The Associated Press reported today that President Bush and top officials in his administration lied repeatedly about Iraq in the run-up to invading that country. That might have been Page 1 stuff — if it came as a surprise to anybody.
Two non-profit journalism organizations, the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism, published the study. It can be found at the center’s Web site.
The study concluded that the administration make false or misleading statements nearly 1,000 times in the two years before the invasion. More than half of those falsehoods suggested either that Iraq was seeking weapons of mass destruction, or that Saddam Hussein's regime had ties to al-Qaida.
President Bush himself led the way, with 259 false statements, the vast majority on the issue of the non-existent WMD. Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell came in a close second with 254 falsehoods during the period between 9/11 and the Iraq invasion in 2003 — cementing his place in history as the saddest of sad sacks in the Bush regime.
National corporate media is just to blame as anyone else, perpetuating lies and hardly holding any accountability.
We have a sad state of democracy, and the world is watching.
"That might have been Page 1 stuff — if it came as a surprise to anybody."
Very insightful!!
The really sad part is that anyone that spoke out about the deceptions and disinformation from the Rove-Cheny-Bush administration were branded as "TRAITORS" and unpatriotic.
Which is a sad comment on our open society.
Britt Hume’s column - Fox News - "The study was done by the fund for independence in journalism —— which is an arm of the Center for Public Integrity —— which is heavily funded by Bush critic George Soros."
George Soros has a well known hostility towards all things Bush. You don’t suppose that he has an "agenda" do you?
Of particular interest is the Center for Public Integrity’s web page. They are quite up front about their supporters. It appears to me that it is a list of some of the most anti-American, left-wing organizations and think tanks in America. The Streisand Foundation is one such group listed. We all know how Barbara feels about George Bush don’t we? Or about America for that matter!
I am shocked, shocked, simply shocked, that this transparent, left-wing agenda slipped by the Bee without a comment.
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!"
It is no new news that he may have told some untruths but I do not believe he is an intentional liar. I feel like he was confident in his belief that things were going on there that could come back on us with a vengence. We are there so lets just get it done.
I don't know what's more scary - that Bush was intentionally lying, or that he was grossly misinformed. I would really expect a president to be a bit more careful about his facts before committing the nation to a war that has cost thousands of lives, and billions of dollars.
As for "getting it done," just what would "it" be? The most likely result (assuming full-scale civil war doesn't break out) is that Iraq will become a Shiite Islamic Republic, aligned with Iran. It's almost there already. Is that what we're fighting for?
T.C., aren't you really saying that you believed the lies, and that, in your embarrasment at being so betrayed, you're willing to shoot the messenger?...the last president was impeached for lying, and Brett Hume played no minor role in that outcome. contrast & compare!
Frankly, I don’t know whether or not Bush is stringing us along. If I had to hazzard a guess, I would say, that 15-20 years from now, he will be revered just as much as Harry Truman is now.
My point was that any organization or think-tank funded by George Soros and his ilk has an obvious anti-Bush agenda. To base a spurious argument on their total lack of credibility strikes me as a bit foolish.
And it still seems strange that practically nobody in mainstream media, except Fox News, is pointing out that fact.
for every lie the administration told, Fox told a thousand...r u kiddin me?, do you think we've forgotten those days leading up to the invasions?
T.C. given Bush's abysmal track record on virtually every issue. I dought anyone of credibility will have an epiphany over how Bush lead our Country 15-20 years from now.
Mr. George Soros and his so called "hidden agenda" if it includes anything anti-Bush he is serving our Country and humanity well.
What these folks forget - or decline to remember - is that every intelligence service in the world, including Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Israel and the UN, agreed Saddam had WMD. I disagree with much that Bush has done, especially the botched post-war actions, but to call his statements about these weapons "lies" is over the top.
"What these folks forget - or decline to remember - is that every intelligence service in the world, including Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Israel and the UN, agreed Saddam had WMD."
The study actually compares the false statements with what was known, or should have been known at the time the statements were made. So that excuse doesn't fly anymore.
it's not uncommon for liars to lie about lying...Fox news is an alternate universe for people w/ father issues.
George Soros, is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations, known for having bankrolled a failed effort to defeat President George W. Bush and is a generous supporter (according to his various web sites) of such organizations as: the ACLU, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Organization for Women, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, etc. Sounds like an leftist agenda to me!
I seem to remember that Soros was also a convicted inside trader. I would say that anything he touches lacks credibility.
No national news organization, except Fox News, bothered to inform the public of the extreme partisan nature of his so-called studies.
And while I’m at it: As a charter member of the VRWC, I want to wish all my fellow VRWCers a Happy Birthday on this our 10th anniversary. 10 years ago this weekend, our founder, Queen Hillary the Pious, went on television with Matt Lauer and proclaimed our heretofore unknown and previously unconfirmed existence: "This is the great story here for anybody willing to find and write about it and explain .... this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president."
Yes indeed! The VRWC had a lot to work with: Sex and White House interns, Monica, Paula Jones, Juanita Broaddrick, Whitewater, Rose Law Firm & missing billing records, the Mena, Arkansas contra supply and drug operation, , Castle Grande, the so-called suicide of Vince Foster, missing documents, the mysterious death of Ron Brown, the White House Travel Office scandal, $150,00 Lincoln bedroom nights, Filegate, Bill’s perjury, cattle futures, rape and sexual harassment allegations, impeachment on "grounds of personal malfeasance," Arkansas sudden death syndrome (sometimes known as Arkancide), illegal campaign contributions, disbarment, Sandy (Berger) Burglar (the infamous shredding of documents carried out in the pants affair), military technology to the Chinese, obstruction of justice, money laundering, illegal foreign campaign funding, real estate fraud, concealment of subpoenaed documents, Johnny Chung, Charlie Trie, the Chinese connection, pardons for cash, Janet Reno & Waco, etc.....
Strange .... none of it seems to be of our (VRWC)own making!
As Hillary once said, "We are the president." You get Hill, you get Bill.
Our erstwhile founders have moved on to "other things" - but not better things.
I'm not a defender of Soros but just think if he did manage to help defeat Bush, the world we would live in now as opposed to the reality of today given all of his failed policies foreign and domestic.
The Smithsonian could not house the amount of damage done to this country by Bush's failed policies.
Clinton Scr...d an intern Bush scr...d the nation, whats worse?
wait a minute T.C. you can't have anti-Bush unless there exists a pro-Bush. who would that be?
Of course, truth be known - most of Bush’s problems with terrorism, pre & post-911, date back to the foreign policy failures of the Carter & Clinton administrations.