CAUGHT ON TAPE: Bush Ignores Intelligence, Misleads Public On Impact of Iraq on Terrorism
CAUGHT ON TAPE: Bush Ignores Intelligence, Misleads Public On Impact of Iraq on Terrorism
In April, President Bush received the National Intelligence Estimate, which “represents a consensus view of the 16 separate spy services inside government.” NIEs are “the most authoritative documents that the intelligence community produces…and are approved by John D. Negroponte, director of national intelligence.”
Here’s what the NIE said, according to the New York Times:
[T]he American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks…The report “says that the Iraq war has made the overall terrorism problem worse,” said one American intelligence official.
On August 21, President Bush held a press conference and told the American people the exact opposite. Watch it:
Transcript:
You know, I’ve heard this theory about everything was just fine until we arrived, and kind of “we’re going to stir up the hornet’s nest” theory. It just doesn’t hold water, as far as I’m concerned. The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East.
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“Freedom agenda.”
Orwell would be impressed.
How about Iraq didn’t kill 3000 of our people before we invaded. I guess the truth doesn’t hold water to Bush.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:46 amThey’re trying to blame this on Clinton too.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:52 amHis head doesn’t hold any water with all the holes in it. It has to be a thicker substance to stay in place in that moth-eaten skull of his…..kinda like sh*t.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:53 amI agree - this slip of the “Freedom Agenda” crap is all telling. By referring to this “agenda” - it’s clear that Bush, et. al. already had plans to invade Iraq as part of this “agenda”.
The problem is - it is a hornet’s nest now - go figure. What an ass.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:56 amin a 100 years from now there will be a huge * next to the bushies name…it will say “*LOL…ROFLMAO@themoron”…
September 25th, 2006 at 9:56 amAnother day, another lie. Its a wonderful day in Bush’s neighborhood.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:59 am“…we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East…”
of course, no body asked for it, but hey… SOME will prof -er- benefit…
September 25th, 2006 at 10:01 am…
Like everything else this administration has done, put a title on it and then screw it up…..Everything they have done is opposit of their little titles.. “Freedom agenda” means simply thousands are going to die for this mad man’s folly….Then they are free…….No child left behind…..All children left behind..Clear sky’s…..Open the door for polluters….On and on….If the reich name it it’s to sell the lie…….must be more rove spin…..
Funny how the public think’s this bumble living in the white house is the ruler when in reality he is the front man to cheney/ rummy/ rice and last but not least the real evil brains behind cheney is a slime ball named rove. See what you get when you’re sold a pack of lies. Evil handlers to a drugged pupett…..Hang on america, were in for some more of this bumpie ride before this bunch is gone….Blessings
September 25th, 2006 at 10:05 amBush is not in Iraq to stem terrorism or spread freedom. There is no “freedom agenda.” He seeks an unending conflict to provide him an excuse to eliminate presidential power limits, use the spectre of war for political gain, and funnel our tax dollars from our pockets to the “interests” supporting his presidency.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:07 amI’m sure he didn’t read the NIE. Too long and complicated.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:07 amDoublespeak.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:08 am“Freedom agenda” is that the latest name for the Iraq debacle?
The truth “doesn’t hold water” — how about Bush’s brain not able to hold facts?
Again with the flaring temper. I think the degree of Shrub’s public tantrums should be viewed as a barometer of his discomfort as a tyrant and a traitor to this country and its people. Here’s hoping they escalate right up through November!
