. And the fact that a lot of Democrats also fell for that canard, whether truly or just publicly for political cover, proves my point about how easy a society is to gaslight. (I agree that 9/11 intensified that proclivity to an extraordinary extent. But Trump era also extrdnry.)
…untenable or perceived as naive, or maybe he, carrying the shock of 9/11 like every other American, couldn’t gather the emotional resources to think sceptically about who was pushing that narrative and why. But it was clear to John Chrétien and the CBC and the vast majority…
November 30, 2025 at 3:28 PM
…untenable or perceived as naive, or maybe he, carrying the shock of 9/11 like every other American, couldn’t gather the emotional resources to think sceptically about who was pushing that narrative and why. But it was clear to John Chrétien and the CBC and the vast majority…
…of freedom fries and Bill Maher getting cancelled for the most anodyne comments. The US public was crying for blood, and no one domestically was pushing back on the (FALSE!) WMD narrative. To do so was political suicide, so Ted Kennedy may have taken this weird position because it was politically…
November 30, 2025 at 3:21 PM
…of freedom fries and Bill Maher getting cancelled for the most anodyne comments. The US public was crying for blood, and no one domestically was pushing back on the (FALSE!) WMD narrative. To do so was political suicide, so Ted Kennedy may have taken this weird position because it was politically…
You still haven’t explained why the NATO coalition, which showed up with enthusiasm for Gulf, Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, took a pass in Iraq 2. (No great mystery—they thought the pretext was alarmist and unlikely, and said so). Within the US, this was the era…
November 30, 2025 at 3:15 PM
You still haven’t explained why the NATO coalition, which showed up with enthusiasm for Gulf, Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, took a pass in Iraq 2. (No great mystery—they thought the pretext was alarmist and unlikely, and said so). Within the US, this was the era…
…I don’t think they believed Saddam was a serious threat to the US or its allies. That was just alarmism for the sake of selling the war to the public and maybe to Congress. CF Powell’s toothache theory.
November 30, 2025 at 5:58 AM
…I don’t think they believed Saddam was a serious threat to the US or its allies. That was just alarmism for the sake of selling the war to the public and maybe to Congress. CF Powell’s toothache theory.
…specious intel and the American media were insufficiently sceptical. NATO and five eyes all looked at the intelligence and said, publically, there wasn’t much there. Did Bush et al believe, by, 2003 that there was WMD in Iraq? Maybe. They were highly motivated to believe their own agit prop. But…
November 30, 2025 at 5:56 AM
…specious intel and the American media were insufficiently sceptical. NATO and five eyes all looked at the intelligence and said, publically, there wasn’t much there. Did Bush et al believe, by, 2003 that there was WMD in Iraq? Maybe. They were highly motivated to believe their own agit prop. But…
No, I’m arguing that Bush (pushed by Rumsfeld, Cheney, I suppose Bolton, though I don’t recall where he enters the timeline) felt they had unfinished business in Iraq and went looking for a reason they could sell to the public. The intelligence services were too eager to sign off on…
November 30, 2025 at 5:49 AM
No, I’m arguing that Bush (pushed by Rumsfeld, Cheney, I suppose Bolton, though I don’t recall where he enters the timeline) felt they had unfinished business in Iraq and went looking for a reason they could sell to the public. The intelligence services were too eager to sign off on…
…in Canada, my recollection is that the local media were broadly sceptical of the WMD claims, though sympathy for 9/11 was high. (Troops in Afghanistan were not especially controversial.) Chirac opted out because Bush came across as a zealot. Looking back, which POV do you think was naive?
November 30, 2025 at 5:06 AM
…in Canada, my recollection is that the local media were broadly sceptical of the WMD claims, though sympathy for 9/11 was high. (Troops in Afghanistan were not especially controversial.) Chirac opted out because Bush came across as a zealot. Looking back, which POV do you think was naive?
The dominant view IN AMERICA, which, following the shock of 9/11, was willing to shoot first and follow up on the (bad) intelligence later. And yes, the UK had their own dodgy dossier scandal and was similarly taken in.
At the time…
At the time…
November 30, 2025 at 5:01 AM
The dominant view IN AMERICA, which, following the shock of 9/11, was willing to shoot first and follow up on the (bad) intelligence later. And yes, the UK had their own dodgy dossier scandal and was similarly taken in.
At the time…
At the time…
What were “their own reasons”? They all went to Afghanistan. They all participated in the first Iraq war. The pattern of US intelligence agencies stovepiping weak/unvetted intelligence to the White House/Congress because of political pressure is well documented.
November 30, 2025 at 4:30 AM
What were “their own reasons”? They all went to Afghanistan. They all participated in the first Iraq war. The pattern of US intelligence agencies stovepiping weak/unvetted intelligence to the White House/Congress because of political pressure is well documented.
Well France and Germany and Canada didn’t fall for it. The fact you’re still defending this after everything that’s come to light kind of proves my point about how low a threshold of evidence the US needs for casus belli, up and down the social hierarchy.
November 30, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Well France and Germany and Canada didn’t fall for it. The fact you’re still defending this after everything that’s come to light kind of proves my point about how low a threshold of evidence the US needs for casus belli, up and down the social hierarchy.
…the media was derelict. Trump’s bad approvals now are the main impediment, but he might still rally Fox, CBS, Twitter to some bogus pretext if he tried.
November 30, 2025 at 3:38 AM
…the media was derelict. Trump’s bad approvals now are the main impediment, but he might still rally Fox, CBS, Twitter to some bogus pretext if he tried.
And the guys on the ground, Hans Blix and the IAEA said there was no evidence of WMD. IAEA was unequivocal—no nukes. Colin Powell’s presentation to the UN was laughable. Clearly you’re right that the public and elite sentiment were was extremely combative (and not measured) after 9/11, but…
November 30, 2025 at 3:34 AM
And the guys on the ground, Hans Blix and the IAEA said there was no evidence of WMD. IAEA was unequivocal—no nukes. Colin Powell’s presentation to the UN was laughable. Clearly you’re right that the public and elite sentiment were was extremely combative (and not measured) after 9/11, but…
Gotta be honest: It looked to Americans like there was WMD because the American media carried that water. The rest of the world thought it was nuts. The Saddam/911 pretext was even flimsier.
November 29, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Gotta be honest: It looked to Americans like there was WMD because the American media carried that water. The rest of the world thought it was nuts. The Saddam/911 pretext was even flimsier.
Especially when it’s so easy. “Something something WMD.”
November 29, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Especially when it’s so easy. “Something something WMD.”
Also…promoted??
October 11, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Also…promoted??
Why was Keystone XL cancelled in the first place? Because Mitch McConnell wanted a public fight more than he wanted the pipeline.
October 10, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Why was Keystone XL cancelled in the first place? Because Mitch McConnell wanted a public fight more than he wanted the pipeline.
But none of them are going to write a great song tomorrow. That’s going to be Jason Isbell. Maybe Gregory Allen Isakov.
October 10, 2025 at 1:13 AM
But none of them are going to write a great song tomorrow. That’s going to be Jason Isbell. Maybe Gregory Allen Isakov.
I think maybe you’re just a contrary sort of guy, kirklonguski.
October 8, 2025 at 1:27 AM
I think maybe you’re just a contrary sort of guy, kirklonguski.