president medvedev says that negotiation is the only way to peace while the arab league announces its reached an agreement with damascus on the long haul this reforms. of the decade that followed the nine eleven attacks was marred by wars fought under the flag of ridding the world of terrorists lawrence wilkerson a four former u.s. official in george w. bush's administration told r.t. that america thinks it's what holds an unchallengeable place in the world and abuses the power no longer house. i. after nine eleven america did not just go after those who perpetrated that tragic vicious attack it only showed a campaign on nations that had nothing to do with nine eleven we're talking about iraq where hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have died since two thousand and three america's been in constant war since nine eleven in different countries are we talking about one of the most profound overreactions in military history to

talk about that i'm joined by colonel lawrence wilkerson whose service call in powell as chief of staff colin powell secretary of state under george w. bush colonel wilkerson thank you so much for joining me thanks for having me more than six thousand american servicemen have died in the last decade of war spawned by the nine eleven attack. tragedy worth remembering and knowing no doubt but why in all those speeches delivered by american officials i never hear about hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians dead in the wars waged by the united states and other countries like iraq as a collective entity we seem to think were exceptional and so exceptional that we don't have to think about other people or as i said that's a position you can maintain as long as you are as powerful as we were powerful as roman in its day post world war two but we're no longer that powerful in our powerful recedes even as we speak here today some of the people who were at the

helm back then are now writing books saying everything they did was right including guantanamo including everything else i'm talking about dick cheney first of all it's president george w. bush and at the same time they're all blaming each other for something why all this confusion and should one be worried about the general picture that's being created of the last decade of war because they're all trying to blame each other and trying to get out of some of the blame and yes we should be. why are they trying to blame each other let's let's face a fact here for a moment that most americans don't even think about. nine eleven happened on george w. bush and dick cheney's what. they allowed the greatest killing of americans on american territory since there are been. a lot of their rhetoric and aggressive actions post nine eleven was to hide that fact and also to keep it from happening again because if it had happened again they probably would have been impeached on the spot thrown

out of office so we spent four trillion dollars to counter an attack by bin laden's a lhari that cost maybe half a million that's not very cost effective that's really bad it's bad business so you have to understand that first of all about the bush cheney administration the second thing you have to understand i think is that we have made a cottage industry if not a much more than a cottage industry out of the what my former boss colin powell has called the terrorist industrial complex lots of people are making lots of money off of this so-called global war on terror you're saying that you had lots of doubts about building this case for war in iraq was it possible that some point. to stand up and say no we have doubts we're not writing this speech where we're out of it we all did key points in the preparation of old pals presentation on some of those occasions george tenet and his deputy john mclaughlin said ok ok we'll let's roll that out of the cia head of the cia and the director of central intelligence at the

time. will throw that out and they threw it out the real essence of that presentation that they preserved they being george tenet and john mclaughlin and i think under some strong influence from the vice president's office they preserved and that was the mobile biological laboratories that was the active nuclear program as symbolized by the aluminum tubes and it was the existing chemical stocks and. next sions hard connections between al qaida and baghdad those were the real faults of goods in that briefing that george tenet and john mclaughlin the representatives of not just the u.s. intelligence community but of israel finance britain jordan and a host of others who were feeding intelligence into us. that's what they said was sacrosanct they said that is the case that is what saddam hussein is doing only later did we learn that even those elements of his presentation were composed of

half truths false woods even and i think today after doing more research outright lies lies created in the defense department under undersecretary of defense for policy doug feith and his special iraq team lie and lies created in the vice president in your opinion because i wanted for the same reason that in the summer of two thousand and two i have discovered that the emphasis on enhanced interrogation techniques changed suddenly from being to try and find out if another attack were coming after all a lot of time expired for another attack or a coming it would have come. in the summer of two thousand and two it shifted suddenly to enhanced interrogation in order to find out if baghdad had contacts with al qaida so we were actually torturing people not under the so-called smoking gun argument that we might have another attack so it was justified we were

