Mpls StarTribune: The case for war / Congress must probe intelligence

[scarletwoman]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/3983563.html

Published July 13, 2003
ED13

In both Britain and the United States, serious questions have been raised about the intelligence used to justify war in Iraq. But there's one big difference: The British are having a very public, lively and official discussion of the issue; Americans have been deprived of such a discussion by Republicans in Congress.

That needs to change; the domestic and international credibility of the U.S. government rides in the balance.

<snip>

When President Bush was pressed on this issue during a press conference in South Africa, he dismissed the issue as an attempt to "rewrite history." No, it's an attempt to be true to history. Before American forces were committed to Iraq, the American people and the world were told that Saddam possessed chemical and biological weapons and that he was working hard to develop nuclear weapons. All of those assertions have now been cast in serious doubt. Those doubts need to be explored. Congress must undertake a thorough investigation of all intelligence used to make a case for war.

The White House last week finally disavowed President Bush's assertion in his Jan. 28 State of the Union speech that, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." The claim was based on forged documents. That brought calls by Democrats for a thorough investigation. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay pooh-poohed those calls, saying that "one flaw" didn't discredit the entire case against Saddam.

Come again? One flaw? Washington's case against Saddam now is so full of holes it has the credibility of an Arthur Andersen audit.

(more...)

Love that Arthur Andersen audit line! :evilgrin: -- and there's another little zinger at the end of this piece: ...the central reason for going to war in Iraq now appears worth about as much as Enron stock.

sw