Ian Paisley Quotes
Never confuse sitting on your side with being on your side.
The CIA was uncovering evidence that the military (and one of their key operative in Saigon) were lying about the success of the war effort. See {634521}. As the CIA sent their data to the White House, Rostow and others grew very distressed because it cast doubt on the wisdom of the administration’s Vietnam policy, the President would have to admit that his report to the people were wrong, and the anti-war movement would even be more galvanized in their aggressive protests. It is very hard for politicians to face the truth when it contradicts statement and policies they have been making previously. This quotation also illustrates a human frailty—that in a war or other conflict, the bearer of bad news is perceived as being disloyal. In war in a democracy, bad news, strengthens the enemy’s resolve, and weakens public support for the war. So in a bizarre sense, he who carries bad news is hurting the war effort. However, when the truth is not known or is suppressed, the result is even worse as with Vietnam. Telling truth to power is the highest form of loyalty.
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside PC, was a Northern Irish loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader who served as Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2008.