torturing people so we could attack iraq and convince the american people we should do so. that's how drastic it got now ask me why they want to go to war with iraq and i'll give you a half a dozen answers if it's douglas feith that's protection of israel if it's paul wolfowitz the deputy secretary of defense it's a little bit of israel it's a little bit of oil and it's a little bit of bringing peace and democracy and freedom to the middle east if it's george bush who i fear the nexus between al qaida and baghdad which cheney had convinced him of i'm sure george tenet had convinced him of it george tenet didn't think there was that big a nexus. with dick cheney i think it was all iraq right now is sitting on probably two hundred billion barrels maybe three hundred billion barrels that's a racks on oil report that surpasses. the radio. if iraq is sitting on three hundred billion barrels of oil if that turns out to be true it will be more than saudi arabia now you know why dick cheney went to war in iraq it also was the low

hanging fruit north korea was far more dangerous but too difficult one hundred thousand casualties were predicted by the pentagon on both sides seoul would be destroyed iran was too difficult seventy million people not fractured like the iraqis and the sunni and shia and christian and other so the low hanging fruit was a right to just use the moment in the wake of nine eleven they use the moment and in the wake of nine eleven to divert from afghanistan a real target should have been our real target and go to iraq that's exactly what they did you said they would testify if they put someone like dick cheney on trial and out what would you accuse them off i think he's already done it no one needs to accuse him of anything he has admitted publicly it is on videotape that he condoned waterboarding that he would still waterboard then he does not believe waterboarding is torture waterboarding is torture there is a ipso facto case the man's guilty but they're saying they did it in the best

interest of their country it seems to be the ultimate reasoning which can't be confronted what would you say to that i say that the in never justifies the means. and the question is does the lesser evil ever justify itself because it prevents a greater evil there are some real problems with that argument the logical problems as well as philosophical and what i would call value laden problems first is you can never know a hypothetical you never know if your lesser evil action actually prevented the greater evil big cheney spends hours on television and elsewhere and in this book trying to say that his actions prevented a greater evil another attack on the united states and so forth well that's his interpretation my interpretation of the bureaucracy which is probably far better than his because i was buried in it i heard people talking about it every day so bottom line is i know what dick cheney doesn't know because he was in the ivory

palace and he can't know horse holders surrounded cheney the people who surround cheney are david addington and john hannah and scooter libby and they tell dick cheney what dick cheney wants to hear george tenet told dick cheney what dick cheney wanted to hear oh yes it's working mr vice president we're getting great information and we're stopping terrorist attacks that is utter bull they didn't stop anything through inherent enhanced interrogation techniques i have that from some of the most respected people in the f.b.i. and the intelligence community so i can't fault big cheney for not knowing the truth because he couldn't know the truth he's trapped he's trapped in his own military but the truth is the methods don't work and they rebound to your discredit and they recruit as you said for your enemy dick cheney is asked what would happen if an american were captured in iran and what would happen if they waterboarding because they thought he was a threat to the state of iran and so forth he just skirted around the question what

he really said was if you listen closely americans are better than anybody else in the world. americans shouldn't be waterboarding but anybody else we can waterboard especially if we're americans doing it that's essentially what dick cheney said now here's the kicker about forty percent of america agrees with you poll you look at the polls that have been done about forty percent of america at any given time they think that americans have the right to torture other people and other people don't have the rights to torture americans for various reasons most seven think it's that way because we have a bigger gun that's why they think we can get away with it and do it because we have a bigger gun that's why i say the reckoning is coming the reckoning when we are just another country in the world and that they is coming it may not come in my lifetime but unfortunately i think it's coming in my children and my grandchildren's lifetime and this is going to be

a hard time for washington because we no longer are going to have the money were no are going to have the economic might we're no longer going to have the military might and so forth to say to the world we can torture you but you can't torture us many say that america's response to nine eleven was one of the most profound overreactions in military history but your grave with that i think initially it was proportional it was rational it was fairly well supported in the international community and it was a sadness that yes the initial reaction what we should have done was gone to afghanistan as we did did what we did about six months later said ok here's your government karzai you've got it go ahead and run your country as best you can we'll give you economic and financial support from afar we are going home oh by the way footnote if you entertain terrorist in this country good will come back and do it again in what way could that overreaction backfire. i think it already has

and this is a. change really that's happened since world war two it's been creeping up on us and now with libya it's here we have a an executive power that is beyond any check by the people by the congress or by the courts for war we can go toward the drop of a coin it matters not that the obama administration and i have to say i voted for president obama it matters not that they have protested rather futilely and idiotically really that they were involved in hostilities that the war powers act was not relevant and so for that certainly was any time you kill people for state purposes the war powers act is relevant and the constitution is relevant we've reached a point now where the president the united states can kill people for state purposes any time he or she would feels the need james madison said very eloquently

when you compare combined the power to initiate war with the power to execute it you have achieved tyranny that is a very profoundly worrying situation in this that's happened in this country. right. now.

