Feith: ‘We Did Not’ Exaggerate Iraq Threat, Just Made ‘Errors’ In Presentation
Feith: ‘We Did Not’ Exaggerate Iraq Threat, Just Made ‘Errors’ In Presentation
Earlier today, former Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith refused to appear at a House Judiciary hearing. But while he didn’t have the time for Congress, he did have the time to appear on Bill Bennett’s radio show this morning.
During the interview, Bennett asked Feith if the Bush administration exaggerated the case for war with “the mushroom clouds and so on.” “Did we overstate the case?” asked Bennett. “I think that we did not,” replied Feith, though he conceded, “There were errors made in the presentation”:
BENNETT: One, did we overstate the case, the mushroom clouds and so on? Was there exaggeration? Not inaccuracy about the weapons, but did we overblow it?
FEITH: I think that we did not. I don’t think that administration officials purposely overstated, I do think there were errors made in the presentation and the main error was of course relying on the CIA’s assessment that we would find not just the chemical and biological weapons programs, but actual stockpiles.
Feith went on to claim that it is a common misconception that “the Bush administration officials came into office hell bent on war.” Listen here:
Feith’s claim that there was no “exaggeration” by the White House before the war is yet another example of his misremembering the facts in an effort to save his tattered reputation. In fact, the New York Times article earlier this month on the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the administration’s pre-war claims was titled, “Senate Panel Finds Iraq Intelligence Exaggerations.”
Here are just a few examples of the exaggerations found by the Senate Intelligence Committee:
- Statements and implications by the President and Secretary of State suggesting that Iraq and al-Qa’ida had a partnership, or that Iraq had provided al-Qa’ida with weapons training, were not substantiated by the intelligence.
- Statements by the President and the Vice President indicating that Saddam Hussein was prepared to give weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups for attacks against the United States were contradicted by available intelligence information.
- Statements by the President and Vice President prior to the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate regarding Iraq’s chemical weapons production capability and activities did not reflect the intelligence community’s uncertainties as to whether such production was ongoing.
Feith’s claim that Bush administration officials were not “hell bent” on war is contradicted by others who served in the administration. For instance, in 2004, former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill told CBS News that “from the very beginning, there was a conviction that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go.”
Transcript:
BENNETT: One, uh, I agree with the rationale that you just described for going into the war. It seems like it was more than enough to justify it, legally, morally and every other way. Two questions though. One, did we overstate the case, the mushroom clouds and so on? Was there exaggeration? Not inaccuracy about the weapons, but did we overblow it?FEITH: I think that we did not. I don’t think that administration officials purposely overstated, I do think there were errors made in the presentation and the main error was of course relying on the CIA’s assessment that we would find not just the chemical and biological weapons programs, but actual stockpiles.
BENNETT: But that was everybody’s assessment, right?
FEITH: That was everybody’s…I mean, there were categorical statements made by Carl Levin and Jay Rockefeller and other leading Democratic members of Congress during the Clinton years. And even during the early Bush years, saying the same things that the administration officials said in the George W. Bush administration.
BENNETT: Let me make the liberal…
FEITH: The intelligence did not change. That’s an important point. I mean, people sometimes make the argument that the…because the Bush administration officials came into office hell bent on war, which is a common assertion even though it’s false, they say that the administration officials manipulated or leaned on the intellgence people. But that’s not true. The WMD intelligence.
BENNETT: Right.
FEITH: And other Iraq related intelligence, did not change in substance from the Clinton years to the Bush years.
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I’m too tired today for sophisticated discourse.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:22 pmF U FEITH
F U BUSH
Same old song and dance
Every time this guy opens his mouth he reminds everyone about the one thing Tommy Franks got right: Dougie Feith is the stupidest f*@#ing guy on the planet.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:24 pmI think Doug may be mis-remembering.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:24 pmDuring the interview, Bennett asked Feith if the Bush administration exaggerated the case for war with “the mushroom clouds and so on.” “Did we overstate the case?” asked Bennett. “I think that we did not,” replied Feith, though he conceded, “There were errors made in the presentation”
Translation = Chimpy and Co bullshitted incorrectly
Boy , I know I feel better , now that the pillar of honesty and virtue in Doug Feith has set the record straight for all of us……..
June 18th, 2008 at 5:25 pmToo bad that another country’s leader doesn’t feel our leader is a bad man and needs to go.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:26 pmPretty easy to lie when you are not questioned but allowed to gloss your own version. What a stinking liar !
June 18th, 2008 at 5:28 pmExcuse me, Dougie, but how many Bush administration officials said (in effect), “We cannot wait for the final proof to come in the form of a mushroom cloud”? Since you (supposedly) knew for a fact that the evidence that Saddam had nuclear capabilities was, at best, highly questionable, how can you claim that you guys did not “oversell” the threat?