September 25th, 2006 at 10:08 amCan he please define what the heck “freedom agenda” means?
http://www.polibuzz.blogspot.com
September 25th, 2006 at 10:08 amPOLITICAL BUZZ EXCLUSIVE: Interview with the “most corrupt member of Congress” Katherine Harris
http://www.polibuzz.blogspot.com
I hate to spoil the fun but this is how the repubs will counter the report (without releasing it) assuming that there is enough pressure to get a response like this:
“No, no you’re mistaken. The report is outdated and we’ve made great strides since then (insert great strides) . The report is dated (obsolete?) not just because it was published in April but because it relied on information that was a year before that. See, you don’t understand how these reports are written so let me clear this up for the public - these are long reports that cover all sorts of contingencies and terrorism was just one. The report was done in (insert time here that was months before april) but its customary to release it in april. I assure you that the president read the report last year, not this april, and everyone agrees that the situation is different today and that the report was speculating on possible impacts due to our liberation of the Iraqi people. The report isn’t even a comma in history. It’s a blank.’
Seriously this is how they will reply to it of course it will be more snide coming from snow. Oh well.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:09 amThe terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East.
1) What one thing has to do with the other?
September 25th, 2006 at 10:15 am2) What does he mean by freedom?
3) What does he mean by agenda?
4) Why does he smile?
5) Who still believes this clown?
6) What the hell weve done so bad to have ignorant people in power?
TP! Nicely done fact checking and analysis of missing information as always. Thank you for this post and the others below!
September 25th, 2006 at 10:19 amThe Bushevik “Freedom agenda”: ICORP
Invasion
Conquest
Occupation
Rape
Pillage
izziss a gre’t cunchry, ‘r watt?
September 25th, 2006 at 10:25 am[…] Payson at Think Progress posts a video of a Bush Press Conference in which the President made claims that were directly opposite what the NIE said. The press conference was in August; the NIE was handed to Bush in April. […]
September 25th, 2006 at 10:26 amThe title should read: “Clinton Ignores Intelligence, Misleads Public On Impact of Blue Dress on Terrorism.” Clinton has a lot of blood on his hands. And Monica has a lot of, err, white stuff…
September 25th, 2006 at 10:28 am#15 - Juan - it’s easy to answer those questions - this clown was made president by the same idiots who watch Fox News and who like a “ceder chopping - bring ‘em on guy” like Bush over a serious diplomat type like Clinton.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:31 amJames @ 14.
So good I had to steal it.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:32 amDo you mean to tell me that our President of the United States, George W. Bush, LIED?
September 25th, 2006 at 10:32 am~sigh~
It’s “news” when he tells the truth!
hi…. you better not try to im peech me… be cause the enimy shure is gonna like that… and it will incurige the terror ists that if i attack them… then i am gonna get im peeched… why are you incurigin the terorists so much… you better stop it or i will inflict you…
September 25th, 2006 at 10:32 amwhen we have the tikritis demonstrating for saddam’s return, we gotta figure we’ve screwed up big-time…
And, yes, I DO take it personally
September 25th, 2006 at 10:35 amCompare the media treatment of Bush’s display of temper at press conferences and the media treatment of Clinton’s display of temper.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:38 amBush can be rude and crude, but that’s OK because he is under pressure — Clinton is “crazed” with anger.
#23 - dear: Too funny! And, “spoken” like the true “leader of the free world”. Oh, and Bush never lies, he’s just too damned stupid to know the truth. (It’s funny - even my parents who are rather conservative think Bush is an idiot…)
September 25th, 2006 at 10:39 am#23,
First off go back to school (not government indoctrination) and learn english.
Second, impeachment has nothing to do with terrorism. I really want you to impeach, President Bush! Really, I want you to try. I want you hand us another election. Please! Pretty please! Anything keep you fanatics from gaining a seat at the table of power.
Call your congressman and encourage them to impeach GWB. Please, do it for me!
September 25th, 2006 at 10:39 amBill O’ was on the Fox morning show today (M0nday) pontificating about this report. The one line I recall most was his sputtering wanting to know how they know this stuff and rhetorically ranting “do they take a poll?” The normally talkative 3 amigos who host the show all just sat there & let Bill spew forth his rot.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:40 am#14 James
September 25th, 2006 at 10:40 amI can almost hear Snow now — you have paid great attention to the spinmeisters and learned their doublespeak. :)
That’s a good clip, it serves a dual purpose.
