A Transcript

A Transcript

9/11 Commission calling, with questions on accountability. But from the White House side of the line come on answers, only talking points.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

PHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE 9/11 COMMISSION AND THE WHITE HOUSE CONCERNING THE COMMISSION’S BLISTERING REPORT CARD ON HOW WELL ITS RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED

Commission:
So firemen can talk to cops,
You must provide a frequency.
The fact that this has not been done
Is government delinquency.

White House:
Iraq is coming right along.
We’re confident we’ll win this war.
The way to honor lads we’ve lost
Is stick it out (and lose some more).

Commission:
Disaster funds are handed out
By pork, not risk, and, by the way,
The loose nukes that so worried us
Are getting looser every day.

White House:
Our troops are making progress now,
And trained Iraqis have increased.
We win the battles that we fight.
We’ve taken some towns twice at least.

Commission:
Still, air freight cargo goes unchecked,
And information goes unshared.
We told you then, we tell you now:
The USA is unprepared!

White House:
Saddam–that evil, awful man
— Is captured, living in a cell.
Democracy will spread from there.
The Middle East will soon be swell.

Commission:
We have to say, upon reflection,
There’s something wrong with this connection.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x