Left Out Program Notes for November 28, 2006

Welcome to Left Out, reality-based independent radio broadcasting on WRCT 88.3FM and podcasting on the worldwide web at leftout.info. Left Out discusses the news from a perspective left out of the mainstream media. Left Out is co-hosted by Bob Harper and Danny Sleator. Today's program is produced by Matt Hornyak. Listeners are invited to call the program at (412) 268-WRCT (9728), or to send email to bob@leftout.info.

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New to WRCT: Law and Disorder is now broadcast at 9am on Mondays after Democracy Now. This is a program about how our rights are being eroded featuring four prominent civil rights lawyers.

Also, remember to listen to Your Health, Tuesday at 6pm when we're not on. Also check out the other great public affairs programs on WRCT at 6pm Sunday and weeknights.

Guest: Bernard Chazelle

Bernard Chazelle is a Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University, and a past guest on Left Out. In addition to Bernard's many accomplishments as a Computer Scientist, he is well-known for his insightful and timely political commentaries, notably his essay from December 2003 entitled Bush's Desolate Imperium, which was published on CounterPunch and widely circulated on the internet. His essay has proved remarkably prescient:

1. He refers to the increasing "'Guliverisation' of the US giant" through the end of the Cold War and our exposure to terrorism increasing our dependency on other nations.
2. In the run-up to the Iraq War "They lied about their certainty, presenting as rock-solid evidence what they knew were unproven allegations rejected by many in the intelligence community. The fake certitude---not the hype---was the lie."
3. "The president's folly will come crashing into the great Law of Unintended Consequences. "
4. "The war had one positive consequence---removing Saddam from power---and will have countless adverse ones. But the case against it is not in the numbers. It lies in the near-certain prediction that the world will be worse off for it."
5. "I will show in this article that, upon careful consideration of the evidence, the case for war collapses, both on principle and on practical grounds. The invasion was a huge miscalculation whose adverse consequences will greatly outweigh any potential benefit. "
6. "The most likely outcome for Iraq in the short term is Lebanon-style guerrilla warfare leading to a mini-Saddam or a civil war. It was ugly before. Bush has ensured that it will remain ugly for a long time to come. Meanwhile he has subverted the war on terror by diverting enormous resources away from it and redirecting them toward fanning the flames of anti-American hatred."

Today on Left Out we will discuss the present state of the Iraq War, and what will likely happen next.

1. Even thoughtful conservatives are turning against the policies of the Bush administration.
2. The Pentagon admits that the U.S. is not capable of defeating the insurgency in western Iraq.
3. Philip Zelikow has resigned as Rice's assistant.
4. Yet Bush insists on staying the course.
5. The mainstream media is finally stating the obvious.

Sources

Truth Out
Common Dreams
Information Clearinghouse
Cursor
Tom Paine
The Independent
The Guardian
Consortium News