It shows why 43% of America still believes Saddam has something to do with 911, and it shows how far divorced from reality the chimp is.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:48 amBush a moronic pseudo-cowboy English-language-mangling buffoon who continuosly lies because he lives in ‘Fantasyland’ where he in King.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:52 amUnder Bush we live in an Idiocracy !
~ William Shakespear , from Hamlet ~
September 25th, 2006 at 11:03 amFreedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose…
September 25th, 2006 at 11:07 amafter all, does anyone think that the meat puppet and his dog dick care about anything else but fomenting the rise of islamofascoterror? that is their motivation, their desire, their love, their money in the bank. this is how they reason. nothing matters except to lie to the people about the facts, and secretly make all the money there is to make.
why isn’t this obvious to all? what does it take for the idiots that i share this foolish primitive country with to see the truth?
forgot, every news organization in the country seems to be working for the liars, every damn one? how can this be?
we have some serious reorganization to do after the revolution
September 25th, 2006 at 11:08 amEven worse, June was the month of all the ‘Stay-the-Course’ Bullshit in the Congress. Surely, some of the Republican Leaders proposing legislation whose whole purpose was to embarrass Democrats knew about the NIE as well.
September 25th, 2006 at 11:13 am“Take a deep breath, feel like your choking. Everything is broken”
Bob Dylan
September 25th, 2006 at 11:14 amforgot, every news organization in the country seems to be working for the liars…
Comment by oldtree — September 25, 2006 @ 11:08 am
proof? heard on sam’s show:
If you want to know why the Media is f*cked up
And why Jon Meachem is justifiably facing my ire this morning then look at this.
Look no further than Newsweek’s cover this week by geographical region:
go to: rising-hegemon.blogspot.com
September 25th, 2006 at 11:20 am…
Dear Conservatives,
Your time is up.
From a real ‘pro-lifer’….ie. somewhat who doesn’t believe in war unless absolutely necessary.
Years of lies, lies, lies and murder.
September 25th, 2006 at 11:21 amI think the reason the 9/11 happened so succsessful was the change in government leaders. I look for Bushit to use that as an excuse for a third term, what with Iran on the edge of nukeing the USA.
September 25th, 2006 at 11:27 amGee, Bush caught in another outright lie. What a surprise.
September 25th, 2006 at 11:29 am…the reason…was the change in government leaders…
well, yea… clinton worked on terrorism, dubya ignored it…
repeat, often…
September 25th, 2006 at 11:31 amA response to James: Here’s how it’s ALREADY beginning to playout in the right-wing blogosphere (MSM to follow):
“Hey, the intelligence community gave us, poor innocent guardians of American honor and peace the wrong information prior to Iraq. We believed them then, and look what happened! So how can we believe them now? They must, by the same logic, be 100% wrong now, suggesting that terrorism is BETTER now than it was then, and Iraq has had NOTHING to do with the gain in terrorism throughout the world!
“One again, we honest citizens cannot trust our intelligence apparatus!”
Of course, they’ll take a day or two to come up with nice little one-syllable words with which to make these claims.
Either that, or they’ll spend the entire week discussing how Clinton’s a crazy guy who’s just…so…angry and hateful…unhinged…hates America…etc.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:11 pmWhat more proof so we need that these guys cherry-pick intelligence data to their advantage and ignore what doesn’t serve their Plutocratic Kleptocracy?
September 25th, 2006 at 12:36 pmLast night on “60 Minutes,” Condoleeza Rice whined to Katie Couric that she “wishes the intelligence had been better.”
The intelligence was fine.
Intelligence from several sources predicted our current predicament in Iraq ( i.e., you will win the conventional phase of the war - but you will need to be extremely prepared for what happens if you don’t want to blow what was achieved during the conventional phase ).
