Non-story since it takes two to lie... 1 to lie and 1 to listen. We're all just as guilty as the Glorious One.

Nope, he didn't lie. He exaggerated and oversimplified intelligence. Heck, that intelligence stuff is tough readin'!

Also, even if he oversimplified things, umpteen members of Congress were saying the exact things! So there, neener neener!

Besides, Bush's Presidency deserves training wheels. He may have won the elections but like Sangamon is so fond of pointing out, that shouldn't mean he has to be held responsible for his actions.

WHAT?! All these years defending Bush, down the drain! If only I knew!

Somehow the "Well duh" isn't as fullfilling as one would think.

Someone should write a book about this

GREATEST. PRESIDENT. EVER.

So, the 'let's kick ass and take names' strategy didn't work out for us?

/that's unpossible!

I like pudding! Where do I go to join the club? =D

President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell exaggerated and oversimplified intelligence about the threat Iraq posed before the U.S. invaded the country in March 2003, according to a Senate report.

This is essentially the allegation made by Scott McClellan in his recent book.

Words just can't describe how shocked I am.

Too bad no one has the balls to actually do anything about this.

If Bush lied, so did just about every major Democratic leader...

"Whereas Iraq has consistently breached its cease-fire agreement between Iraq and the United States, entered into on March 3, 1991, by failing to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction program, and refusing to permit monitoring and verification by United Nations inspections; Whereas Iraq has developed weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological capabilities, and has made positive progress toward developing nuclear weapons capabilities"-From a joint resolution submitted by Tom Harkin and Arlen Specter on July 18, 2002

"Saddam's goal ... is to achieve the lifting of U.N. sanctions while retaining and enhancing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. We cannot, we must not and we will not let him succeed."-Madeline Albright, 1998

"(Saddam) will rebuild his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and some day, some way, I am certain he will use that arsenal again, as he has 10 times since 1983"-National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Feb 18, 1998

"Iraq made commitments after the Gulf War to completely dismantle all weapons of mass destruction, and unfortunately, Iraq has not lived up to its agreement."-Barbara Boxer, November 8, 2002

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retained 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 capability. Intelligence reports also indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons, but has not yet achieved nuclear capability."-Robert Byrd, October 2002

"There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat... Yes, he has chemical and biological weapons. He's had those for a long time. But the United States right now is on a very much different defensive posture than we were before September 11th of 2001... He is, as far as we know, actively pursuing nuclear capabilities, though he doesn't have nuclear warheads yet. If he were to acquire nuclear weapons, I think our friends in the region would face greatly increased risks as would we."-Wesley Clark on September 26, 2002

"What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use such weapons in the past. Today, a number of evidences may lead to think that, over the past four years, in the absence of international inspectors, this country has continued armament programs."-Jacques Chirac, October 16, 2002

"The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow."-Bill Clinton in 1998

"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, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. 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. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security."-Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002

"I am absolutely convinced that there are weapons...I saw evidence back in 1998 when we would see the inspectors being barred from gaining entry into a warehouse for three hours with trucks rolling up and then moving those trucks out."-Clinton's Secretary of Defense William Cohen in April of 2003

"Iraq is not the only nation in the world to possess weapons of mass destruction, but it is the only nation with a leader who has used them against his own people."-Tom Daschle in 1998

"Saddam Hussein's regime represents a grave threat to America and our allies, including our vital ally, Israel. For more than two decades, Saddam Hussein has sought weapons of mass destruction through every available means. We know that he has chemical and biological weapons. He has already used them against his neighbors and his own people, and is trying to build more. We know that he is doing everything he can to build nuclear weapons, and we know that each day he gets closer to achieving that goal."-John Edwards, Oct 10, 2002

"The debate over Iraq is not about politics. It is about national security. It should be clear that our national security requires Congress to send a clear message to Iraq and the world: America is united in its determination to eliminate forever the threat of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction."-John Edwards, Oct 10, 2002

"I share the administration's goals in dealing with Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction."-Dick Gephardt in September of 2002

"Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."-Al Gore, 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."-Bob Graham, December 2002

"Saddam Hussein is not the only deranged dictator who is willing to deprive his people in order to acquire weapons of mass destruction."-Jim Jeffords, October 8, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."-Ted Kennedy, September 27, 2002

"There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein's regime is a serious danger, that he is a tyrant, and that his pursuit of lethal weapons of mass destruction cannot be tolerated. He must be disarmed."-Ted Kennedy, Sept 27, 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."-John F. Kerry, Oct 2002