Or are you just a scared little boy who believes everyone who tells him he is in danger?
June 18th, 2008 at 5:30 pmi thought this would a good opportunity to re-print rogerse’s amusing comment from an earlier post. enjoy.
rogerse Says:
He wrote a well-reviewed tell-all, can’t he be forgiven?.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:59 pm Recommend (0) | Report Abuse
June 18th, 2008 at 5:30 pmSo Feith blows off CONGRESS, but has time for a right side radio show….This speaks to my posts about the McClellan testimony and how we get the government we deserve.
When Feith decided not to show, inherent contempt should have been immediate. Send the Sgt at Arms and go fu(king get him. No discussion, no arguement, no negotiation - just go get him. But, we all know a sternly worded letters will go out expressing dismay that Feith doesn’t seem to ‘respect’ the Congress. That will be all. That is why nothing gets done.
If a sternly worded letter is Congress’s choice on oversight, they need to be voted out next time around. Sadly, instead of doing anything about OUR GOVERNMENT, we will be watching American Idol or wondering what color Brittney’s panties are.
A MILLION LETTERS A DAY WOULD SEND THE PROPER MESSAGE.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:32 pmNo, you’re right, you did not exaggerate. You outright lied.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:33 pmHmmm…I’ll need to remember this one. If I ever feel the need to tell a lie, and then get caught doing it, I’ll just say “there were some errors made in the presentation.”
This replaces my previous ready-made excuse in case I needed it — “I misspoke.”
June 18th, 2008 at 5:33 pmThe other person in that interview is just as stoo-pid and even more evil than Feith, Big Bill Bennett, or ‘bettor’ known as ‘The Gambler’. He is a buffoon, a bigot and stooge for anything the Repugs want spun.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:34 pmIf you rearrange the letters in his name you spell THIEF.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:35 pmStupid is as stupid does ?
Ugly is only skin deep, but dispicable is through and through ?
June 18th, 2008 at 5:36 pmFEITH: And other Iraq related intelligence, did not change in substance from the Clinton years to the Bush years.
That might very well be true. So what changed in January 2001…?
June 18th, 2008 at 5:36 pmFeith: ‘We Did Not’ Exaggerate Iraq Threat, Just Made ‘Errors’ In Presentation
That’s like saying people with anorexia nervosa have a heightened sense of vanity.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:38 pmupside99 Says:
The other person in that interview is just as stoo-pid and even more evil than Feith, Big Bill Bennett, or ‘bettor’ known as ‘The Gambler’. He is a buffoon, a bigot and stooge for anything the Repugs want spun.
I was thinking about that the other day. Maybe we can have a contest and figure out just who is HONEST within the Bush administration. I know that is going to be a very short list, but there must be somebody appointed by the chimp who has not been indicted, disgraced, or arrested.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:38 pmFor the love of GOD, just stop it Feith.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:39 pmmisshusseinmolly Says:
Hmmm…I’ll need to remember this one. If I ever feel the need to tell a lie, and then get caught doing it, I’ll just say “there were some errors made in the presentation.”
This replaces my previous ready-made excuse in case I needed it — “I misspoke.”
June 18th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I wonder, do they try to pull this shit at home with their families? Do they deny ever saying things to their spouses and kids, knowing that it was unlikely to be on videotape anywhere? (”I don’t know who it was you woke up next to yesterday, Dear, but I never told you I love you.”)
And I wish Congress would stop accepting “I don’t remember” as an answer. They have invoked it so many times that one could easily believe it was a strategic talking point, designed to prevent the truth from ever coming out. That means someone is guilty of subordination of perjury (or something like that? I’m no lawyer.)
If these people truly can’t remember doing the illegal things they’ve been caught doing, then one must conclude one of two things: Either they really can’t remember and, thus, are incredibly incompetent people who should not be in our government, or they are lying about forgetting and are incredibly evil people who should not be in our government.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:42 pmLike the coach of the Patriots said, “I must have misinterpreted the rules.” No problema.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:45 pmDoes Feith have a bet with someone on how many times and ways he can try to spin his and this administration’s lies and incompetence ?
Why is this lying sack of shit presented with any type of forum to continue with his excuse-making instead of being placed under arrest for blowing off testimony before Congress ?
June 18th, 2008 at 5:46 pmNot ‘with-child’, just sort-of pregnant.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:47 pmFeith - Thought Bubble Over His Head Says -
Ass, covered….Check.
Media fooled….Check.
Air Fare to Paraguay….Check.
One billion of that lost cash in bank…Check.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:47 pmOh Yes, and those drones (toy airplanes the boys played with) were actually nuclear tipped.
