Ambassador Joe Wilson says it is the duty of American citizens to confront and prosecute the government officials who insist on telling lies.
“When you catch them in a lie, you have to call them on it,” he said.
Wilson campaigned on behalf of Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton at the University on Sunday night, although his talk focused much more on the Bush administration than the potential Clinton one.
Wilson, a retired U.S. Foreign Service diplomat, entered the national spotlight in 2003 when he published an op-ed piece in The New York Times discrediting President Bush’s claim that Saddam Hussein attempted to obtain uranium from Africa. Bush administration officials subsequently leaked the identity of Wilson’s wife, former CIA officer Valerie Plame, to the press in what Wilson said was retribution for the Times article.
Wilson created a town hall-style atmosphere Sunday in Willamette 100, and allowed the audience to set the agenda. After Wilson introduced himself and touched on some of his former achievements, attendees asked Wilson about issues such as the Plame scandal, his opposition toward the war and his relationship with Clinton.
Wilson made it clear he has spoken out publicly against the war since June 2003.
“Be very careful about using the blunt instrument of war,” Wilson said. “Impatience is not a good reason to go to war.”
Unafraid to be frank, Wilson categorized people who spoke out both for and against the war. He said the people who oppose the war tend to have on-the-ground experience and those in favor of it are more likely to be neo-conservatives and various government officials.
In response to an audience member’s question regarding America’s possible invasion of Iran, Wilson asserted that the U.S. Army is not strong enough to make a ground attack and that the only reward from an air attack would mean enmity from Iran for the next 500 years.
Wilson’s charm and humor lightened the discussion of past scandals and current problems. When asked how he puts up with major politicians like Bush, Cheney and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, he answered wryly: “After dealing with Saddam Hussein, it’s hard for me to take guys named Scooter seriously.”
“I thought it was really interesting,” Tony Kaminski, vice president of the University of Oregon College Democrats said of Wilson’s speech. “It gave me a lot of perspective.”
Jeff Farrell, an executive board member for College Democrats who also attended the speech, said, “It was cool to have someone with that much international relations experience come speak.”
Both attendees commented on the fact that Wilson made little reference to Clinton’s campaign.
“I think that falls in line with College Democrats’ policy of not endorsing anybody until after the primary election,” said Kaminski. The student organization brought Wilson to campus.
“The most important thing I want you to take from all of this is that it is so important to watch these politicians as closely as we watch basketball and American Idol,” Wilson said at the end of his speech. “It is our lives, our money and our responsibility as citizens.”
Freelance editor Allie Grasgreen contributed to this report
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