Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer
At the beginning of the Second Gulf War, Vice President Dick Cheney confidently told us that American troops would be greeted as liberators. We know that was a lie. Like the Weapons of Mass Destruction lie, the Bush Administration told it to avoid facing reality.
These lies were deadly and costly. When the last American troops left Iraq in 2011, the total cost was staggering.
The Council on Foreign Relations estimated that tax payers spent $800 billion and that 4,500 Americans paid with their lives. 31,994 American troops were wounded in action. We can’t even estimate the financial destruction in Iraq, and can guess that Iraqi deaths range from 100,000 to 1,000,000.
In 2003, however, it all looked like it was going according to plan. During the initial bombing campaign, the US media mocked “Baghdad Bob.” He appeared on Iraqi state media warning Americans of the tough fight ahead.
In many respects “Bob” deserved the ridicule. He was lying about the fighting strength of the Iraqi Army. In reality American troops overwhelmed it on the battlefield.
On the other hand, Baghdad Bob’s ridiculous predictions bore more resemblance to reality than Cheney’s. The Iraqi insurgency made sure our troops slept with one eye open. The insurgents made the fight much more deadly and costly than a war of liberation.
I’m thinking of Baghdad Bob again because Donald Trump is on my TV and in the news. Donald and Bob have much in common. They lie. They exaggerate. They threaten America.
The danger we face now is real. Too many pundits downplay the Trump insurgency. They only present it as a danger to the Republican Party. Trump is a danger to our democracy.
Yes, Donald’s candidates lost across the country last week. There is no sign, however, that his fans will sit down and stay quiet. They continue to lie about our election security and our Constitution.
Deceitful Donald already inspired an insurrection. Conservatives must put him aside. Conservatives must tell the truth about Donald. Some are.
Former Vice President Mike Pence couldn’t have been any clearer about January 6. Trump “endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building….The president’s words were reckless and his actions were reckless.” Pence’s honesty is a welcome breath of fresh air.
We have all heard the proverb, “Honesty is the best policy.” Why then does it surprise so many of us when dishonesty produces failure? Shouldn’t the failure make more conservatives question Deceitful Donald? Shouldn’t they treat him with the same scorn as Baghdad Bob and Dick Cheney?
Melancon is a history professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. His views are his own.