This just in: Bush lied, people died

People will sometimes point out that that bumperstickers oversimplify complicated issues (no kidding). But it appears the bumpersticker "Bush lied, people died" actually understates the case.

--Statements by the President and the Vice President indicating that Saddam Hussein was prepared to give weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups for attacks against the United States were contradicted by available intelligence information.

--Statements by President Bush and Vice President Cheney regarding the postwar situation in Iraq, in terms of the political, security, and economic, did not reflect the concerns and uncertainties expressed in the intelligence products.

--Statements by the President and Vice President prior to the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate regarding Iraq's chemical weapons production capability and activities did not reflect the intelligence community's uncertainties as to whether such production was ongoing.

--The Secretary of Defense's statement that the Iraqi government operated underground WMD facilities that were not vulnerable to conventional airstrikes because they were underground and deeply buried was not substantiated by available intelligence information.

--The Intelligence Community did not confirm that Muhammad Atta met an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague in 2001 as the Vice President repeatedly claimed.

--Statements and implications by the President and Secretary of State suggesting that Iraq and al-Qa'ida had a partnership, or that Iraq had provided al-Qa'ida with weapons training, were not substantiated by the intelligence.

Most sentient readers will say "no kidding." But alas, even the more respectable voices on Milwaukee's right have long sneered at the BLPD formulation. Not the least of which is Rick Esenberg.Consider (links to the Shark's original commentary):

The argument that "Bush lied" is specious.

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Rev. Joseph Lowery trotted out the multi-discredited" Bush lied about WMDs" trope and suggested that liberating Iraq from a murderous dictator was like genocide.

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That Hussein was not then as dangerous as the entire world believed and that he was (as the Bush administration always conceded) not directly involved in the attacks of Sept. 11 (even as he actively supported Islamic terror) now forms the basis of a  malicious and unsupported myth "Bush lied; people died."

Now the Brawler only raises these comments because (trusting iT's observations) he thinks Esenberg is really much smarter than this. Esenberg's last claim was always specious given that Condi's statement about Hussein's aluminum tubes was pure fabrication (and yes, it's fair to pin blame for Bush's NSC director's remarks on Bush, that whole buck-stops-here-particularly-on-the-road-to-war thing).But why address that when you can throw out words like "specious" or "malicious and unsupported myth"? Or does the Shark really think, in matters of life and death, there's a meaningful difference between lying and making shit up based on wishful thinking?

The Brawler has little doubt that the findings of this Senate report will have zero impact on the arguments of the pro-Iraq occupation dead-enders. Why let revelations of the "facts" of why we're in Iraq actually enter the terms of debate.

But Esenberg has said elsewhere that he doesn't think McCain's position on the war will hurt him the fall. The Brawler suspects that observation will prove specious.

Comments

[capper]

Whodathunk it? Bush lied? Unbelievable!

[Hermann]

It made sense to dig into the Whitewater land deal. Maybe that tied into the whole patriotic piece?