Shhheeeeeeeesh.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:53 pmhere’s an error the American public is making. mostly on the liberal progressive side,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPWBvFCfRhE
June 18th, 2008 at 5:53 pmStratRat Says:
upside99 Says:
The other person in that interview is just as stoo-pid and even more evil than Feith, Big Bill Bennett, or ‘bettor’ known as ‘The Gambler’. He is a buffoon, a bigot and stooge for anything the Repugs want spun.
I was thinking about that the other day. Maybe we can have a contest and figure out just who is HONEST within the Bush administration. I know that is going to be a very short list, but there must be somebody appointed by the chimp who has not been indicted, disgraced, or arrested.
As Big Bill would say; “Wanna bet and what are my odds?”
June 18th, 2008 at 5:53 pm…the main error was of course relying on the CIA’s assessment that we would find not just the chemical and biological weapons programs, but actual stockpiles
They did not find weapons programs. What they found were “weapons of mass destruction program related documents”. They invaded a country, killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people, destroyed their country, and bankrupted our country for a file cabinet.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:53 pmFeith: ‘We Did Not’ Exaggerate Iraq Threat, Just Made ‘Errors’ In Presentation
A reasonable follow-up question would be, “So, what errors did the administration make in underestimating the Iraq threat?” None? Well, there you go.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:53 pm“No, I did NOT put the peg in the wrong hole. I just didn’t put it in the RIGHT one.”
June 18th, 2008 at 6:02 pmDougie is following the tried and true rule of propaganda — tell a lie often enough and loudly enough and sure enough, there’s gonna be people who believe it.
Dougie is nothing more and nothing less than a Bush administration tool. He’ll give you what you ask for, even if the facts don’t match the rhetoric or the text in the NIE. He’ll then fawningly lie to excuse his masters, hoping against hope that there are still enough stupid people, who look no farther than his former title, who will believe his too-facile excuses for the intense, focused propaganda we witnessed prior to the Iraq invasion and occupation.
Shame on you, Dougie. Good lord, I’m glad I’m not your girlfriend or wife.
June 18th, 2008 at 6:03 pmIt is quite interesting to me that Dougie will go on a lot of shows and shill his book and spew this “‘We Did Not’ Exaggerate Iraq Threat, Just Made ‘Errors’ In Presentation» crap but doesn’t want to say those same things UNDER OATH and in the presence of Wilkerson, who would blow his sorry arse right out of the building.
June 18th, 2008 at 6:05 pmOnce again, Roger2, you have provided some great source material to prove that BushCo is complicit and a sack of lying used scumbags.
Thank you Thank you!
June 18th, 2008 at 6:19 pmWow. That spin is at F5.
Yikes!!
June 18th, 2008 at 6:20 pm“Feith: ‘We Did Not’ Exaggerate Iraq Threat, Just Made ‘Errors’ In Presentation”
And I will repeat my comment that I made previous TP post on Feith today: Feith is dumb as doorknobs. There is an idiot born everyday and Feith is one of them.
Sith Lord Administration + Iraq Propaganda Threats = Cover-up
June 18th, 2008 at 6:24 pmIs R-2 even bothering to read what he copies-and-pastes, or has he even given up on that much effort?
Well, judging by the posts of some of these trolls, it’s not like the RNC even cares if they make sense, so maybe R-2 is on to something here. Just cut-and-paste any damn thing, you’ll still get paid.
June 18th, 2008 at 6:39 pmFeith and his former administration colleagues do not have the capacity to assume responsibility for what they have done. They would not be able to live with themselves if they were to acknowledge the true horror of what they have caused, which all started out with “good intentions” I’m sure.
This is why some have gone easy on him. We see how weak and fallible these people really are. We should remind ourselves how we allowed such weaklings into such positions of power.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:27 pmFour and twenty chickenhawks baked in a quagmire pie. They’re done now: time to pull out!
June 18th, 2008 at 7:28 pmIt’s all in the salesmanship people. They just didn’t sell it to us correctly.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:50 pmWhy does this moron (Feith The Idiot) try to out stupid himself each and every day like our useless trolls?
He just can’t stop being stupid!!!
He’s also a criminal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 18th, 2008 at 7:57 pmI’m sorry, but I have a real problem with this post. It is true that you can effectively refute statements made by Mr. Feith today by citing the use of the term “exaggerations” by the NY Times. However, by citing this term you are giving it legitimacy - when in fact this term grossly misrepresents the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee report.
The term “exaggerations” seriously downplays the findings of the report and implies something harmless and excusable. This is just not the case here. The content of the report unmasks a concerted effort by the Bush administration to deceive the American people in order to gain support for a pre-emptive strike on Iraq - allegedly to counter an immediate threat against the United States posed by Saddam Hussein and Iraq. The report makes clear that this “threat” did not exist. Statements made by the Bush administration were not simply exaggerations. They were intentional false and misleading statements.
