I was listening to Pod Save the World the other day and Ben Rhodes (Obama’s Deputy Nat’l Security Advisor) said that he believed Powell in that moment. I was like, “Seriously? Because 1500 miles away with zero beltway insight I could clearly see that they were fabricating everything and that even he didn’t really believe what he was saying, but was desperately wishing it was true so he didn’t look like an asshole.” Just goes to show how self-deluded and lacking in useful cynicism people in DC tend to be. Even the most progressive and non-hawkish insiders still believe in the efficacy and fidelity of governance to be trustworthy.
ETA: This also says a lot about how corrupting influence can move even the most stalwart of institutional agents out of their ethical boundaries quite easily. When it really comes down to it, they’re all cheaply bought, easily manipulated and apt to be pushed around by the most obvious and toothless bullying.
