Bill White – 9/23/04

This page was last updated on September 24, 2004.

Bush’s Iraq fabrication; Bill White; Beaver County Times; September 23, 2004.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Beginning with the first National Security Council meeting in early 2001, Iraq has been President Bush’s top priority.”

[RWC] Given Iraq’s history from 1990 to 2001, can Mr. White explain why Iraq should not have been one of our top priorities?

“Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Gen. Meyers, Powell and others kept telling us of the WMDs, the supplies of nuclear and chemical weapons and the al Qaeda connection.”

[RWC] I’m sure it was an honest oversight, but Mr. White forgot to mention the other names on this list. Here are a few: Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, John Edwards, Edward Kennedy, the United Nations, et cetera.

“All have been found to be false.”

[RWC] Not exactly. American soldiers were attacked with two mustard gas and sarin shells in May 2004 and WMD missing in 1991 remains missing. Even in March 2003 the UN reported there were 10,000 liters of Iraqi anthrax unaccounted for. Is it in Iraq? I don’t know. All I know is that it is missing.

Two reviews of pre-war intelligence concluded there were Iraq/al-Qaida links. As the Bush administration said all along, there was no evidence of collaboration on the 9/11 attacks.

“Before the invasion, U.N. inspectors were on the ground, the air lanes were guarded and Saddam Hussein was in hiding. We had them were [sic] we wanted them.

“But, oh no, Bush had to go against the United Nations and most of world opinion. It is disturbing when the above administration knew it was lying and thinking it was/is above the Constitution.”

[RWC] Another person who believes our national security should be held hostage by the United Nations.

Regarding the “lying” statement, what lies? Every investigation showed the Bush administration acted in good faith with intelligence it believed to be true. This was intelligence believed by Democrats and Republicans alike as well as the United Nations.

What’s with the “above the Constitution” comment? What was unconstitutional about anything the Bush administration did? Did Congress via “House Joint Resolution 114 - Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002” not give President Bush authority to attack Iraq?

“Today, Bush’s four-wheel truck is stuck in the mud. The more he lies, the deeper in the mud he goes, providing a cause for radical Muslims to rally; a hotbed of insurgency created by his ineptitude.”

[RWC] A Michael Moore moment. The Middle East was full of fields of flowers where carefree children romped all day flying kites, that is until we evil Americans arrived.

Again, what lies?

“So how does he explain to the families of the 1,000 soldiers, or to the families of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis why he had/has no plan after the invasion?”

[RWC] Folks like Mr. White constantly claim there was no plan for post-war Iraq. When will they present evidence? The fact that everything is not rosy is not proof there was no plan. In fact, the undeniable progress is evidence of planning, unless you want to believe that everything good that has happened was by accident. No post-war periods have been without their problems and the most meticulous planning in the world doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing. Believe it or not, life is not like a “Mission: Impossible” episode.

“Or explain the $200 billion plus price tag (once said to be $1.7 billion) to the American taxpayers?”

[RWC] What price should we put on our security? How much would have been too much to avoid 9/11? How much is too much to avoid the next 9/11?

“Yes we give our soldiers complete support. We want them safe and back home soon. We pray each day for this to happen.”

[RWC] Ah, the obligatory “The mission and the president suck, but I support the troops” line.

I’m sorry, but I don’t believe folks like Mr. White really care two bits for our men and women in harm’s way. People like Mr. White see these brave men and women merely as tools with which to bash President Bush. Otherwise, they would not show such disrespect for the mission of our armed forces.