Bush digs the hole a little deeper (actually, a LOT deeper)

[BuckeFushe]

"The larger point is, and the fundamental question is, did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer is, absolutely. And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in. And, therefore, after a reasonable request, we decided to remove him from power, along with other nations, so as to make sure he was not a threat to the United States and our friends and allies in the region."

George W. Bush, President of the United States in his closing remarks during his "press op" with Kofi Annan.


Toast. 17 words that will bring down the administration:

And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in

Now it's "he wouldn't let them in" and "weapons PROGRAM".

Don't let this go folks. Start emailing EVERYONE.

[NYC]

1. The inspectors didn't leave until just before Bush started bombing.

I think this was a very signifcant lie he told.

[Cha]

2. Oh, you mean bush's latest lie? I heard all about this

on the Mike Malloy Show tonight. Mike was playing clips from the Liar Czar, scott mcclellan, trying to wriggle out of bush's faux pas' or stupid lies or whatever goes on in bush's brain.

[Rose Siding]

4. And it was front page 2nd pp WP this morning

Dana Milbank. And it was on Newsday this afternoon. The press decided to work today. I hope they learned to love it!

[Skip Intro]

3. That has stuck out most to me as well, he cannot recover from that

from that statement, if he is pushed to expain what he meant.

We asked Iraq to let the inspecors back in and they refused, and that's the real reason we attacked them???!!!

Unbelievable. I'm pretty sure most of the world remembers the inspectors' requesting more time and bush responding, "TIMES UP!"

He has contradicted his staff and REALITY with this. It seems fatal to me, but I haven't seen it mentioned much so far.

[BuckeFushe]

5. This may be a stretch, but hopefully, the DNC gets on this IMMEDIATELY

I've already posted this on the Hannity site and am being attacked as making "slanderous" accusations, even though BUSH SPOKE THESE WORDS.

Does he NOT know what he is saying anymore? Is he forgetting what he was told to say? He just hung himself out to dry with this one. And we CAN'T let it go. Period. This is better than the "16 words" this is an outright lie.

[Pobeka]

8. I can't believe they are letting him say *anything* unrehearsed!!

They know he can't perform under this pressure, and will say stupid stuff, just like this.

I'm beginning to think more and more they are going to let Bush take the fall for this, all they have to do is let him speak without a script!

[wtmusic]

6. Oh, come off it--that won't 'bring down' anything

Hussein did Technically have a weapons program--14 years ago. And Hussein Technically did kick the inspectors out--in 1998. He's leaving his cute little outs again, just like Karl told him to.

[BuckeFushe]

14. He doesn't have a clue.

The right-wing spinners can't prove where Saddam wouldn't let the inspectors in. They are trying to list resolutions and then spinning it to show he didn't COMPLY, but can't show us proof he WOULDN'T let the inspectors in. There is a HUGE difference between not COMPLYING and not LETTING THEM IN.

This IS a big deal. The Shrub misadministration DOES take the American public for idiots. To justify a war that's killed thousands because he claims "he wouldn't let them in" is horrific. They can spin till 2004, but if you saw the look on Annan's face during this little moment, you'd have understood. The right keeps trying to push the blame on Clinton, saying he had the same intelligence, but that's just more spin. BUSH DECLARED war on Iraq, not Clinton.

Regarding the British intelligence, there were two articles over the weekend where the "evidence" was proved to be gleaned from the internet and CIA reports, and the Brits are furious over that. The Rethugs are trying to discount these newspapers because they don't lean right. They are trying to parse words and split the hairs between weapons and programs. Having a program and producing weapons IS a big difference.

They all stood up and screamed over the word "is" and still do. They're trying to split the word "comply" now, but where are the WMDs? This issue isn't miniscule. We have an inneffective leader, a staff doing their best to cover up and cover for him, and a Right-wing base who will not accept the fact that he led us into a war without end and without justification.

Bush lied, Rumsfeld lied, Rice lied, Cheney is lying, and Powell is guilty by association.

This isn't going away.

[rustydad]

16. NO, NO, No!!!!!!!

Another lie. The inspectors left in '98 because Clintion decided to bomb tarkets in Iraq as a diversion to his impeachment. Pure and simple, we told the UN to get out for their safety. Bob

[Old and In the Way]

7. Technically, he's right.

Saddam had a sizable weapons program, because it was a centerpiece of the Reagan/Bush foreign policy. These same Republicans were big fans of Saddam in the 80's. But he became expendable when he decided he was going to control the oil and sell it in Euro's. Then he became bad.

