Study: False Statements Preceded War

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.

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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.

Read the full report.

Comments

[ProWarDem]

Here is a foolproof, 100% guaranteed way for you to become, as I am, a Pro-War Democrat.

Go read up on Saddam, and what he did to people, and how many are in his mass graves.

However, I think instead of doing this, the posters here would prefer to sit here and Bash Bush. I expect a number of posts here to bash me as well.

[DocTwain]

Impeach

[ProWarDem]

Have any of you read the "qualifications" of the 3 staff members of Fund for Independence in Journalism?

http://www.tfij.org/about/staff/

Basically 3 recent grads. Regardless of the story content, HuffPost should research their sources a little better.

[eddieinc97]

935...I demand a recount...My exit polls were much higher

[certainot]

a Fairness Doctrine fro radio would have prevented war.

they still had to translate these lies into one liners and talking points and they had to spread them far and wide, and they had to get the timing right.

every talk radio station in the country the day before they wanted to push it through, from every one of those chickenhawk talk radio blowhards, came the call to bombard our representatives with the call to "STAND UP AND BE COUNTED" lest saddam kill us all.

they had to translate these lies into public pressure on congress and senate.

while most mediums, except for blatantly partisan channels and print, generally have to provide SOME balance, and even though they can almost always be faulted for ignoring critical stories and issues because of media consolidation and corporatization, only the GOP talk radio monopoly can provide the national dissemination of uncontested repetition required to SPREAD ENOUGH WHIPPED CERTITUDE ON THAT TURD PIE OF LIES and shove it down enough throats to sell this multi-trillion dollar disaster.

the talk radio monopoly has also played a crucial role in intimidating media outlets and individual critics of the bush lies.

all it takes is a few hours of rants from one or more of the main blowhards to generate a flood of threats and complaints to producers editors and publishers who had the gall to allow their liberal staff to print or air bullshit about our beloved leaders and their policies.

dan rather is a prime example of someone who was trashed constantly on talk radio until he was fired, mostly based on distortions and lies that were impossible to straighten out once they got going. most of that trashing wouldn't have gone far in most tv/print outlets.

that is a big part of why some much is left out in the establishment media. and for the last twenty years it has been ignore by those it attacks most.

your local bush talk radio station will be crucial to selling the next war.

[montemalone]

Only 935?
My ass.
I demand a recount!

[zizyphus]

How many of you posters have signed Wexler's Impeach Cheney petition, and how many have phoned your reps in Congress? How many crimes will they be allowed to get away with?

[freespeach]

This tactic of repeating lies/talking points to launch the immoral invasion of Iraq resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.

This is an impeachable crime for sure. But Nancy (the traitor) Pelosi will continue to defend Bush from the rule of law, and from the American people.

But Nancy is also busy defending the Republican sexual predator Mark Foley, from the rule of law.....

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Investigators_want_Pelosi_to_hand_over_0109.html

Nancy Pelosi is also helping to delay any type of justice for vile Republicans Harriet Miers and John Bolton.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8057.html

from the article......

"The Judiciary Committee approved contempt citations against Bolten and Miers on July 25, but Pelosi has yet to bring the measures to the floor......
“Right now, we’re focused on working in a bipartisan fashion on [the] stimulus,” said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), indicating that the contempt vote is not expected for weeks, depending on how quickly the stimulus package moves.

Brendan Daly, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said “no decision has been made” as to when a criminal contempt vote would be held by the House."

Pelosi does all of this with the approval and assistance of the DLC, and Democratic party leaders.

Fascism has arrived.

Is this the cure?
28 minutes of pure inspiration and honesty....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/my-interview-with-elizabe_b_82635.html

[Tankan]

Actually 936 times!

He said he couldn't remember the last time he had a drink!

Or was he telling the truth about that?

The President who cried wolf!

[kevenseven]

I received this e-mail earlier today, please act:

John Edwards should challenge his rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to go back to Washington, DC and fight against retroactive immunity for the telecoms.

The Republicans are not going to let Harry Reid punt and extend the Protect America Act for another 18 months so it looks like the FISA bill is going to come back up again on Monday. Chris Dodd's objection to Unanimous Consent still stands, so they will pick up in the middle of the Motion to Proceed debate.

Without the help of the presidential candidates, we are doomed to lose this fight. And all their calls for change will ring hollow if they allow George Bush to railroad this bill through a supine Democratic-controlled Senate because of their absence.

You can email Senator Edwards directly at johnedwards.coms.com.

Cheers,

Jane Hamsher & Glenn Greenwald

[cae]

Rep. Wexler of Florida has provided a place to demand hearings, as Pelosi doesn't seem to want to. He has a petition for hearings to investigate VP Cheney (it's a start). There are appreox. 215,000 signatures so far:

http://wexlerwantshearings.com/

[OSIRISZ]

what else is new?

[TotobiAyokoh23]

That is to say, 4.27 dead American soldiers per a lie. Are American soldiers so cheap to the Bush administration? Very sad, inded.

[ErnestineBass]

Y'know, HuffPo used to be a pretty cool site.

Not so much anymore.

SEE YAH! Ernestine, out.

[ibsteve2u]

I have to admit that some incongruities just amaze me: The right is all over this articulation of the Administration's "big lie" because of George Soros' having founded "The Open Society Institute", which in turn helps fund the "Center for Public Integrity".

Poor George; if he'd only believed in and founded "The Fascist Society for the Promotion of Governance by Secret Cabal", he wouldn't be a dirty, stinkin' liberal.

He'd probably be on the White House reception list, too.