By Erich Vieth on January 22nd, 2008
How many lies did the Bush Administration tell in the 2 years prior to the Iraq invasion?
The Center for Public Intergrity has now added them up. There were 935 lies from high-ranking Bush officials. All of them designed to convince us to invade Iraq for no good reason. Here’s a summary:
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.
- Bush Administration required applicants for rebuilding Iraq to first prove loyalty to Bush
- Bush was warned that Iraq would turn into . . . Iraq
- It’s official and it’s contrary to Bush rhetoric: Iraq occupation is the primary recruitment vehicle for terrorist organizations
- Bush: No need to look for fraud in Afghanistan or Iraq!
- Al-Qaida flourishing in Iraq? They can thank George Bush.
What most disturbs me about the lies spread by the Bush Administration is how easily so many Americans were duped. Not just ‘average’ Americans, but congressional reps and senators, national-level newscasters, major journalists and more. All were sucked in, despite the glaringly obvious fact that the Bushites never had *any* solid evidence to support their many claims. The case against Saddam was nothing but a drumhead trial, complete with blind accusations paraded as facts. Saddam was considered guilty unless proven innocent, reversing the standard of proof that has always set America apart from so many other totalitarian regimes. The whole thing reminded me of the Joe McCarthy hearings on communism, or the 17th-century Salem witch trials — where mass hysteria replaced rational judgment. Only in this case, as in the McCarthy era, it was driven deliberately, for the purpose of increasing the personal power of those in charge. I look forward to the day when Bush and company are viewed with the same derision we now bestow on McCarthy and his gang.
Here’s a site that includes summaries of the lies and a time line for the lies. http://www.publicintegrity.org/warcard/?source=c0107e3a