That comment- "And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in" ought to outrage everyone sick of this man's lies.

What does he take the American public for...a bunch of mindless idiots (don't answer)? We are talking recent history here 4 months ago. Even I can remember that far back. And I remember that it was the UN inpsectors begging this dimson to give inspections more time....they were not finding weapons, Iraq was cooperating, and there was no justification to invade.

But Bush needed this war for lots of reasons. I'm convinced that they just assumed they find some proof of weapons and that would cover their hard-on for invasion.

What I can't figure is why isn't God telling George where the WMD are located? Is he double-crossing our Fearless Misleader?

[Hogarth]

9. I think God's scratching his beard

and screening his calls these days. No wonder Pat Robertson looked like he was trying to pass a turd while praying for resignations and new appointments to the Supreme Court.

[DeathvadeR]

20. Let us not forget that Kuwait was......

Slant drilling into Iraq Oil for years.

[WatchWhatISay]

10. Man, talk about REVISIONIST HISTORY!!!!!!!!

That is what every Democrat should be out saying right now. It's just the little "sound bite" we need right now.

[rman]

11. they make these things up as they go

SOTU,UN etc never was about weapons program but about imminent threat to the world, tons of chemical weapons, a nuclear program etc.
UN inspectors were in Iraq several times over the last decade, and just before the war. they had to get out cause Bush had ran out of patience.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. Not only does this prove that W is a pathological liar

He also incompetent. Here is the leader of the USA sitting with Kofi Anan, Sec. General of the UN and W blurts out a statement, about why the US invaded Iraq, that blatantly denies reality.


Here's the man with his finger on the button and he can't figure out the difference between Niger and Nigeria, no less that something that might have been true 10 years ago, may no longer be true today. He is clearly 'off his rocker' and needs to be remove from office. W is obviously not fit to carry out the duties of the president.

[molly]

13. Did he know he was lying?

that's the scarey part. Is he THAT out of touch with what is really going on? Is he more of a liability to them now?

I keep going over it and almost fell out of my chair as he was saying it - as he looked at Kofi. I would have loved to see the look on Kofi's face - does anyone have a picture?

[BuckeFushe]

15. It gets worse, they still are trying to lie....

CIA: Assessment of Syria's WMD exaggerated

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/6310763.htm

WASHINGTON - In a new dispute over interpreting intelligence data, the CIA and other agencies objected vigorously to a Bush administration assessment of the threat of Syria's weapons of mass destruction that was to be presented Tuesday on Capitol Hill. After the objections, the planned testimony by Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, a leading administration hawk, was delayed until September.

U.S. officials told Knight Ridder that Bolton was prepared to tell members of a House of Representatives International Relations subcommittee that Syria's development of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons had progressed to such a point that they posed a threat to stability in the region.

The CIA and other intelligence agencies said that assessment was exaggerated.

Bolton set off a controversy in May 2002 when he asserted in a speech that Cuba has a biological warfare program. A State Department intelligence expert, Christian Westermann, recently told a closed-door Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that available intelligence data don't support that assertion, U.S. officials have said.

MUCH more at link....

[WatchWhatISay]

17. Another message that we need to get out there

Is that this Bush administrations credibility throughout the world has been so harmed by these "revelations" that it now threatens our ability to protect ourself from terrorism, especially in terms of international cooperation.

[berry]

18. GREAT article!

Here are 2 more snips:

<The conflict appears to illustrate how battles over prewar intelligence on Iraq have spread to other issues and have heightened sensitivity among Bush aides about public descriptions of threats to the United States.>

<The first U.S. official said that after months of complaining about pressure to skew their analyses, rank-and-file intelligence officials "have become emboldened" by the recent public debate over Iraq."People are fed up," he said.>

This is good news--1. all warnings of threats are being looked at with skepticism now (will this also affect terror warnings?) and 2. we have a clear statement that intelligence agency peeps are going to continue to speak out.

I hope this goes further than just the Knight Ridder papers. It's dynamite. I do wish, though, that they had identified Bolton as a PNACer and explained what that meant. Oh well, drip by drip we proceed.

[RoscoeNOBUSH]

19. They have forgotten how to listen

"The people’s voice should be respected and heard,” John Ashcroft, the day after the election.

All one can do is to answer directly when we know for a fact it's true and say so; when we know for a fact it's not true, we'll say so; and when we don't know, we'll say so. Rumsfield, Oct. 22, 2001

[BuckeFushe]

21. Amen

The people’s voice should be respected and heard.