Letter: Big lies preceded invasion of Iraq

Friday, Nov. 7, 2003 | 6:21 a.m.

The case for war Secretary of State Colin Powell presented to the United Nations was a snow job. President George Bush and his cohorts pelted us with a blizzard of lies. When their premise for invading Iraq wore thin they produced a new version. Here is a July 14 quote from President Bush as reported in The Nation:

"The larger point is, and the fundamental question is: Did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer is: absolutely. And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in. And therefore, after a reasonable request, we decided to remove him from power."

For three weeks just before the made-for-TV bombardment of Baghdad, Hans Blix had 100 United Nations inspectors in Iraq searching for the weapons of mass destruction that Bush was "absolutely certain" Saddam had.

Bush's July 14 statement ranks as a big lie because it is so brazen, but the magnitude of its mendacity pales in comparison with the lies he told campaigning for the presidency. The central theme of his campaign was to "restore" honesty and integrity to the White House. Secrecy, deception and prevarication have been standard operating procedure for the Bush administration from day one.

VERNON BOSTICK