WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT

THE WAR IN IRAQ

- Doug Long

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SAID: THE REALITY:

"A military option is my last choice, the last choice."
Bush, Oct. 8, 2002; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov.
"Nobody, but nobody, is more reluctant to go to war than President Bush."
Bush Spokesman Ari Fleischer, Jan. 27, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov.
"...the American people can know that every measure has been taken to avoid war".
Bush, March 17, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov.
"F**k Saddam. We're taking him out."
Bush to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and three senators in March 2002; for source, click Time Magazine, March 24, 2003.
"Judge whether good enough hit S.H." - meaning Saddam Hussein - "at same time. Not only UBL" - the initials used to identify Osama bin Laden. "Go massive," the notes quote him as saying. "Sweep it all up. Things related and not."
Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Sept. 11, 2001, after the terrorists struck; for source, click CBS News Sept. 4, 2002.
"The question was no longer if the U.S. would attack Iraq, he said. The only question was when."
Dick Cheney to Republican Senators in late March, 2002; for source, click Time Magazine, May 5, 2002

"He [Saddam] has weapons of mass destruction - the world's deadliest weapons - which pose a direct threat to the United States, our citizens and our friends and allies."
Bush, Jan. 21, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov.
"...we have high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction. That is what this war was about and it is about."
Bush Spokesman Ari Fleischer, April 10, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov.
"...when there happens to be a weapon of mass destruction suspect site in an area that we occupy, and if people have time, they'll look at it."
Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, April 11, 2003; for source, click DefenseLink.mil - U.S. Department of Defense web site.
"So what's the difference?"
Bush to Diane Sawyer when she pointed out that no WMD had been found. Dec. 16, 2003; for source, click ABC News interview.

"Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
Bush State of the Union Speech, Jan. 28, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov.
"And we believe he [Saddam] has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."
Dick Cheney, "Meet the Press", March 16, 2003; for source, click "Meet the Press". When asked about this statement on "Meet the Press" six months later, Cheney admitted "I did misspeak"; source: "Meet the Press".
"CIA Director George J. Tenet successfully intervened with White House officials to have a reference to Iraq seeking uranium from Niger [Africa] removed from a presidential speech last October, three months before a less specific reference to the same intelligence appeared in the State of the Union address".
For source, click Washington Post, July 13, 2003

"...Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda".
Bush, State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2003. For source, click www.whitehouse.gov. "There was no significant pattern of cooperation between Iraq and the al-Qaeda terrorist operation," former State Department intelligence official Greg Thielmann said this week.
Intelligence agencies agreed on the "lack of a meaningful connection to al-Qaeda" and said so to the White House and Congress, said Thielmann, who left State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research last September."
For source, click USA Today, July 13, 2003

"My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence."
Sec. of State Colin Powell, "Remarks to the United Nations Security Council", Feb. 5, 2003. For source, click www.state.gov - State Dept. web site. "...this was a matter of, as I've called it, faith-based intelligence. Instead of our leadership forming conclusions based on a careful reading of the intelligence we provided them, they already had their conclusion to start out with, and they were cherry-picking the information that we provided to use whatever pieces of it that fit their overall interpretation."
Greg Thielmann, "Frontline" on PBS, Aug. 12, 2003. For source, click Frontline.

"That's what the American people expect. They expect a Commander-in-Chief to support the troops."
Bush, Aug. 22, 2003. For source, click www.whitehouse.gov.
"Bring them on."
Bush taunts Iraqi troops to attack U.S. troops, July 2, 2003. For source, click www.whitehouse.gov.
As of Oct. 14, 2004 1,088 U.S. troops have been killed in the Iraq war, and at least 7,730 have been wounded.
Pentagon figures on cnn.com. For source and latest casualty figures, click Lost Lives.

"I do not need to explain why I say things. - That's the interesting thing about being the President. - Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."

- George W. Bush For source, click CBS NEWS.

