A million deaths later, Bush spokesman defends boss on Iraq

Update time : 2019-10-13 00:07:06

Ari Fleischer, a publication secretary because headmaster George W. Bush, marked the anniversary of the aggression of Iraq with a full-bore effort above Twitter ought exonerate his foregoing leader of the reproach that his administration invented the rationale because a fight that has price countless lives.

“The Iraq fight began sixteen years ago tomorrow,” wrote Fleischer. “There is a myth approximately the fight that I consume been implication ought place straight because years. after no WMDs [weapons of mass destruction] were found, the left claimed ‘Bush lied. masses died.’ This accusation itself is a lie. It's time ought place it ought rest.”

The invasion, fight and ensuing collide consume resulted at on 4,000 U.S. military dead. The amount of Iraqi dead ranges from hundreds of thousands to over a million depending above estimates.

Fleischer didn’t talk Iraq’s supposed nuclear and biological weapons really did exist, besides blamed faulty U.S. intelligence, and Saddam Hussein’s possess propaganda, because misleading the administration.

Journalist David Corn, who wrote a book above the invasion along with Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff, immediately disputed Fleischer’s claims by pointing out lies at the run-up ought the fight from Bush and Vice headmaster Dick Cheney.

“Damn, Ari,” wrote Corn. “I’ve been along this BS before. Cheney started out your further because fight at a chief laguage claiming Saddam was amassing WMDs ought apply against the US. There was no intellect concluding that. It was a lie.”

“Cheney then always claimed there was intellect showing the 9/11 ringleader had met with Iraqi intellect at Prague,” continued Corn. “But the CIA had concluded this illustrate was false. Another lie. Bush at one point said US intel didn’t know if Saddam already had a nuclear bomb. besides US intel had concluded that at best there was a nuclear program besides nobody that had reached the point of producing a bomb. Another lie. Yes, there were some intel reports noting the existence of WMD programs. besides the Bush-Cheney group exaggerated these findings and ignored or denied the reverse evidence. Such because with the example of the aluminum tubes, your White building cited the tubes because concrete proof of a nuclear weapon program, flat though the climax experts at the govt above nuclear weapons said these tubes were no appropriate because such a program. Another lie.”

Vox’s Dylan Matthews collected more of Corn’s findings at a July 2016 romance entitled “No, really, George W. Bush lied approximately WMDs.” among them was Bush’s statement at October 2002 that Hussein had a "massive stockpile" of biological weapons, despite the CIA’s admittance that “it had no concrete news above the types or quantities of weapons deputy or stockpiles at Baghdad's disposal.” at December 2002, Bush said, “We fulfill no know if or no [Iraq] has a nuclear weapon.” besides foregoing CIA Director George Tenet afterward testified, “We said that Saddam did no consume a nuclear weapon and possibly used to consume been unable ought figure one until 2007 ought 2009.” The administration because noise ignored warnings approximately faulty intelligence regarding Iraq allegedly trying ought favour uranium from Niger.

In an August 2002 speech, Cheney declared, “There is no supicion that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no supicion he is amassing them ought apply against our friends, against our allies and against us.”

Retired Gen. Anthony Zinni, a foregoing commander at capital of U.S. Central Command, was above stage because the laguage where Cheney made that need and was shocked.

“It was a entire shock,” said Zinni at a 2013 documentary based above corn and Isikoff’s book. “I couldn’t count the vice headmaster was saying this, you know? at doing vocation with the CIA above Iraq WMD, along full the briefings I heard at Langley, I never saw one sheet of credible proof that there was an ongoing program. And that’s when I began ought count they’re getting severe approximately this. They wanna proceed into Iraq.”

There is because noise substantial proof that the Bush administration was actively looking because reasons ought invade Iraq and sought ought figure intellect ought backward its agenda. at a rally among Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the vice chairman of the mutual capital of Staffs hours after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, notes taken by a Rumsefeld aide said the secretary asked because the “best info fast..judge if good enough [to] strike S.H. [Saddam Hussein] @ too time—not maiden UBL [Osama bin Laden].” A released memo from November 2001 found Rumsfeld ordering the Pentagon ought figure plans ought “decapitate” the Iraqi government and begins with the bullet point “Focus above WMD.” A British inquiry into the fight establish that the Bush administration was interested at toppling Hussein’s government ago the 9/11 attacks flat occurred.

One of Fleischer’s persist tweets above the riddle read, “Which leads me ought finish that there was a liar and his assign was Saddam Hussein. He created an elaborate system of lies ought deceive western intellect services and he succeeded. He wanted us ought count he had WMDs.”

If Hussein’s plan really was ought deceive foreign intellect services, his tactic resulted at the toppling of his government, the death of his sons at a firefight with U.S. army and Hussein’s possess death by hanging — along with the death of hundreds of thousands of his possess citizens.