“This War Was Sold to the American People Largely by Fox and Other Members of the Media and We Were Lied To”

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It was here in Salt Lake City that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made headlines last month when he likened critics of the war in Iraq to those who tried to appease Nazi Germany during the 1930s. In a speech to the American Legion veterans group, Rumsfeld referred to the period before World War II and said that "some seem not to have learned history's lessons...I recount that history because, once again, we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism."

Well, just one day after Rumsfeld's speech, thousands of critics of the war in Iraq made their voices heard with a massive protest here in Salt Lake City. Among them was Salt Lake's Mayor, Rocky Anderson.

• Rocky Anderson, speaking at an anti-war rally here in Salt Lake City last month, one day after Donald Rumsfeld and one day before President Bush gave major speeches here.

Mayor Anderson joins me now in the studio. Welcome to Democracy Now!

• Rocky Anderson, mayor of Salt Lake City.

AMY GOODMAN: Just one day after Rumsfeld’s speech, thousands of critics of the war in Iraq made their voices heard with a massive protest here in Salt Lake City. Among them, Salt Lake's mayor, Rocky Anderson.

MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON: Our nation has engaged in a tragic unnecessary war, based upon categorically false justifications. More than 100,000 people have been killed. And many more have been seriously maimed, brain-damaged or rendered mentally ill. Our nation's reputation throughout much of the world has been destroyed. We have many more enemies bent on our destruction than before our invasion of Iraq. And the hatred toward us has grown to the point that it will take many years, perhaps generations, to overcome the loathing created by our unjustified illegal invasion and occupation of a Muslim nation.

What incredible ineptitude and callousness for our president to talk about a crusade, while lying to us to make a case for the invasion and occupation of a Muslim country. Our children and later generations will pay the price of the lies, the violence, the cruelty, the incompetence and the inhumanity of the Bush administration and the lackey congress that has so cowardly abrogated its responsibility and authority under our checks and balances system of government. We are here to say, “We will not stand for it anymore! No more lies! No more preemptive illegal war based on false information! No more ‘God is on our side’ religious nonsense to justify this immoral illegal war!”

AMY GOODMAN: Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, speaking at an antiwar rally in Salt Lake City here last month, one day after Donald Rumsfeld and one day before President Bush gave major addresses here. Mayor Anderson joins us now in the studio. Welcome to Democracy Now!

MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON: Good morning, Amy.

AMY GOODMAN: It's good to have you with us. So you joined an antiwar rally and spoke out against President Bush as he came here to visit your city.

MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON: Yes. This is actually the second year in a row we did this. We did it the prior August as well, when President Bush came to speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention.

AMY GOODMAN: The American Legion's response to you, not just an antiwar activist, but the mayor of the city?

MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON: Well, I actually met with the national commander of the American Legion, and our views obviously differed a great deal. He took the position that you cannot oppose the war and support the warriors. I think that is so off base, when we're fighting such an unjustified illegal war. We do support our troops, and we want to see them brought home.

It was interesting that he took that position, after the American Legion had formerly opposed President Clinton's commitment of troops to stop the genocide in Kosovo several years ago. So it seems like they think that when there was no justification -- I actually asked him, “Why are we in Iraq?” and he couldn't tell me, other than that he thinks that there was a tie between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. It's very curious that these people are trying to keep the voices stilled in this country, that more and more are seeing that we were lied into this war. And it needs to come to an end. We're creating more enemies, more hatred toward this country.

AMY GOODMAN: Rumsfeld's comments, comparing critics like you to Nazi appeasers?

MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON: Yeah, that was really something. That shows, I think, how absolutely desperate these people are. And whenever Rumsfeld talks about this war, really anything, I think that we need to hearken back to his promise to this country in trying to sell this war initially, that in his view we would be there maybe six days, maybe six weeks, but probably not as long as six months. I think we need to remember what these people were telling this country at the time and how absolutely wrong they have been at every turn.

AMY GOODMAN: FOX News went after you --

MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON: That was interesting.

AMY GOODMAN: -- for this protest. You were on their morning show?

MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON: I was on a morning show. And I thought that they were interested in hearing from me, but actually they were sort of a caricature of themselves. They wouldn't let me finish a sentence. They went on the attack. I tried to give details when they asked for specifics. And all they wanted to do was quibble. And I pointed out, you know, this war was sold to the American people, largely by FOX and other members of the media, and we were lied to. We were lied into this war, and in terms of the execution of this war.

AMY GOODMAN: You said, “It’s people like you”?

MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON: I did. I talked about -- that they have helped lie this country into this war, and they continue to lie. I mean, look at the Jessica Lynch story that was sold to this country. It turned out none of what we were told, and even the source, the Army's source for that story, has never been disclosed. I think the mainstream media, this has been a segment of our country's history that we will look back upon with great shame and embarrassment, given how the American people were fed so many lies, both in terms of the run-up to this war and the execution of this war. And I think, though, that the American people are certainly getting it. When you look at the polls, that it's just so sad that there's been this tremendous lag time.