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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (140925)	7/19/2004 7:56:38 PM
From: GST	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

With no WMDs or WMD programs, according to Kay, Saddam did not pose a threat all, and certainly not a threat that would require an invasion. You referred to a "nuclear program" -- the only problem is, there was no nuclear program nor were there nuclear weapons. To what "nuclear program" do you refer?

To: Ilaine who wrote (140925)	7/20/2004 1:02:39 AM
From: Elsewhere	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

[C]an you please post a link? Here's a document which might be of interest in the debate: IRAQ ON THE RECORD THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S PUBLIC STATEMENTS ON IRAQ UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM — MINORITY STAFF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION MARCH 16, 2004 house.gov Beginning of executive summary: On March 19, 2003, U.S. forces began military operations in Iraq. Addressing the nation about the purpose of the war on the day the bombing began, President Bush stated: “The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.” One year later, many doubts have been raised regarding the Administration’s assertions about the threat posed by Iraq. Prior to the war in Iraq, the President and his advisors repeatedly claimed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction that jeopardized the security of the United States. The failure to discover these weapons after the war has led to questions about whether the President and his advisors were candid in describing Iraq’s threat. This report, which was prepared at the request of Rep. Henry A. Waxman, is a comprehensive examination of the statements made by the five Administration officials most responsible for providing public information and shaping public opinion on Iraq: President George Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. It finds that the five officials made misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq in 125 public appearances. The report and an accompanying database identify 237 specific misleading statements by the five officials. Conclusion: Because of the gravity of the subject and the President’s unique access to classified information, members of Congress and the public expect the President and his senior officials to take special care to be balanced and accurate in describing national security threats. It does not appear, however, that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary Rumsfeld, Secretary Powell, and National Security Advisor Rice met this standard in the case of Iraq. To the contrary, these five officials repeatedly made misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq. In 125 separate appearances, they made 11 misleading statements about the urgency of Iraq’s threat, 81 misleading statements about Iraq’s nuclear activities, 84 misleading statements about Iraq’s chemical and biological capabilities, and 61 misleading statements about Iraq’s relationship with al Qaeda. An online database available at house.gov enables easier analysis. [ Edit: the collection was first mentioned here by stockman_scott in #reply-19925615 ]