And it is clear that these so-called “exaggerations” were anything but harmless - which again is what the term implies. As a result of these “exaggerations” over 4,000 Americans have been killed in Iraq; over 30,000 Americans have been wounded; and as many as 650,000 Iraqis have been killed. The use of this term by the New York Times effectively dismissed the importance of the report’s findings. Your use of the term here further legitimizes this notion.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:04 pmHe avoided Lawrence Wilkerson today, but tomorrow? This perversion of a human needs a minder. You say things in public on broadcast radio and you, my friend, are fair game. You are an idiot.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:29 pm“FEITH: I think that we did not. I don’t think that administration officials purposely overstated, I do think there were errors made in the presentation and the main error was of course relying on the CIA’s assessment that we would find not just the chemical and biological weapons programs, but actual stockpiles.”
Well then lets see what Drumheller, the CIA’s top man in Europe has to say! Seems he’s calling wingnut extremists Bush and Feith LIARS!!! Live on 60 Minutes video at link below…
“(CBS) When no weapons of mass destruction surfaced in Iraq, President Bush insisted that all those WMD claims before the war were the result of faulty intelligence. But a former top CIA official, Tyler Drumheller — a 26-year veteran of the agency — has decided to do something CIA officials at his level almost never do: Speak out.
He tells correspondent Ed Bradley the real failure was not in the intelligence community but in the White House. He says he saw how the Bush administration, time and again, welcomed intelligence that fit the president’s determination to go to war and turned a blind eye to intelligence that did not.
“It just sticks in my craw every time I hear them say it’s an intelligence failure. It’s an intelligence failure. This was a policy failure,” Drumheller tells Bradley.
Drumheller was the CIA’s top man in Europe, the head of covert operations there, until he retired a year ago. He says he saw firsthand how the White House promoted intelligence it liked and ignored intelligence it didn’t:
“The idea of going after Iraq was U.S. policy. It was going to happen one way or the other,” says Drumheller.
Drumheller says he doesn’t think it mattered very much to the administration what the intelligence community had to say. “I think it mattered it if verified. This basic belief that had taken hold in the U.S. government that now is the time, we had the means, all we needed was the will,” he says.
http://www.cbsnews.com/ stories/ 2006/ 04/ 21/ 60minutes/ main1527749.shtml
.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:33 pmOk. Situation normal.
Feith is still the dumbest f***ing man on the face of the planet. Some things never change.
Thanks for the update, ThinkProgress…
June 18th, 2008 at 9:39 pmFUBAR.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:16 pmThe only “intelligence failure” was between the ears of all the top Republican officials in the Bush administration, with the main “intelligence failures” being found in the offices of the President and Vice-President.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:57 amIs he exafferating now?
June 19th, 2008 at 2:29 amSorry,
Is he Exaggerating now ?
June 19th, 2008 at 2:30 am.
Dear Douglas Feith,
Was “IMMINENT THREAT” an error in presentation…?
Was “SUITCASE NUKES” an error in presentation…?
Was “YELLOW CAKE URANIUM” an error in presentation…?
Was “NIGER DOCUMENTS” an error in presentation…?
Was “SMOKING GUN” an error in presentation…?
Was “TIES TO AL CIA-DUH” an error in presentation…?
Was “POSSESSES WMD’S” an error in presentation?
Was “MOBILE BIO-CHEM WEAPONS PLANTS” an error in presentation…?
… when it was repeated over and over and over and over and?
.
June 19th, 2008 at 3:34 am.
An error in presentation is when you promise to not veto a beer!
.
June 19th, 2008 at 3:36 amfound this elsewhere online but Feith needs to shut it-
June 19th, 2008 at 3:45 am———————————————————
First and foremost, we must reframe the debate. This needs to happen on several fronts:
The invasion of Iraq was a betrayal of trust, not a mistake.
It is an occupation, not a war.
The escalation has failed, because it has not delivered meaningful political progress.
Congress is the decider, not the president.
I been waiting for 5 years for him to be arrested and sentenced for filtering false Israeli intelligence through his “Office of Special Plan” to the White House to justify the preemptive attack on Iraq. Still waiting…….
June 19th, 2008 at 4:14 amScott McClellan’s book is very revealing about the lead up to war or the “selling of the war”. I highly recommend reading it. There is no doubt that we were lied to. I don’t see how anyone can deny it any more.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:04 amIt’s such a shame for Harold Ramis that this guy looks and almost sounds so much like this loser…it does deliver a certain gallows humor to his appearances, I must admit.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:19 am