Bush vs. Reality

George Bush has about as much affinity for irony as NASCAR race fans have for French literature. So it’s hardly surprising our decider-in-chief, in his most recent press conference, would pose the following rhetorical question with a straight face: “What’s worse: that the [Iranian] government knew [Iranian weapons were being deployed to Iraq] -- or that the government didn’t know?”

What’s worse: that the Bush Administration knew it was hyping the case for war against Iraq – or that the Bush Administration didn’t know [Saddam’s WMD and connections to al-Qaeda were chimeras].

The Bush Administration, of course, would have everyone believe that examining its misuse of prewar intelligence could only be an exercise in a partisan game of gotcha aimed at re-writing history. After all, the democrats believed the same intelligence and voted for the war too. Hogwash. The so-called War Resolution gave Bush the authority to use force against Iraq as a last resort. Saying legislators voted for the war is a deceptive simplification that ignores the fact that many legislators believed they were voting for a resolution that would pressure Saddam to comply with intrusive weapons inspections or face a possible war. Congress, however, did end up giving Bush what amounted to a blank check.

Ironically, Saddam agreed to the U.N. weapons inspections, but days before the invasion Bush unilaterally declared they were’nt working and ordered the inspectors out of the country. Hans Blix has since gone on record to say that had inspection continued for just two weeks more the world would have known what it knows now – that Saddam was a toothless tiger without any WMD.

Yet, in defending the war Bush continues to cite Saddam’s decision to kick the weapons inspectors out, as one of the reasons war was necessary! Bush is clearly re-writing history. But is he even aware the “facts” he cites with certitude are fictional?

They say, “Truth is the first casualty in war.” But Bush’s inability to speak the truth has created innumerable casualties. As U.S. troops raced to Baghdad they bypassed countless ammo dumps, but failed to destroy them for fear of setting off possible hidden WMD caches. Today, much of bypassed conventional munitions are being used against American forces. Thus, Bush’s failure to allow the weapons inspectors to complete their mission ranks amounts to either gross incompetence or a complete dereliction of duty. Is Bush aware of this when he tries to shift the blame for the war onto others, or his he keeping the truth from himself? And which is worse?

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