From:”Preparing for War, Stumbling to Peace - U.S. is Paying the Price for Missteps Made on Iraq”
by Mark Fineman, Robin Wright and Doyle McManus
July 18, 2003
“An ambitious, yearlong State Department planning effort predicted many of the postwar troubles and advised how to resolve them. But the man who oversaw that effort was kept out of Iraq by the Pentagon, and most of his plans were shelved.
and
“Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s civilian aides decided that they didn’t need or want much help, officials in both departments say.”
and
“U.S. intelligence officials, long skeptical of Chalabi, say they warned repeatedly that the postwar period would be tough.
The U.S. intelligence community warned early and often about myriad threats it anticipated at the outset of the war and the challenges likely to erupt in the postwar environment,” CIA spokesman Bill Harlow said in a statement to The Times.
Intelligence officials, he added, were “utterly consistent in arguing that reconstruction rather than war would be the most problematic segment of overthrowing Saddam’s regime. Specifically, the [intelligence community] warned prior to the conflict that Iraqis would probably resort to obstruction, resistance and armed opposition if they perceived attempts to keep them dependent on the United States and the West.”
How much “better” did the intelligence have to be?
September 25th, 2006 at 12:49 pmRe: #44
” you will need to be extremely prepared for what happens if … ”
should be
” you will need to be extremely prepared for what happens next if … “
September 25th, 2006 at 1:01 pm#44 Dr. Eisenhower,
Good post. When the first CPA Adminstrator they hired (Garner) scheduled elections about a month after he came on the scene, he was fired and replaced by L. Paul Bremer. One of the first things Bremer did was cancel the upcoming elections and disband the Iraqi Army. Is it possible that these actions (among others) were “perceived attempts to keep them dependent on the United States and the Westâ€? (If someone invaded my country and disbanded my army, I might get the idea that they were making me dependent on them.)
September 25th, 2006 at 1:04 pmThe entire intelligence community has “theories”: Bush has the facts. God told him so. If anyone believes this, it has to follow that it doesn’t say much for God’s judgement in putting his faith in this incompetent, sociopathic, lying, moronic screw-up with a penchant for thumbscrews to carry out the “Devine Plan”.
Who knows, maybe this is God’s bent for black humor.
September 25th, 2006 at 1:48 pmDr. Eisenhower # 44
Doesn’t it take intelligentpeople…
…to be able to understand national security intelligence?
September 25th, 2006 at 2:22 pm#47
God had nothing to do with this.
The difference is that when Andrea Yates claimed God told her to sacrifice her kids - the citizens of the U.S. - specifically Texas - had to decide between jail or an insane asylum to treat an apparently very aggressive case of post partum depression.
I think the citizens of the U.S. are slowly starting to come around to see G.W. Bush for what he really is.
#46
Thanks for the kind words.
Evidence of good intelligence is all over the place.
This is a Feb. 2003 report from Judith Miller to PBS (before her troubles began later in 2003 or 2004)
“JIM LEHRER: Judy Miller, welcome.
JUDITH MILLER: Hi. How are you, Jim?
JIM LEHRER: Just fine. What’s the most important thing to come out of the meeting?
JUDITH MILLER: I think what we’ve really seen is the Iraqi opposition finally coming into its own. These people understand that this is the endgame, that this is their moment, that they have to make a cogent, coherent statement, they have to have people believe them, and they have to walk a very fine line between asserting their independence, not being America’s pawns, and yet still not angering the country to which they’re going to owe the liberation of their country.
JIM LEHRER: Have they pretty much accepted the fact that the United States is going to run the country for a while, at least after the removal of Saddam Hussein? Are they accepting that?
JUDITH MILLER: You know, they really haven’t accepted it. And I think the message that has come out of here is that, “You don’t want to do that, America. You don’t want to become the colonial occupiers. You need, from the very beginning, some Iraqi faces to tell other Iraqis who’ve just been liberated that this is not an occupation.”