is on our team america marks a decade since the time. the of nine eleven which united a nation brought about two of the bloodiest wars of the twenty first centuries on your screens right now you're looking at live pictures from ground zero in new york where families of the victims have gathered and both president obama ad former president bush are also expected. in afghanistan which was invaded by the u.s. shortly after the atrocity the relentless tell about stage another deadly suicide bombing discovers on the ground most afghans civilians don't even know why their country was ever occupied by foreign troops. over russia and the sports world say goodbye to the country's top national ice hockey team wiped out in the blink of an eye forty three people died on the red state and local to get a slob play that crashed on takeoff. moscow calls on the international community not to take sides in syria's internal violence as president medvedev says it may go

see a shrink as the only way to peace while the arab league analysis its reach an agreement with damascus on long promised reforms. and now it's time for sports with the unit . thanks tessa great to have you with us this sunday afternoon here in central moscow plenty of sport ahead including. court date with rafael nadal and novak djokovic bounce into the u.s. open decider a repeat of last year's final twelve. serino williams will do battle for the ladies title later on some. tough test reaming rugby world cup champion south africa age wales in their opening clash of this year's campaign. give me five tough long world finals kick off in moscow with the home side earning a spot on the podium. let's start with tennis where the final lineups of the u.s.

open are sets novak djokovic on the rafael nadal will two possible for the men's cross and while some other stories are will attempt to halt serina williams' quest for a fourth think ground slam title the younger sister venus barely breaking sweat in the first set against world number one carline wozniacki and williams but she continued dominance in the second the twenty nine year old power telling in the guise of a six two six four scoreline the all the shorten for a fourth title flushing meadows for serena. she now takes on some stores are struggling girl whose sole surprise package and julie kerber in a rain delay clash those are starting strongly taking the first set six three with the on city german poll back to level the match in fossick style the decider was one sided though it still was a recent to five advantage before securing it six three two six six to the finals.

was an average take kid and now i'm just happy i've given myself. another opportunity say you just go out there and use a little bit of that experience from last year really go after it and see what i can do but it would. make the highlight of my career a classic match up between novak djokovic roger federer will take place in the men's semifinals the much a full five setter with fighting back brilliantly from two sets of two much point staunch eventually team that win six seven four six six three six two seven games to five the epic result five time winner federal lost at the same stage to the same on last year's u.s. open. top seeded joke which is aiming for his third ground stop in front of twenty eleven a little. it's always important to. be calm to stay positive

and to believe believe that you can win i mean since you're already in the fifth set for the match it's only one break. rafael nadal now stands between joke which glory in new york the spawn your defeating fourth seed andy murray six four six two three six six two in the second sami once again denying the scots dream of a major success in itself versus joke which then a rematch of last year's final one by the serb on a possible between the world's top two rank you're stuck clash taking place on monday. all right let's move on to football where a late goal is seen spartak moscow move up to fourth in the russian premier league the capital side's meeting with the first of sunday's four games lisper is eighty fifth minute free kick the difference between the teams in firm. game with fellow strugglers not ostroff is scoreless the half time whistle just gone there rock

bottom clearly it's obvious up will come to a really some are a while some people will be seeking his first home goal. gurl. brings us on to the ruby world cup where hooter south africa have gotten off to a winning start in new zealand but only just the springboks beating wales by the minimum of margins in their pool d. fixture the box getting off to a flyer in wellington from steyn the man pummeling his way over for a try out early the third minute. but dogged welsh outfit didn't left out the term too much going in at the break ten six down after good work from this man james who with the boots and warren gatland men promptly seize the initiative in the second half to be followed so much is done to give wales a sixteen ten lead here but so there aren't world champions for nothing francois boogaard slicing through for the try and sixty five minutes the boks seventeen

