The US Have Humiliated and Deceived the Iraqi People

James Francis Cardinal Stafford

Function: Major Penitentiary of Apostolic Penitentiary, Roman Curia

Title: Cardinal Deacon of Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola

Birthdate: Jul 26, 1932	Country: USA

Elevated: Feb 21, 1998	More information: www.catholic-hierarchy.org

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The US Have Humiliated and Deceived the Iraqi People
Sept 16, 2004

(21 May 2004) Cardinal Stafford quoted David Brooks in the New York Times who called the exaggerated understanding that the American and British people were given about the weapons of mass destruction an "intellectual failure."

"The question that I raise is," said the Cardinal, "is it also a moral failure? And I think it is. And I regret having to say that."

"Why did the President, the Vice-President and the Secretary of Defense say there was an immediate danger to the peace of American society by the proximate use of weapons that would come from Iraq, either directly or through Al Qaeda? Why did they say that when they didn't have the documentation to back it up?"

If the WMD was only an alibi for a greater plan to bring democracy to the Middle East, Cardinal Stafford says, the Bush Administration should have been honest about their plans.

"They tried to convince an intelligent citizenry, a enlightened citizenry who are ultimately responsible whether a government should remain or not remain, but we were not presented with the real reasons.

"I think the real reason was to try to create this democracy in the Middle East and I think it was wishful thinking but nevertheless that was their intention as we found out once they got in there."

The revelations of torture will not only adversely affect Arab countries, said Cardinal Stafford, but raise questions about American democracy.

"Muslims are outraged and deceived because Americans appear to be imposing the same type of life upon Iraqi society that we said we were going to rescue them from. It's the very opposite of what we said we were going to do.

"Not only have we humiliated the Iraqi people, but we've deceived them. We've deceived the Arab peoples," he said.

"Is this what American democracy is producing? Men and women who, just below the surface, are barbarians. Just below the surface of American civilization, of American popular culture, we are becoming barbaric. Is that what American democracy is producing today?"

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