Elizabeth De La Vega has written an excellent
summation of the Bush/Cheney lies about Iraq in an article in the most recent
The Nation magazine. Much of the information is known, but she lines up the facts and makes a convincing case of outright fraud as only a federal prosecutor with more than 20 years' experience can.
More on the flip:
The article shows how Bush/Cheney's intensive P.R. campaign to sell the war was "choreographed." How the Bush/Cheney cabal hid evidence and reports that disputed their objectives and intentionally misrepresented and exaggerated facts and information.
One example is the aluminum tubes:
The CIA and the Energy Department had been debating the issue since 2001. And the Energy Department's clear opinion was that the tubes were not suited for use in centrifuges; they were probably intended for military rockets. Given the lengthy debate and the importance of the tubes, it's impossible to believe that the Bush team was unaware of the nuclear experts' position. So when Bush officials said that the tubes were "only really suited" for centrifuge programs, they were committing fraud, either by lying outright or by making recklessly false statements.
Several other specific examples are presented.
It can hardly be disputed, finally, that the Bush Administration's intentional misrepresentations were designed to interfere with the lawful governmental function of Congress. They presented a complex deceit about Iraq to both the public and to Congress in order to manipulate Congress into authorizing foreign action.
<snip>
The President's deceit is not only an abuse of power; it is a federal crime. ..
<snip>
The evidence shows, then, that from early 2002 to at least March 2003, the President and his aides conspired to defraud the United States by intentionally misrepresenting intelligence about Iraq to persuade Congress to authorize force, thereby interfering with Congress's lawful functions of overseeing foreign affairs and making appropriations, all of which violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.
In addition to making a convincing case of criminal conspiracy, de La Vega suggests steps that we as a nation should take to hold this administration accountable. Her first suggestion has recently occurred, thanks to Senator Reid, whereby the Senate was sent into lock-down and Reid demanded that the promised investigation of the lead-up to the war be followed up. The other steps include a special prosecutor to investigate; and lastly begin the move toward a resolution of inquiry or impeachment.
The article is well worth the read.