And they’ve delivered that message very strongly to Zalmay Khalilzad, who is President Bush’s representative who traveled here at great difficulty to kind of reassure the opposition. Now they are telling him privately, not publicly, that America can’t go it alone, that the Iraqi opposition has to be there from the beginning.”
Many of the Republicans, conservatives, right wingers, whatevers try to reduce this to a “Saddam was bad, how can you say removing Saddam was wrong” argument.
This, of course, is a bit of straw-man argument. As you just read, even the guys who wanted Saddam gone where very mindful as to how it should be done.
“Special Representative” to G.W. Bush, Zalmay Khalilzad, was told this in no uncertain terms.
So Bush didn’t read the intelligence reports and he didn’t listen to his “Special Representative,” either.
September 25th, 2006 at 2:28 pm–pseudolus@ 43: “Plutocratic Kleptocracy” - That’s some fine wordsmithing you got there.
Whatever happened to the “conspiracy” that all this was a cover for Bush leading some old forseen holy war against the Muslims? Those guys seem to have fallen off most of the blog sites. It could be he’s just lining his pocket as well as his coffers.
September 25th, 2006 at 2:36 pm#48
Big Papa - I see the problem as even bigger than the one you present.
They did not want to know anything different.
That begs a horrible question.
What is the motivation for intentionally ignoring key intelligence and going to war anyway?
There is no motivation that is reasonable enough to legitamize this type of behaviour.
This goes beyond the sub-par IQ issue. It goes straight to dereliction and negligence in their responsibility to the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan as well (troops in Afghanistan have to deal with resources poached from them to support the guys in Iraq).
September 25th, 2006 at 2:41 pm“You know, I’ve heard this theory about everything was just fine until we arrived, and kind of “we’re going to stir up the hornet’s nest†theory. It just doesn’t hold water, as far as I’m concerned. The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East.”
I’m still waiting for a proper answer to the hornet’s nest question….
An airhead is someone who lives in a fog and conflates a lot of different ideas. Bush is an airhead.
September 25th, 2006 at 2:43 pm[…] I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone paying attention that Iraq has lead to an increase in terrorism and risk to the US or that the Cheney administration ignores, distorts, and lies about that data all the time. In April, President Bush received the National Intelligence Estimate, which “represents a consensus view of the 16 separate spy services inside government.†NIEs are “the most authoritative documents that the intelligence community produces…and are approved by John D. Negroponte, director of national intelligence.†[…]
September 25th, 2006 at 2:56 pm[…] [Think Progress Post] […]
September 25th, 2006 at 3:00 pmProgressives need to go bananas over this, for the simple reason that emotion will compel media coverage more than any reasonable argument. Witness the blanket coverage Clinton got for blowing his top on Fox. The net effect of our clamor will be to focus attention on the administration’s efforts to “hide” the report. Then, whether it is released or not, the story will be what we want it to be: endless press repetition and dissection of the proposition that THE WAR ON TERROR IS BEING BUNGLED BY THE REPUBLICANS AND WE ARE LESS SAFE.
Remember Plamegate! It’s the metastory, stupid! In that case: Bush lied us into Iraq.
In this case: THE WAR ON TERROR IS BEING BUNGLED BY THE REPUBLICANS AND WE ARE LESS SAFE.
September 25th, 2006 at 3:27 pmWouldn’t it be nice to see the Bush Administration substitute war waging for more humanitarian development efforts in his “freedom agenda” for the Middle East? Working towards the UN Millenium Goals in the region would offer a more lasting solution in creating stability in the Middle East.
According to The Borgen Project’s website, “A comprehensive U.S. strategy to counter terrorism should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and to enhance prospects for their children’s future.”
