Thursday, June 05, 2008

Finally We Get Confirmation of what We Already Knew

The Senate Intelligence Committee finally issued its report on prewar intelligence during the build up to the Iraq War. While it is couched in the polite language of the Senate, the report confirms what we already know. Bush lied to the American people about the Iraq War.

Republican Senators fought very hard to prevent the release of this intelligence report way back in 2004 so as not to endanger Bush's re-election. Then they managed to block release of the report in 2006 to protect their own re-elections. While it is absolutely unforgivable that this report was delayed for 4 years for strictly political reasons all the delay has wound up releasing the report in 2008 and leaves John McCain standing there with his pants down around his knees trying to defend Bush's Iraq war.

The Committee’s report cites several conclusions in which the Administration’s public statements were NOT supported by the intelligence. They include:
Statements and implications by the President and Secretary of State suggesting that Iraq and al-Qa’ida had a partnership, or that Iraq had provided al-Qa’ida with weapons training, were not substantiated by the intelligence.

Statements by the President and the Vice President indicating that Saddam Hussein was prepared to give weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups for attacks against the United States were contradicted by available intelligence information.

Statements by President Bush and Vice President Cheney regarding the postwar situation in Iraq, in terms of the political, security, and economic, did not reflect the concerns and uncertainties expressed in the intelligence products.

Statements by the President and Vice President prior to the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate regarding Iraq’s chemical weapons production capability and activities did not reflect the intelligence community’s uncertainties as to whether such production was ongoing.

The Secretary of Defense’s statement that the Iraqi government operated underground WMD facilities that were not vulnerable to conventional airstrikes because they were underground and deeply buried was not substantiated by available intelligence information.

The Intelligence Community did not confirm that Muhammad Atta met an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague in 2001 as the Vice President repeatedly claimed.
One would think that chicken dancing around a blow job being grounds for impeachment would justify at least considering impeachment for lying to the American people about something as serious as war and the resultant death and maiming of thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi. Just saying.

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