Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 | 9 a.m.
The rationale for the war in Iraq has gone through a metamorphosis. First it was about the urgent need to destroy weapons of mass destruction, then about the liberation of the Iraqi people and now it's being dubbed as an integral part of the war on terrorism.
Because no weapons have been found, Bush's rhetoric has had to evolve as well. First he said Saddam "has" weapons of mass destruction. Now he says Saddam "had" a weapons' program.
Bush warned us of Iraq's nuclear capability, its terrorist connections and its ability to launch deadly weapons in 45 minutes. He failed to divulge, however, that these allegations, and others he made, were contradicted and debunked by the CIA and State Department. Bush forged ahead anyway.
Judging by polls, Bush's supporters are ignoring the inaccuracies, exaggerations and scare tactics he used in his speeches to gain support for war. They believe it doesn't matter and, therefore, they're also ignoring the fact that weapons of mass destruction were promised but never produced.
Iraq bears no responsibility for Sept. 11. Still, 6,000 to 8,000 Iraqi civilians and hundreds of Americans have paid the ultimate price for reasons that are becoming more ambiguous and less valid everyday.
And that matters a lot.
JOYCE SEGAL
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