Also, please see Around and Around He Goes.

And for MANY GOP contradictions with the facts, see Claim Vs. Fact on the Center For American Progress web site.

Are these inconsistencies ignorance, incompetence, or just plain lies?

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SAID:	THE REALITY:
"A military option is my last choice, the last choice." Bush, Oct. 8, 2002; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov. "Nobody, but nobody, is more reluctant to go to war than President Bush." Bush Spokesman Ari Fleischer, Jan. 27, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov. "...the American people can know that every measure has been taken to avoid war". Bush, March 17, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov.	"F*k Saddam. We're taking him out." Bush to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and three senators in March 2002; for source, click Time Magazine, March 24, 2003.* "Judge whether good enough hit S.H." - meaning Saddam Hussein - "at same time. Not only UBL" - the initials used to identify Osama bin Laden. "Go massive," the notes quote him as saying. "Sweep it all up. Things related and not." Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Sept. 11, 2001, after the terrorists struck; for source, click CBS News Sept. 4, 2002. "The question was no longer if the U.S. would attack Iraq, he said. The only question was when." Dick Cheney to Republican Senators in late March, 2002; for source, click Time Magazine, May 5, 2002
"He [Saddam] has weapons of mass destruction - the world's deadliest weapons - which pose a direct threat to the United States, our citizens and our friends and allies." Bush, Jan. 21, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov. "...we have high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction. That is what this war was about and it is about." Bush Spokesman Ari Fleischer, April 10, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov.	"...when there happens to be a weapon of mass destruction suspect site in an area that we occupy, and if people have time, they'll look at it." Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, April 11, 2003; for source, click DefenseLink.mil - U.S. Department of Defense web site. "So what's the difference?" Bush to Diane Sawyer when she pointed out that no WMD had been found. Dec. 16, 2003; for source, click ABC News interview.
"Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." Bush State of the Union Speech, Jan. 28, 2003; for source, click www.whitehouse.gov. "And we believe he [Saddam] has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons." Dick Cheney, "Meet the Press", March 16, 2003; for source, click "Meet the Press". When asked about this statement on "Meet the Press" six months later, Cheney admitted "I did misspeak"; source: "Meet the Press".	"CIA Director George J. Tenet successfully intervened with White House officials to have a reference to Iraq seeking uranium from Niger [Africa] removed from a presidential speech last October, three months before a less specific reference to the same intelligence appeared in the State of the Union address". For source, click Washington Post, July 13, 2003
"...Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda". Bush, State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2003. For source, click www.whitehouse.gov.	"There was no significant pattern of cooperation between Iraq and the al-Qaeda terrorist operation," former State Department intelligence official Greg Thielmann said this week. Intelligence agencies agreed on the "lack of a meaningful connection to al-Qaeda" and said so to the White House and Congress, said Thielmann, who left State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research last September." For source, click USA Today, July 13, 2003
"My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence." Sec. of State Colin Powell, "Remarks to the United Nations Security Council", Feb. 5, 2003. For source, click www.state.gov - State Dept. web site.	"...this was a matter of, as I've called it, faith-based intelligence. Instead of our leadership forming conclusions based on a careful reading of the intelligence we provided them, they already had their conclusion to start out with, and they were cherry-picking the information that we provided to use whatever pieces of it that fit their overall interpretation." Greg Thielmann, "Frontline" on PBS, Aug. 12, 2003. For source, click Frontline.
"That's what the American people expect. They expect a Commander-in-Chief to support the troops." Bush, Aug. 22, 2003. For source, click www.whitehouse.gov. "Bring them on." Bush taunts Iraqi troops to attack U.S. troops, July 2, 2003. For source, click www.whitehouse.gov.	As of Oct. 14, 2004 1,088 U.S. troops have been killed in the Iraq war, and at least 7,730 have been wounded. Pentagon figures on cnn.com. For source and latest casualty figures, click Lost Lives.