Posted on 01/23/2008 6:25:10 AM PST by GLH3IL
WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
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"The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."
The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Bush no doubt dramatized and made the best case for war that he could. But don’t forget that most everybody at the time felt Sadamn had WMD’s and if Bush had done nothing, these same pikers would be screaming that Bush was derelict in his duties for not going to war in Iraq.
This is a lead story on Yahoo. This is really clever. “X number of false statements made”! Guess what millions of false statements are made by virtuous people everyday. The question is does someone knowingly make false statements. That’s what defines a lie. To say x number of false statements were made is meaningless. Only a moron would conduct such a study or pay attention to it. The classic half the truth is a lie.
BS exposed
http://biglizards.net/blog/archives/2008/01/how_to_lie_abou.html
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2008/01/bushs_iraq_war_lies_were_untrue/
http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/01/22/biased-report-on-administration-statements-on-pre-war-iraq/
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1958158/posts
They’re trying to lay the groundwork for a payback Impeachment.
This will elevate the Clintons, as always by tearing down others, near the election.
It’s coming gang.
Thanks for posting, this stuff shouldn’t go unchallenged. This article and the “study” are both a joke.
Am I insane or did the UN inspection teams not find LOTS of WMD in Iraq such as thousands of liters of liquid anthrax in the early 90’s? Those materials were never accounted for as far as I’ve ever heard. AS Rumsfeld said “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”.
So those “hundreds” of “false statements” about WMDs...weren’t so “false”. I sure hope Syria or other radical elements don’t have that anthrax...
Meanwhile, Iraq continues to make progress despite the bleating of the US press. lol
See my Post #18
Proof that It was Clintons dereliction of duty that made going to War with Iraq inevitable.
Is this the same as the Soros-paid study?
This “study” is just a Charles Lewis smear. If he were truly interested in the Iraq WMD issue, rather than tarring Republicans, he’d have noted the Democrats who were saying the same things Bush said even before he said them. For example:
“We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.”
- Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998
(for readers in Rio Linda, CA, that’s midway through the 2nd Clinton term)
“He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.”
- Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.”
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
“Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies.”
- Madeline Albright, Clinton’s Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
“One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.”
- President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
...and many more similar quotes here:
http://www.mooregop.org/WMDs_the_rest_of_the_story.html
The Chicago Tribune is not by any means a Republican rag, but they noted:
“Assertions that the Bush administration strong-armed intelligence analysts in 2002 and 2003, or misled the nation in making its nuclear case for war, challenge logic. During and after Clinton’s presidency, the intelligence community repeatedly warned the White House that Iraq was one cache of fissile material and one year short of wielding a nuclear bomb. If the White House manipulated or exaggerated that intelligence before the war in order to paint a more-menacing portrait of Saddam Hussein, it’s difficult to imagine why. For five years, the official and oft-delivered alarms from the U.S. intelligence community had been menacing enough.”
- Chicago Tribune, Nov. 30, 2005 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-051130roadtowar2,0,6361891,print.story
I’m sure the Ron Paul Cult will like this news.
Just another example of how the dumb-ass liberals are more interested in helping our enemy.
This study has the credibility of a Michael Moore movie.
In other news “Kennedy steals election from Nixon with help of Chicago criminals”.
“One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.” —President Bill Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
“If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.” —President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
“Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.” —Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998
“He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.” —Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
“[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.” Letter to President Clinton, signed by: — Democratic Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others, Oct. 9, 1998
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.” -Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
“Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies.” — Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
“There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies.” Letter to President Bush, Signed by: — Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), and others, Dec 5, 2001
“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and th! e means of delivering them.” — Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
“We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.” — Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
“Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.” — Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” — Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
“The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons...” — Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
“I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force — if necessary — to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security.” — Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002
“There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.” — Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
“He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do” — Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002
“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.” — Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
“We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.” — Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
“Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real...” — Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
Ping
For those who think this really will matter much, that lead on Yahoo did not survive one cycle. It was a trial balloon. I think the response from adults was uniform, negative and, when polite, derisive (I’ll bet backchannel comments were rude in the extreme). This will not go forward. At least, the Dems are not going to use it.
Now, the idea of repeating the connection with Soros and making sure that he really is made out clearly to be a traitor to a country which adopted him is a very good one and this ‘study’ would be part of that work.
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