"The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but as I said, it is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and particularly in the last 4 years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons. He has had a free hand for 4 years to reconstitute these weapons, allowing the world, during the interval, to lose the focus we had on weapons of mass destruction and the issue of proliferation."-John Kerry, October 9, 2002

"(W)e need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime. We all know the litany of his offenses. 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. That is why the world, through the United Nations Security Council, has spoken with one voice, demanding that Iraq disclose its weapons programs and disarm. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but it is not new. It has been with us since the end of the Persian Gulf War."-John Kerry, Jan 23, 2003

"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 mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them."-Carl Levin, Sept 19, 2002

"Every day Saddam remains in power with chemical weapons, biological weapons, and the development of nuclear weapons is a day of danger for the United States."-Joe Lieberman, August, 2002

"Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 - 1994, despite Iraq's denials, United Nations inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons. Inspectors have said that Iraq's claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction."-Patty Murray, October 9, 2002

"As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. 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."-Nancy Pelosi, December 16, 1998

"Even today, Iraq is not nearly disarmed. Based on highly credible intelligence, UNSCOM [the U.N. weapons inspectors] suspects that Iraq still has biological agents like anthrax, botulinum toxin, and clostridium perfringens in sufficient quantity to fill several dozen bombs and ballistic missile warheads, as well as the means to continue manufacturing these deadly agents. Iraq probably retains several tons of the highly toxic VX substance, as well as sarin nerve gas and mustard gas. This agent is stored in artillery shells, bombs, and ballistic missile warheads. And Iraq retains significant dual-use industrial infrastructure that can be used to rapidly reconstitute large-scale chemical weapons production."-Ex-Un Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter in 1998

"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. And that may happen sooner if he can obtain access to enriched uranium from foreign sources-something that is not that difficult in the current world. We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."-John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002

"Saddam's existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America, now. Saddam has used chemical weapons before, both against Iraq's enemies and against his own people. He is working to develop delivery systems like missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that could bring these deadly weapons against U.S. forces and U.S. facilities in the Middle East."-John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002

"Whether one agrees or disagrees with the Administration's policy towards Iraq, I don't think there can be any question about Saddam's conduct. 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. He lies and cheats; he snubs the mandate and authority of international weapons inspectors; and he games the system to keep buying time against enforcement of the just and legitimate demands of the United Nations, the Security Council, the United States and our allies. Those are simply the facts."-Henry Waxman, Oct 10, 2002.

Source

Jon Snow: Too bad no one has not enough people have the balls to actually do anything about this.

BravadoGT: If Bush lied, so did just about every major Democratic leader...

Yup. Hang 'em all.

Sleeping Monkey: not enough people have the balls to actually do anything about this.

You´re absolutely right. Sometimes I forget about the Feingold´s of the world. They make me proud of my country.

I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a Fark headline. +10. Bravo, Subby.

Um...subby? There's "al-Qaeda," "al-Qaida," "al-Qa'ida," and "al-Qa'idah," but who's Al Queda?

Tabatha Static: Um...subby? There's "al-Qaeda," "al-Qaida," "al-Qa'ida," and "al-Qa'idah," but who's Al Queda?

I think Taco Bell makes them now

BravadoGT: If Bush lied, so did just about every major Democratic leader...

You've got Lieberman in there; time to edit.

Oh, Christ. This shiat comes out about once a week, seemingly, but nothing is ever done about it. It's a one-day story and then it's quietly filed away under Bush's Jackass File.

/that file would take up an entire building
//oh wait, they're building a presidential library for him
///oughta do it

The Office of Special Plans (Wiki)fed Bush nothing but disinformation. They basically controlled what Bush learned and guided him towards the invasion. You don't hear as much about it and the people that ran it as I would like. I have a feeling this knowledge is fated for the memory hole.
"The Office of Special Plans (OSP), which existed from September 2002 to June 2003, was a Pentagon unit created by Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, and headed by Feith, as charged by then-U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to supply senior Bush administration officials with raw intelligence (unvetted by intelligence analysts, see Stovepiping) pertaining to Iraq.[1] An allegedly-similar unit, called the Iranian Directorate, was created several years later, in 2006, to deal with intelligence on Iran.[2]"

I'd like to see how the "Bush is our Lord and Saviour" lunatics defend him now.

BravadoGT: I wonder who they got their information from? If they had said something different would "the decider" have listened?

I'm sure that once the next year has passed, repubs will be back to blaming the debt on dems and back to blaming the middle east on clinton. Sweet Jeebus, give it a rest.

The First: I'd like to see how the "Bush is our Lord and Saviour" lunatics defend him now.

The same way they have been for the last 4 years.

