1. These internal papers reveal extensive lies among military and political elites regarding the war in Afghanistan. That's not a surprise. We should note of course that U.S. Generals lie a lot, which is not a surprise either. washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/…
2. These papers do show why people voted for Trump, and why he's not unusually dishonest. In fact, Bush and Obama and their senior leaders lied about Afghanistan, whereas Trump was honest before he was elected that it's a total waste.
3. Anyway, the ZOMG this is Watergate again vibe is sort of dumb. During the war in Vietnam, Americans actually trusted their government because the government was generally trustworthy. Today who thinks the war in Afghanistan is necessary? Who thinks it was wise?
4. No. The government is us. Bush lied and he 95% of the GOP who supported him endorsed those lies. Obama lied and the 95% of Democrats who supported him endorsed those lies. We lied because it was easier. We still lie to ourselves.
5. That's not fair, NBA players protest on behalf of Chinese censorship and the far-right protests on behalf of white supremacy.
6. What's so maddening is the narrative of 'insiders speak out.' I mean, yeah, they did. This isn't a fucking mystery. Everyone knows it's a fiasco, all the generals who lied publicly just wanted their private equity/contractor jobs.
