Shooting Straight with the American People

Can the American people trust the Bush administration? That’s the question we’re asking this week as top officials continue to insist – against all evidence – that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction prior to the U.S. invasion last March. Even as the chief U.S. weapons inspector tendered his resignation, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan stated, "Yes, we believe he had them, and yes we believe they will be found." But on the eve of the anniversary of his presentation of "the evidence" to the U.N. Security Council, Secretary of State Colin Powell is backpedaling furiously and the administration is trying to shift attention away from faulty intelligence and overstated threats.

• Prewar intelligence about the "imminent threat" from Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was wrong. After spending over $120 billion and counting to take over Iraq and hunt down WMD, the administration has yet to find any evidence of actual nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. After an exhaustive 6-month search, including 1,400 people, the administration’s former top weapons inspector, David Kay, admitted last weekend, "I don’t think they exist."
• The government misled the American people into supporting a unilateral, pre-emptive war. The president’s overstatement of the facts was clearly revealed in last week’s State of the Union, when he spoke of "weapons of mass destruction-related program activities" – a far cry from the imminent threat used to push Congress and the American public into supporting the war.
• The Bush administration abused the public’s trust. The public has good reason to question the administration’s word: American forces have endured more casualties since the president declared “mission accomplished” than during active combat and taxpayers have spent billions to rebuild Iraq with more to come next year. No public relations assault or string of excuses can erase these sobering facts.

Daily Talking Points is a product of the Center for American Progress, a non-partisan research and educational institute committed to progressive principles for a strong, just and free America.