935 false statements on Iraq

[MTAFFI]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080123/...ormation_study

Study: False statements preceded war By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 55 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. 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."

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.

"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.


I hate to even post it but it is worth reading

[Keltoi]

Nothing new here. I'm just surprised that this group thought it was worth the effort to count how many times President Bush and others stated that Iraq had WMD. I thought everybody and their dog knew by now that the Bush administration, and other governments, thought Saddam had WMD. Am I missing something?

[MTAFFI]

Nothing new here. I'm just surprised that this group thought it was worth the effort to count how many times President Bush and others stated that Iraq had WMD. I thought everybody and their dog knew by now that the Bush administration, and other governments, thought Saddam had WMD. Am I missing something?

it is rather amusing that a group decided to actually probe the docs to find exactly how many times they made up lies or made mistakes. However, I do find it troubling that despite the fact that it was repeatedly made clear to the administration that there was not 100% solid proof that Iraq had WMD or that Iraq was not directly linked to Al-qaeda, they repeatedly made statements to the people of the US, that they are supposed to serve 100% truthfully, stating the exact opposite driving the public, media and fellow congressmen down their own agenda. I understand that Iraq was a perceived threat because of the potential of WMD and possibly passing that technology on to an umbrella group, whether at the time they had close ties or not, but that is all they had to say.... The lying is irritating and gives birth to the conspiracy theorists and so on, and gives them ground to stand on.. Oh well though

[Ninth_Scribe]

it is rather amusing that a group decided to actually probe the docs to find exactly how many times they made up lies or made mistakes. However, I do find it troubling that despite the fact that it was repeatedly made clear to the administration that there was not 100% solid proof that Iraq had WMD or that Iraq was not directly linked to Al-qaeda, they repeatedly made statements to the people of the US, that they are supposed to serve 100% truthfully, stating the exact opposite driving the public, media and fellow congressmen down their own agenda. I understand that Iraq was a perceived threat because of the potential of WMD and possibly passing that technology on to an umbrella group, whether at the time they had close ties or not, but that is all they had to say.... The lying is irritating and gives birth to the conspiracy theorists and so on, and gives them ground to stand on.. Oh well though

I don't think it's amusing, but I get your drift. Anyway, the list should be a matter of record - and I doubt very much the government will produce that record, so my hat is off for those who compiled and published the s**t-list.

As for the conspiracy theories... lies beget lies. As the saying goes: Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.

The Ninth Scribe