The Virtues of Accountability

Four and a half years after the Bush administration sold the Iraq war to the public with embellishments and faulty information, Democratic leadership in Congress is finally trying to hold the administration accountable.

The house oversight and government reform committee, chaired by California representative Henry Waxman, authorized a subpoena last week requesting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testify in front of the committee about one of the administration's false pretenses for war—that Iraq was trying to acquire uranium from Niger.

Not only has Rice said she will not respond to the subpoena, but Republican oversight committee members are also nay-saying the subpoena.

"I understand why the Democrats want to kick Bush, but what would it achieve?" said Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.), according to The Hill.

Well, perhaps Rice and Shays could learn from events overseas that holding the president and his team of neo-cons accountable for the war could achieve plenty: it could earn us some respect from the Iraqi people, which is no doubt crucial if a continued U.S. presence is to achieve anything substantial in Iraq.

An Israeli commission, appointed by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert himself, recently issued a report blasting Olmert's handling of the month-long war last year in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. According to the AP, the report accused the prime minister of "hasty decision-making, failing to consult others and neglecting to assess the chances that his goals could be accomplished"—all accusations that should sound familiar to the Bush administration.

The Israeli people have taken to the streets, demanding accountability from Olmert. In Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah came out with praise for the report. He had this to say:

"When the enemy entity acts honestly and sincerely even if its cause is unjust we cannot but respect it, especially when we look at the other (Lebanese) side which does not investigate, does not study and does not hold (anyone) accountable and does not form investigative commissions as if nothing has happened."

Surely, as the leader of the group that incited the violence of the month-long war in the first place and that the western world calls a terrorist organization, Nasrallah's words can only be given so much weight. And as the AP points out, the motives behind Nasrallah's comments may be less than clear.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that Nasrallah has the genuine support of a large number of Lebanese civilians and his words carry influence. If Nasrallah speaks for the general public when he offers his respect to the Israeli government, perhaps there is hope that some mutual respect and understanding, and the potential for less violence, can be gleaned from that.