Tabatha Static: Um...subby? There's "al-Qaeda," "al-Qaida," "al-Qa'ida," and "al-Qa'idah," but who's Al Queda?

An offshoot that hates us for our jello-pops.

Yup it was all just created by the GWB admisntration , there was no evidence earlier? Or was there?

06 November 1998
TEXT: US GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AGAINST USAMA BIN LADEN
http://www.fas.org/irp/news/1998/11/98110602_nlt.html
United States District Court
Southern District of New York
4. "In addition, al Qaeda reached an understanding with the government of
Iraq that al Qaeda would not work against that government and that on
particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al
Qaeda would work cooperatively with the Government of Iraq."

General Anthony Zinni then commander of CENTCOM in testimony
before Congress 15 March, 2000
"Iraq remains the most significant near-term threat to U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf region. This is primarily due to its large conventional military force, pursuit of WMD, oppressive treatment of Iraqi citizens, refusal to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR), persistent threats to enforcement of the No Fly Zones (NFZ), and continued efforts to violate UN Security Council sanctions through oil smuggling," "While Iraq's WMD capabilities were degraded under UN supervision and set back by Coalition strikes, some capabilities remain and others could quickly be regenerated. Despite claims that WMD efforts have ceased, Iraq probably is continuing clandestine nuclear research, retains stocks of chemical and biological munitions, and is concealing extended-range SCUD missiles, possibly equipped with CBW payloads. Even if Baghdad reversed its course and surrendered all WMD capabilities, it retains the scientific, technical, and industrial infrastructure to replace agents and munitions within weeks or months."


The Clinton View of Iraq-al Qaeda Ties
From the December 29, 2003 / January 5, 2004 issue: Connecting the dots in 1998, but not in 2003.
by Stephen F. Hayes
12/29/2003, Volume 009, Issue 16
"
The al Shifa plant in Sudan was largely destroyed after being hit by six Tomahawk missiles. John McWethy, national security correspondent for ABC News, reported the story on August 25, 1998:
Before the pharmaceutical plant was reduced to rubble by American cruise missiles, the CIA was secretly gathering evidence that ended up putting the facility on America's target list.

Intelligence sources say their agents clandestinely gathered soil samples outside the plant and found, quote, "strong evidence" of a chemical compound called EMPTA, a compound that has only one known purpose, to make VX nerve gas.
Then, the connection:
The U.S. had been suspicious for months, partly because of Osama bin Laden's financial ties, but also because of strong connections to Iraq. Sources say the U.S. had intercepted phone calls from the plant to a man in Iraq who runs that country's chemical weapons program."

BravadoGT --

Which of those notables agreed with the repeated assertions that Mohammed Atta had met with Iraqi intelligence in the Czech Republic?

So this proves that not only Bush lied, but so did many Democrats before him. They were saying the same damn things.

The Democrat Party: Where short-term memory resides!

Mordant: Non-story since it takes two to lie... 1 to lie and 1 to listen. We're all just as guilty as the Glorious One.

If Bush lies in the forest and no one is there to listen, is he still lying? Whoa. I just blew my own mind.

rosebud_the_sled: I'm sure that once the next year has passed, repubs will be back to blaming the debt on dems and back to blaming the middle east on Clinton. Sweet Jeebus, give it a rest.

Well, that is the Republic mantra. They break it, then blame the Dems. When Obama is elected, watch how all the Republicans put the Iraq mess on his. They will forget that Bush caused the massive blunder that ultimately cost America 10's of thousands lives, tens of billions of dollars and more unrest and chaos in M.E. in modern history.

It's one thing to lie. It's quite another to use them to rush off to a meaningless war. So yeah. Bush is worse than a liar.

Nestea Plunge: You guys always pull this shiat out

There is no counterargument to libwmdquotes.txt. Once pasted into a thread, libwmdquotes.txt trumps all discussion. The has been the case since the first cut-and-paste of libwmdquotes.txt back in 2003, and it hasn't changed in the thousands of times libwmdquotes.txt has been pasted into Fark threads since then. libwmdquotes.txt is timeless.



The libwmdquotes.txt technique: if do right, no can defense!

hasty ambush: 06 November 1998
TEXT: US GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AGAINST USAMA BIN LADEN

Usama Bin Laden: (new window)

USAMA BIN LADEN IS WANTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE AUGUST 7, 1998, BOMBINGS OF THE UNITED STATES EMBASSIES IN DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA, AND NAIROBI, KENYA. THESE ATTACKS KILLED OVER 200 PEOPLE. IN ADDITION, BIN LADEN IS A SUSPECT IN OTHER TERRORIST ATTACKS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

I don't see 9/11. Huh.

