Machiavelli lives

Listening to the news this morning, there was some mention, brief though it was, that the report has now been handed down stating unequivocally that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Oops. Why is it that the news doesn’t come as a surprise to me? Was I prescient? Nah. Don’t think so. Wasn’t it Richard Perle, who at least a year and a half ago baldly stated that WMD was the excuse they could all agree on to promote the war? Not that there were any, but that WMD were a great selling point and motivational tool to get the masses behind the war effort? Yeah, I do believe that’s what he proudly proclaimed. Not that anyone paid any attention.

But what still astonishes me is the amount of handwringing going on over the ‘news’. Now we have to get to the bottom of things and find out why the intelligence reports were so wrong.

Now that makes me laugh. In a bitter sort of way. Instead of trying to hang this on the CIA, perhaps getting to the bottom of the poor intelligence should start at the Pentagon where Rumsfeld set up his little alternative intelligence shop to turn out doctored intelligence to support his war.

Funny thing. Well, not so funny. I just started reading Michael (Mr. Neoconservative) Ledeen’s book, Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli’s Iron Rules are as Timely and Important Today as Five Centuries Ago. If you want a good clue as to how the skids were greased to get us into war so easily, this is a good place to start. To put it in simple terms, according to Machiavelli (and Ledeen), the people are stupid. Leaders should tell them whatever it takes to get them on board. It’s not a question of morality or ethics. It’s statecraft. And leaders, good leaders, should not worry about being liked—by anyone. Their job is to be feared. Fear breeds respect. Lies are but a tool of the trade of statecraft.

Simple.

We’re chumps.