Most of us already knew this but...

[jackshoegazer]

Study: False statements preceded war

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.

"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.

___

On the Net:

Center For Public Integrity: http://www.publicintegrity.org/default.aspx

Fund For Independence in Journalism: http://www.tfij.org/

If Bush & Co. were the heads of any other country, and pulled this shit, they would be sitting on trial in the Hague for war crimes.  Pure and simple.  The fact that more people aren't outraged, that our Congress is allowing them to walk out the door next year without bringing these criminals to justice, absolutely boils my blood.

 

Comments

[schmecky.livejournal.com]

What I take from this is that our government has become a system that takes years to 'officially' figure out what tens of thousands of people knew when we could have done something about it.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I, for one, place much of the blame on our media, who blindly parroted Administration talking-points without independent verification. Journalism took a back seat to "patriotism" and sensationalism and it killed thousands upon thousands of people.

[schmecky.livejournal.com]

Absolutely true. Economic interests (ok, greed) have castrated the systems (like the media) thatare supposed to keep the government honest in real time.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

It's pretty dumb when we've reached the point when our oversight committees need oversight committees. I liked it better when television news departments weren't supposed to make a profit.

Of course, none of this does anything to combat the cynic and callous nature of some Americans. An illuminating illustration comes from a post in Overheard in NY, where one woman says to her friend, "So you don't buy [insert company name]'s products because they use child labor in [some 3rd-world country]?" and the friend replies, "Hell no, I'm a Republican, I don't care about that. I just don't like the style." Or the bumper sticker Jacquelyn saw recently on the back of an SUV that says, "I ♥ my Carbon Footprint"

What can we do in the face of such blatant narcissism?

[schmecky.livejournal.com]

Have faith in the fact that karma's a bitch.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I read a book called The Long Emergency last year and it was an excellent analysis of the worldwide oil situation and what we can expect in the future. One of his points is that when, not if, but when we run out of oil, we are suddenly without not just fuel for tractors and other farming implements and international food shipping, but also plastics and pesticides and whatnot that are also petroleum based. Figures show that pre-oil glut, using traditional farming methods, the Earth could produce enough food to feed about 1 billion people. With oil, we're feeding close to what, 5 billion? So when the excrement hits the air-conditioner, we suddenly have about 4 billion too many mouths to feed. The "I ♥ My Carbon Footprint" people will be the least prepared and the most guilty.

[schmecky.livejournal.com]

And those of us with camping gear and gardens will be... Well, alive for an exrea few weeks :)

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

You should read it for a good scare. (Better than almost every horror novel I've read.) The author basically says unless we come up with a solution/replacement for oil, which he views as unlikely, we'll be going back to pre-industrial revolution standards, smaller cities, everything within walking distance, much more personal food growth, farming. Move to the rural, near a source of water and learn some basic medicine and farming skills. And this, he says, we can expect relatively soon - he says the statistics point to the Earth having less than 30 years of oil left at current consumption and production levels.

[helpimarock.livejournal.com]

It's ironic because the whole reason that broadcast news exists is that the FCC mandated that broadcasters air X hours per day of news so that the broadcast spectrum (which is a limited resource) is, at least partially, being used to serve the public interest.

The problem is that a solid definition of what is "news", let alone "good news", is practically non-existent in our country's laws and regulations. So measuring whether something "serves the public interest" is totally impossible.

In my opinion, TV news has become just another form of advertising. Like, "Hey, come hear our breaking story about terrorism in your neighborhood! But don't change that channel when you realize you're watching sensationalized crap because Survivor is on next!"

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

When I am King, elections and news will be controlled and paid for by my Government. No more campaign contributions, no more sensationalism. Facts. I will openly encourage them to criticize me all they like. I just won't be doing anything wrong.

(Of course, I plan to be King of the Earth, so I'll also be dissolving sovereign national borders and instituting a world-wide minimum wage and currency, and massive public-works projects to make sure everyone, and I mean everyone on the planet has at least a bare-minimum level of food and shelter. Capitalism? Great, but balanced by a heavy amount of socialism. Putting the group in front of the individual. John Nash proved that is the best way for every individual to prosper.)

[helpimarock.livejournal.com]

I almost posted this same exact article last night. At the risk of being a bandwagoner, I'm going to do it right now.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Spread the Gospel of Truth, Brother!