Dur

I can understands that. Dur der der.

I love how the MSM isn't even reporting it. you can lie the American people into a war and it's ok but you get impeached for a BJ?
Sweet Jesus this country is in sad shape.

Bush: Oversimplified Iraq Intelligence, Report says.

FIFY

I came in here for the Durrrrr cat.

rosebud_the_sled: BravadoGT: I wonder who they got their information from? If they had said something different would "the decider" have listened?.

Was Bush providing them with the bad intel in 1998? 1999? 2000?

And did he cast a spell over France, Egypt, Germany, England, Jordan, Israel, the U.N., Australia, Turkey, etc. too?

The whole world thought Saddam had WMDs because Saddam it knew that he had them in the past, and he was doing his damnedest to make the world think he still had them. His own generals even thought they had them, and during the invasion, were sending him desperate messages to Saddam, asking them to tell them where they were so they could fight back.

Was the intel wrong? Yes. Did George Bush use his evil genius powers and trick the whole world into believing that Saddam had WMDs, including using his wayback machine to convince Democrats before he was elected?

Is that what you believe? This guy?

Seems Obama and Hillary are having a super secret meeting right now.
Obama ditched the press group traveling with him (he lured them onto the plane and they took off and he wasn't on it) and supposedly drove to her home in D.C.

It's good to see the defenders are still out there explaining that the bullshiat they've been happily shoveling down for nearly 8 years isn't really a heaping bowl of fetid excrement but a delicate crème brûlée.

Time to wake up dimwits, you've been eating butt chutney and we'd be laughing at you if we hadn't gotten the indigestion.

Korovyov: BravadoGT --

Which of those notables agreed with the repeated assertions that Mohammed Atta had met with Iraqi intelligence in the Czech Republic?

Don't know. What does that have to do with the belief that Saddam had WMDs?

More partisan idiocy here. Park reason at the curb and move on please.

It really doesn't matter what Bush lies about anymore.

The American people have all but demonstrated he's above reproach.

BravadoGT: rosebud_the_sled: BravadoGT: I wonder who they got their information from? If they had said something different would "the decider" have listened?.

Was Bush providing them with the bad intel in 1998? 1999? 2000?

And did he cast a spell over France, Egypt, Germany, England, Jordan, Israel, the U.N., Australia, Turkey, etc. too?

The whole world thought Saddam had WMDs because Saddam it knew that he had them in the past, and he was doing his damnedest to make the world think he still had them. His own generals even thought they had them, and during the invasion, were sending him desperate messages to Saddam, asking them to tell them where they were so they could fight back.

Was the intel wrong? Yes. Did George Bush use his evil genius powers and trick the whole world into believing that Saddam had WMDs, including using his wayback machine to convince Democrats before he was elected?

Is that what you believe? This guy?

Well put, though sure to be laughed off by the tinfoil hat club.

Yes, it was a very well-put apology for the war criminals.

*golf clap*

milk_plus: It's good to see the defenders are still out there explaining that the bullshiat they've been happily shoveling down for nearly 8 years isn't really a heaping bowl of fetid excrement but a delicate crème brûlée.

Time to wake up dimwits, you've been eating butt chutney and we'd be laughing at you if we hadn't gotten the indigestion.


Gotta admit, you have a way with words...lol

BravadoGT: Korovyov: BravadoGT --

Which of those notables agreed with the repeated assertions that Mohammed Atta had met with Iraqi intelligence in the Czech Republic?

Don't know. What does that have to do with the belief that Saddam had WMDs?

Have you read the headline? It concerns al-Qaeda - Iraq links, not WMD. A rapidly-discredited report from Czech intelligence that Atta met an Iraqi intelligence officer happened to be bandied about by the administration -- especially VP Cheney -- as evidence of such a link, even as doubts grew about the accuracy of that report.

BravadoGT: Korovyov: BravadoGT --

Which of those notables agreed with the repeated assertions that Mohammed Atta had met with Iraqi intelligence in the Czech Republic?

Don't know. What does that have to do with the belief that Saddam had WMDs?

Absolutely nothing. But don't you see the beauty? Using words like 'Mohammed Atta' and 'Iraqi' you basically link Atta to Saddam. After all, if this link was not made, then, well, we'd never have gone into Iraq........

whidbey: Yes, it was a very well-put apology for the war criminals.

*golf clap*

Look out....Halliburton just launched a super-duper spy spaceship made from trees from the endangered rain-forests, fueled by a mixture of stolen Iraqi oil and the blood of little children. It's piloted by General Betrayus who plans to kill all the dolphins on the planet by launching the global warming modules into the atmosphere.