sixteen up enough would finish after hoops missed penalty minutes later south africa when it's by the skin of their. first really showed why their second favorite south the game is before that easily pleading its li while of bees flying half quade cooper starting things off with a nineteenth minute penalty. then becoming one of four different straightly in sport try this one making it sixteen six while outside center digby yuan a another explosive effort to seal the deal thirty two six with the final score possible to see tabletop encounter with arlen waits on saturday for the twice world cup champions. the irish themselves taking care of the us eagles but only after a tough eighteen minutes in new plymouth i'm told me both running in two tries for ireland in russia kick off their campaign in the same pool on thursday against the u.s. . russia continue to run through the opposition of the european basketball championships

david blocks charges on beaten in seven games so far blowing our two thousand and five champions greece and group. on saturday the game close in the opening office the scrappy greeks much russia shot for shot however n.b.a. player to a famous golf only missed one of eight shots all night. also proved tough to handle pressure off by the start of the final quarter comfortably closing it out eighty three sixty seven out loss drops greece to third in the group russia on top must adore you who have not lost since the opener all next for the russians on monday. brings us to boxing where for telly klitschko us to access me defended his w.b.c. heavyweight title after the feeding polish contender to mush adamic on saturday night the forty year old to ukraine taking the win with a technical and their attention thus extending his record to forty three victories forty of those by kilo with just two defeats claiming off to the thought his sights

are now in britain david haye whose last of a tolley's younger brother loving year earlier this week. in motorsport hermann benefited from team. follow a slowing down under team orders to win the rally over st the finn taking his second one of the season with his compactor relegated to second place overall the thirty one year old is now fifteen points behind seven time defending champ sebastian loeb with three races to go. in starting the day twenty two point seven seconds behind his teammate who had won nine special stage of the course of the event. over crawford quite a rough ride during a particularly challenging stretch of train here for the dominating the top spots on the podium eventually with a slowing down to a lot of men in the top spots that are sober coming home and third the lonely citrin. finally koreans victoria tara should take an

individual gold at the modern pentathlon world championships taking place in moscow while the combined russian women's result to earn them a team bronze in the ladies' finals. four out of seven russian women qualified for the finals of the modern pentathlon world championship in moscow and judging from their opening performance it seems one of them might even get a place on the podium you have a good fish nicole must start of the second event with the best results from earlier fencing tournaments while her team partner you can say you know who to ask you know wasn't third this woman competition so both women relinquish their leading roles with dropping to fourth and who are asking are all the way down to thirteenth . in the third events which is show jumping. and her horse made only one mistake and climbed up to third place going into the final phase which is running and shooting at that point she was the only russian left with a chance to claim

a podium spot as her other teammates slipped away below thirty. become blind events which is a let's all similar to biathlon where athletes run a three thousand meter distance stop i just should it's our gets separated the cool headed from the rest though the russians result wasn't enough to win an individual men's all the fourth place finish still earned it you have the key at place on russia's olympic team. despite the fact that you've become a poster to personal best results and fan since women she still couldn't win the bronze this shows that women can tough them is very competitive now and to win a tournament an athlete must out to himself the tournaments will continue over the next few days with the men's women's and make steam relays still to come as well as the men's individual final. cost for of artsy moscow. yeah it's a busy few days in moscow and busy here in the sports room as well plenty more

coming up in two hours time few weather is next. new the latest in science and technology from around russia. we've dumped a few jerks covered. your ears when you look for nuclear winter against. inhuman blondie's measured in barrels. when your brain is more than your body. when you have no idea what it's really doing you. or little.

stories our top stories on our t.v. america marks a decade since the tragedy of nine eleven which united a nation that brought about two of the bloodiest wars of the twenty first century. in afghanistan which was invaded by the us shortly after the atrocity the relentless tell about stage from another deadly suicide bombing those are two discoveries on the ground that most afghan civilians don't even know why their country was ever occupied by foreign troops. russia and the sports world say goodbye to the country's top national ice hockey team wiped out in a plane crash that killed forty three people. moscow calls on the international community not to take sides in serious internal violence as president of viet of says that negotiation is the only great it's.