Here's an Associated Press summary of the study:
It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.
"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."
Bush himself led with 259 "false statements." Obviously, they're being polite by calling it "false statements." They mean he lied. And, of course, this was no small matter. When Bush lied, people died. Over 150,000 Iraqis and nearly 4,000 Americans, to be specific.
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Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 8)
16. longwalker at law writes...
"9. Please take a course in basic logic. Although every lie must contain a statement that is false, not every false statement is a lie.
A lie is a false statement that, at the time it was made, was known to be false by its maker. Your article and your sources offer no proof that will support calling those statements lies."
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I work with a lot of lawyers, so I tend to be defensive when people take cheap shots at them.
Longwalker, alleged attorney at law, is therefore something of an embarrassment to my position.
Obviously, longwalker is not a trial lawyer. He just insulted the intelligence of the entire jury.
Captain Negative at 2:04PM on Jan 23rd 2008
17. "CENK AND HIS SLANTED LIBERAL FASCIST SOURCES ARE AT IT AGAIN. AIR AMERICA RATING ARE SO LOW THEY MAY NOT EVEN BE SHOWN.
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INSANE OKANE is at it again. 935 lies is so overwhelming that all OKANE can do is attack the messengers.
What has the Bush Junta EVER told the truth about?
Captain Negative at 2:04PM on Jan 23rd 2008
18. So, you blast Bush because he doesn't believe the reports about bin laden BEFORE 9/11 and then you blast Bush because he DOES believe reports on Iraq after 9/11. Which way do you want it? AND reporting what your intelligence agencies are telling you and out and out lies are two different things. REMEMBER-the Dems were believing the same info. Listen to the speeches they gave and listen to Hillary's support of the war-taken from the same info that Bush had. Do you call her a liar too?? and all the Dems that voted for the war effort?? Then they were lieing too. AND, by the way-you might want to read the original reports on these "lies" rather than take these "3 Stooges" as your source of correct information on the subject! You will have a different response after reading the original reports. You guys are doing the same things you blast Bush for doing!!
Mary Jean at 2:52PM on Jan 23rd 2008
19. Paul, Vet2
How come I never hear anyone refuting the speeches that are quoted in both of your posts?
There is no talk of shooting the message, just silence.
Maybe you two should start up a Tax Free foundation and then release your findings.
You could call it "The Hey What About This Foundation?"
Naw, there still would be silence.
M2D5 at 2:25PM on Jan 23rd 2008
20. USA OK wonders aloud, but wonders about the wrong issue....
"Does the Bash Bush crowd actually think the Middle East and Iraq would be better off if Saddam Hussein and his soccer team torturing sons were still in power in Iraq ? Why ?"
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The known atrocities of Hussein did not prevent the Reagan and Bush I administrations from arming Iraq.
During the Clinton administrtation we KNEW that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. WE HAVE THE RECEIPTS!
Captain Negative at 2:29PM on Jan 23rd 2008
21. JESUS!!!??!
BLIND faith in anyone who CLAIMS to be for jesus is what got us into this mess in the first place!
Wake up.
jesus is a FALSE god...And so is bush!
bob at 2:29PM on Jan 23rd 2008
22. President William J. Clinton; on the eve of the impeachment vote; December 16, 1998.
Paul Sparcello at 9:02AM on Jan 23rd 2008
xxx
I heard the speech the first time.
As I recall, the republicanist reaction at the time was that it was 'wagging the dog'. Are you flipflopping now, or maybe admitting that at the time there was an issue but stringent inspection and enforcement obviated the problem?
Either way you come out stinkin' so pick a smell and there you go.
As to the other quotes, we know and have known that they did NOT know what the president did. They were conned, just like you're trying to do now with this silly 'it's all clinton's fault' bullshit.
The buck ALWAYS stops with Clinton.
Until your party owns up to the mistakes it made from reagan to the present and does something to correct itself, it ain't worth a pitcher of warm spit. Find one of those democrats that's for the war NOW.
Clif Kuplen at 2:57PM on Jan 23rd 2008
23. Maybe we should get the ball rolling by impeacing Nancy Pelosi for obstruction of justice. Justice requires impeachment hearings. Nancy Pelosi gave Bush and Cheney license to commit their crimes without fear of impeachment.
>>>>
There is only one reason why democrat leadership doesn't want anything to do with impeachment. When you did all the lying ... the last thing you want are hearings that prove it.
Negative is right ... God that sounds so wrong.
Pelosi and comrades are required by their oaths of office to uphold the consitution. If they truly believe Bush committed any impeachable offense they have no choice but to impeach. failure to do so, is a violation of their oaths of office.
Now, ask yourself, why no hearings? Better yet, ask yourself why liberals would call for hearings, when their mission is already accomplished. The majority of American believe our government supports the abuse, torture and even the murder of our prisioners. They believe Bush manipulated intelligence and lied us into an illegal war. Hell, they are in power because of allegations ... there is no need to prove anything.
Our liberal brothers trashed our standing in this world with damn lies for power ... power they now have, and hearings into these allegations is no way to keep that power. Our nations honor was sold for power ... so you might as well get used to it.