See http://www.borgenproject.org
September 25th, 2006 at 3:44 pmI’m not sure there’s enough here for this to be a big-seller. I don’t know what question was asked of Bush, but his answer makes it clear that he’s not really addressing the issue of whether or not the invasion has made things worse; he’s only saying that things weren’t perfect before we invaded. That may be a case of answering the question you wanted rather than the one that you were asked, but it gives him wiggle room.
Obviously, I hope the NIE story gets traction. I just don’t know how much of a smoking gun this video is.
September 25th, 2006 at 3:51 pm[…] Watch Bush lie about it here. […]
September 25th, 2006 at 3:53 pmAnytime the Bush Admin hides reports it is because they are not favorable to the Bush Admin. Lets take the 9/11 commission report, Bush did all he could to stall it, then he held Cheneys hand during that process then when the final report was released some 27 pages were redacted.
The same thing here, even if it is publicly released it will be redacted in the same manner as the 9/11 report.
September 25th, 2006 at 4:26 pmTheory?! He thinks this is a theory?! What happened to the word “intelligence,” as in official reports from the intelligence community he so values? I guess that’s only when the reports support his twisted logic.
The thinking American public has its own Freedom Agenda and the countdown is equal to the number of days this nimrod has left in office.
September 25th, 2006 at 5:07 pmThe “Freedom Agenda” is the stupidest idea to come down the pike in a long time. Who thought up that idiotic approach to foreing policy?
September 25th, 2006 at 7:33 pm[…] Think Progress » CAUGHT ON TAPE: Bush Ignores Intelligence, Misleads Public On Impact of Iraq on Terrorism (tags: bush video 911 politics) […]
September 25th, 2006 at 8:32 pm[…] Think Progress […]
September 25th, 2006 at 9:56 pmFirst, I use the InChicago moniker whenever I make comments on New York Times and Washington Post. To those who have read my comments, it’s the same person. Second, I’m becoming increasingly convinced that Bush has become increasingly delusional. Not just disconnected from reality, but has move into his own little world. In other words, Bush is psychotic. Cheney on the other hand knows what’s actually going on, but has other plans. Cheney is an opportunistic and wants to increase the power of the Presidency. Not so much that he personnally has absolute control, but that his political kin remain in power by any means necessary.
I’ve been pushing the likes of Dan Froomkin to explore Bush’s psychological fragmentation. However, even he doesn’t seem to what to go there. I think that he like most journalists fear the publication of even the suggestion that Bush is psychologically on thin ice. Why, the notion that President might be insane would generate fear among our allies and enemies. People around the world need to believe that the government is run by people who are at the very least sane. They can stupid and incompetent - as the members of this Administration have clearly demonstrated. But, insane - to frightening to contemplate.
However, one person seems to at least suggested that Bush’s psychological condition has reached insanity - Gary Hart. In a recent speech, he suggested that an attack on Iran is in the making and will take place before the November election. Only the insane would contemplate such an attack, particularly given the circumstances and the condition of the US military. If they do launch an attack, then you can be sure that Bush is insane, certifiable.
The Republican Congress has treated Bush like a spoiled child - indulging his every whim. This has to change. Even Republicans are starting to come around to the understanding that their no oversight policy of the Bush Administration has lead to unimaginable disasters both internationally and domestically. This cannot be allowed to continue.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:42 pmRemember when the president used to just lie about blowjobs
September 26th, 2006 at 1:01 pm[…] On August 21, Bush held a press conference and told the public that wasn’t true. - Think Progress […]
September 26th, 2006 at 2:16 pmKARMA is america’s {the world’s} only hope,it’s a universal law that is beyond corruption.
September 26th, 2006 at 4:02 pmAmerican politics are totally corrupt,based on lies repeated enough to brainwash or program it’s dumbed- downed citizens.
INSANE illegal leaders with bombs,thank you empires and religions for raping and murdering the world for profit.
AMERICA= PARIAH
umm…sorry to be a pain in the ass george, but what happened to world trace centre building #7
see footage
September 27th, 2006 at 12:28 am