White House responds to Suskind charges

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC

Bush administration dismisses author's book about pre-war intelligence


The White House issued the following statement to NBC News on Monday night in response to author Ron Suskind's new book, "The Way of the World," which was published today.

The subject of pre-war intelligence has been exhaustively examined by numerous individuals, committees of Congress, and expert bipartisan commissions. Indeed, it is difficult to identify a subject as thoroughly examined as this one - including the WMD Commission and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Report on pre-war intelligence.

There were lots of unsubstantiated messages being sent prior to the invasion of Iraq - none of that is new. This is a rehash of very old reporting -- reports of this particular contact were reported on extensively in 2003. What is a fact is that intelligence estimates at that time were not accurate, but it was the intelligence we all relied on, and our intelligence reached same conclusions as other intelligence agencies around the world.

It's also a fact that Saddam Hussein wanted the world to believe he had weapons of mass destruction, as various reports have determined over the years. Hussein refused to give weapons inspectors the full access needed to determine the status of Iraq's weapons programs, and to come into compliance with numerous UNSC resolutions -- 17 resolutions over a twelve year period.

By refusing to comply with UN Security Council resolutions Saddam Hussein made the decision that resulted in the use of military force to enforce those resolutions. Military force would not have been necessary had he allowed inspectors into Iraq and given them full, unfettered access to his weapons programs. In fact, Iraq was given a final opportunity to come into compliance with UNSC resolutions and it refused.

Read more: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26031278/

[Old and In the Way]

1. No specific denials of the charge.

Just more lies that Saddam wasn't cooperating. The UN inspectors had free rein to check anywhere they thought WMD existed. It wasn't until we got the "all clear" signal that we invaded and occupied this country. Just setting the record straight for the War Crimes Tribunal.

[Ellipsis]

2. I caught that too. n/t

[Botany]

11. Bingo!

"rehash of old news"

You see because this is old news it doesn't matter.

[hootinholler]

16. "Hussein refused to give weapons inspectors the full access needed to determine the status"

Except for that period right before we invaded when Saddam gave them free reign and Bush told them to get out before they get bombed.

-Hoot

[redqueen]

3. "it is difficult to identify a subject as thoroughly examined as this one"

Yeah, maybe for the morons in the bu$hco administration.

Most of the rest of the world sees right through this BS... too bad far too many here just do not care.

[aquart]

15. What does "identify a subject" mean?

Anything?

[redqueen]

17. It's *I'll Show You I'm Smart Dammit!* speak for "find anything". (nt)

[underpants]

19. It has yet to be fully addressed and investigated

the Phase II report did bust them for knowingly lying but still ....

Oh and one other thing-if they think we aren't going to keep bringing this up for the rest of this century they are more delusional than they appear.

[redqueen]

20. Definitely...

this BS has to be aimed at that delusional 22/23%... I doubt the WH liars are delusional... they're just aiming at the segment of the population they have to concentrate on. (The ones you can fool all the time.)

[formercia]

4. This is the "It's old news, nothing to se here." spin.

We're wise to that ploy.

[frog92969]

8. And they respond with the same old lies.

[Mabus]

5. I'm confused

Are they going back and saying we went into Iraq because of WMDs again? What happened? I thought they were sticking to the story that this was a humanitarian mission. Are they recycling their excuses?

[RufusTFirefly]

6. Why didn't the intro briefly repeat the charge?

Instead of beginning the article with

The White House issued the following statement to NBC News on Monday night in response to author Ron Suskind's new book, "The Way of the World," which was published today.

wouldn't it make more sense to begin this way?

The White House issued the following statement to NBC News on Monday night in response to author Ron Suskind's new book, "The Way of the World," which alleges that it ordered the CIA to forge a back-dated, handwritten letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam Hussein.

[gratuitous]

7. "Saddam Hussein wanted the world to believe"

Which is why he denied, right up to the launching of Bush's "pre-emptive" invasion of another nation that hadn't attacked us (war of aggression, against the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter by the way, Ms. Pelosi) that he had any weapons of any sort. It was the Bush administration that wanted the world to believe that Saddam had those "weapons of mass destruction" (kudos to Babylon 5 for the nomenclature and the plot to this penny dreadful). And while this has indeed been examined by many individuals, it has hardly been an exhaustive examination, and the wrong-doers have never been brought to justice.

And MSNBC just reiterates the White House's statement, providing neither facts nor context to explain why it's a load of hooey.

[The Blue Flower]

9. A nonresponse response

So it's true.

[samsingh]

10. the white house has just validated the charges

[Doctor_J]

12. Wow. There's a wheel barrow full of lies in this passage.

Here's a big one:

Hussein refused to give weapons inspectors the full access needed to determine the status of Iraq's weapons programs

This is a lie. Gold star to the first Big Media whore who actually uses the word LIE to describe this crap.

[Dr.Phool]

13. You'll be holding on to that gold star for a long time.

[Spazito]

14. I believe this is known as a "non-denial denial" in Watergate language

not surprising given it is the same old "crew" running this show too.

[Solly Mack]

18. someone touched a nerve

lololololol

[Whoa_Nelly]

21. More than that

Seems there is the usual usual ho-hum yawn from them (which doesn't work anymore with 80% of the nation/99% of the world), while they scramble to add another bullshit tier to their already highly-layered platform of treasonous lies and deceit.

[WhiteTara]

22. of course there was cooperation with UNSCOM

* pulled the inspectors out so he could bomb the place without having to deal with dead inspectors.

[DearAbby]

23. Non denial, Denial....Whole lot of words saying absolutely nothing...n/t