Personally, I can't wait for president Hillary. You can count on republicans to act just like the liberals that constantly attacked Bush for everything ... including bad weather. Payback is gonna be a bitch, I promise you.
Thomas J Gassett at 2:59PM on Jan 23rd 2008
24. 23. Two LIBERAL FASCIST organizations funded by people who hate the US Government
xxx
liberal fascists? ROBERT KOKANE, are you an islamorepublican?
Clif Kuplen at 2:59PM on Jan 23rd 2008
25. During the Clinton administrtation we KNEW that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. WE HAVE THE RECEIPTS!
>>>>
Liberals can't pass up a chance to trash our nation with their lies. It's like they are hardwired to be provide Aid and comfort to our enemies daily.
Clue: NO ONE, I repeat for liberal simpletons, NO ONE sells chemical or bio weapons. Why? Because you can get everything you need from a hospital or a hardware store. What you sell is the duel use eqiupment used to make common items into weapons. And, we know that France and Germany sold this equipment to Saddam. Only a liberal tratior with the intelligence of a snow pea would tell you different.
Thomas J Gassett at 3:05PM on Jan 23rd 2008
26. Our liberal brothers trashed our standing in this world with damn lies for power ... power they now have, and hearings into these allegations is no way to keep that power. Our nations honor was sold for power ... so you might as well get used to it.
xxxx
your fascist regime has been in power for thirty years. Your nation's honor was sullied first when reagan cut and ran from Lebanon, empowering al qaeda, according to Osama Bin Laden, whom you have not caught in more time than it took democrats to defeat the axis.
You have raped the middle class, devalued the dollar and sold our security to communists while outsourcing defense manufacturing to the enemies of the US for profit.
This happens every time the republicanists get into office - loot the treasury and run up the foreign credit card. You have run the government for thirty years and by your own proclamation are so god damned ineffectual that liberals still make all the policy and your party IS A VICTIM??
that's the pile behind the elephant. If you'd been in charge during world war II we'd all be nazis now. Your party cannot manage an economy and cannot wage war and perpetually attempts to shift blame for incompetence to the party out of power and whine you're victims.
You don't deserve to govern now, and never did. If you had not stolen the elections, you never would have. You are the party of lies as is now being reported at last in the right wing media.
When Hussein actually was a threat, Clinton acted and you all squealed and wet the bed as is typical. Republicans can't win a war, just profit from them.
But you're all victims and payback is a bitch. Right. Have another oxycontin.
Clif Kuplen at 3:12PM on Jan 23rd 2008
27. Gassett pretends..."Liberals can't pass up a chance to trash our nation with their lies. It's like they are hardwired to be provide Aid and comfort to our enemies daily."
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I'll ask again, Gassett. What planet are you living on?
Are you denying that Reagan and Bush armed Iraq? Remember a little tempest commonly referred to as the, "Iran/Iraq War?"
Do you remember that we played BOTH sides of that little WAR!
The history of republican administrations handling of Middle Eastern affairs is atrocious. They fuck up everything they touch.
Captain Negative at 3:14PM on Jan 23rd 2008
28. Clue: NO ONE, I repeat for liberal simpletons, NO ONE sells chemical or bio weapons. Why? Because you can get everything you need from a hospital or a hardware store.
You are an illiterate fool. Try to weaponize an anthrax spore with stuff you pick up at Ace, bucky.
Clif Kuplen at 3:15PM on Jan 23rd 2008
29. liberal fascists? ROBERT KOKANE, are you an islamorepublican?
Clif Kuplen at 2:59PM on Jan 23rd 2008
>>>>
Shove it Kuplen. You freaks are fascist. You think of yourselves as liberals, when there is nothing liberal about you. Your kind simply can't tollerate any opinon that won't fit neatly into your lunatic ideology.
Example: Just try and find a conservative speaker on a campus full of liberal professors. These fascist actually supported an entire edition of the campus paper being stolen because it had a conservative article in it. Clearly, a rose by anyother name is still a rose, and a facsist calling himself a liberal is still a facsist.
One opinion and only one opinion allowed ... which is the very defintion of fascism.
Thomas J Gassett at 3:15PM on Jan 23rd 2008
30. 44. Gassett pretends..."Liberals can't pass up a chance to trash our nation with their lies. It's like they are hardwired to be provide Aid and comfort to our enemies daily."
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I'll ask again, Gassett. What planet are you living on? >>>
typical.
Are you denying that Reagan and Bush armed Iraq? >>
Yeah,I am. We gave them sattelite intelligence on troop movements, and taught Saddam how to evade assassination ... big mistake.
Remember a little tempest commonly referred to as the, "Iran/Iraq War?">>>
Typical
Do you remember that we played BOTH sides of that little WAR!>>>
Actually, we didn't play both sides. We did give Iran parts to planes they already bought for our hostages, but we wanted Saddam to win. Remember, that Iran is where radical islam was born. And the enemy of our enemy is our friend ... at least for a time. This is reality, not a choice, you stinking liberal turd.
The history of republican administrations handling of Middle Eastern affairs is atrocious. They fuck up everything they touch.>>>
They must have had their hands all over you.
Thomas J Gassett at 3:24PM on Jan 23rd 2008