by Vincent Bugliosi
There is direct evidence that President George W. Bush did not honorably lead this nation, but deliberately misled it into a war he wanted. Bush and his administration knowingly lied to Congress and to the American public — lies that have cost the lives of more than 4,000 young American soldiers and close to $1 trillion.

A Monumental Lie

In his first nationally televised address on the Iraqi crisis on October 7, 2002, six days after receiving the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), a classified CIA report, President Bush told millions of Americans the exact opposite of what the CIA was telling him -a monumental lie to the nation and the world.

On the evening of October 7, 2002, the very latest CIA intelligence was that Hussein was not an imminent threat to the U.S. This same information was delivered to the Bush administration as early as October 1, 2002, in the NIE, including input from the CIA and 15 other U.S. intelligence agencies. In addition, CIA director George Tenet briefed Bush in the Oval Office on the morning of October 7th.

According to the October 1, 2002 NIE, “Baghdad for now appears to be drawing a line short of conducting terrorist attacks with conventional or CBW [chemical and biological warfare] against the United States, fearing that exposure of Iraqi involvement would provide Washington a stronger case for making war.” The report concluded that Hussein was not planning to use any weapons of mass destruction; further, Hussein would only use weapons of mass destruction he was believed to have if he were first attacked, that is, he would only use them in self-defense.

Preparing its declassified version of the NIE for Congress, which became known as the White Paper, the Bush administration edited the classified NIE document in ways that significantly changed its inference and meaning, making the threat seem imminent and ominous.

In the original NIE report, members of the U.S. intelligence community vigorously disagreed with the CIA’s bloated and inaccurate conclusions. All such opposing commentary was eliminated from the declassified White Paper prepared for Congress and the American people.

The Manning Memo

On January 31, 2003, Bush met in the Oval Office with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In a memo summarizing the meeting discussion, Blair’s chief foreign policy advisor David Manning wrote that Bush and Blair expressed their doubts that any chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons would ever be found in Iraq, and that there was tension between Bush and Blair over finding some justification for the war that would be acceptable to other nations. Bush was so worried about the failure of the UN inspectors to find hard evidence against Hussein that he talked about three possible ways, Manning wrote, to “provoke a confrontation” with Hussein. One way, Bush said, was to fly “U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, [falsely] painted in UN colors. If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach” of UN resolutions and that would justify war. Bush was calculating to create a war, not prevent one.

Denying Blix’s Findings

Hans Blix, the United Nation’s chief weapons inspector in Iraq, in his March 7, 2003, address to the UN Security Council, said that as of that date, less than 3 weeks before Bush invaded Iraq, that Iraq had capitulated to all demands for professional, no-notice weapons inspections all over Iraq and agreed to increased aerial surveillance by the U.S. over the “no-fly” zones. Iraq had directed the UN inspectors to sites where illicit weapons had been destroyed and had begun to demolish its Al Samoud 2 missiles, as requested by the UN. Blix added that “no evidence of proscribed activities have so far been found” by his inspectors and “no underground facilities for chemical or biological production or storage were found so far.” He said that for his inspectors to absolutely confirm that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) “will not take years, nor weeks, but months.”

Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief UN nuclear inspector in Iraq and director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the UN Security Council that, “we have to date found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapon program in Iraq.”

The UN inspectors were making substantial progress and Hussein was giving them unlimited access. Why was Bush in such an incredible rush to go to war?

Hussein Disarms, so Bush … Goes to War

When it became clear that the whole purpose of Bush’s prewar campaign — to get Hussein to disarm — was being (or already had been) met, Bush and his people came up with a demand they had never once made before — that Hussein resign and leave Iraq. On March 17, 2003, Bush said in a speech to the nation that, “Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict.” Military conflict — the lives of thousands of young Americans on the line — because Bush trumped up a new line in the sand?

The Niger Allegation

One of the most notorious instances of the Bush administration using thoroughly discredited information to frighten the American public was the 16 words in Bush’s January 28, 2003 State of the Union speech: “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” The Niger allegation was false, and the Bush administration knew it was false.

Joseph C. Wilson IV, the former ambassador to Iraq, was sent to Niger by the CIA in February 2002 to investigate a supposed memo that documented the sale of uranium yellowcake (a form of lightly processed ore) to Iraq by Niger in the late 1990s. Wilson reported back to the CIA that it was “highly doubtful” such a transaction had ever taken place.

On March 7, 2003, Mohamed ElBaradei told the UN Security Council that “based on thorough analysis” his agency concluded that the “documents which formed the basis for the report of recent uranium transactions between Iraq and Niger are in fact not authentic.” Indeed, author Craig Unger uncovered at least 14 instances prior to the 2003 State of the Union address in which analysts at the CIA, the State Department, or other government agencies that had examined the Niger documents “raised serious doubts about their legitimacy — only to be rebuffed by Bush administration officials who wanted to use them.”

On October 5 and 6, 2002, the CIA sent memos to the National Security Council, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and to the White House Situation Room stating that the Niger information was no good.

On January 24, 2003, four days before the president’s State of the Union address, the CIA’s National Intelligence Council, which oversees all federal agencies that deal with intelligence, sent a memo to the White House stating that “the Niger story is baseless and should be laid to rest.”

The 9/11 Lie

The Bush administration put undue pressure on U.S. intelligence agencies to provide it with conclusions that would help them in their quest for war. Bush’s former counterterrorism chief, Richard Clarke, said that on September 12, 2001, one day after 9/11, “The President in a very intimidating way left us — me and my staff — with the clear indication that he wanted us to come back with the word that there was an Iraqi hand behind 9/11.”

Bush said on October 7, 2002, “We know that Iraq and the Al Qaeda terrorist network share a common enemy — the United States of America. We know that Iraq and Al Qaeda have had high level contacts that go back a decade,” and that “Iraq has trained Al Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gasses.” Of Hussein, he said on November 1, 2002, “We know he’s got ties with Al Qaeda.”

Even after Bush admitted on September 17, 2003, that he had “no evidence” that Saddam Hussein was involved with 9/11, he audaciously continued, in the months and years that followed, to clearly suggest, without stating it outright, that Hussein was involved in 9/11.

On March 20, 2006, Bush said, “I was very careful never to say that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack on America.”

Vincent Bugliosi received his law degree in 1964. In his career at the L.A. County District Attorney’s office, he successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106 felony jury trials, including 21 murder convictions without a single loss. His most famous trial, the Charles Manson case, became the basis of his classic, Helter Skelter, the biggest selling true-crime book in publishing history. The Prosecution of George W. Bush For Murder is available May 27.

For more information visit www.prosecutionofbush.com

Just another day in uber Umerika

That was very interesting... watch out, here comes the Bush-ite spin!

Perhaps prosecute him for stupidity, but not for murder. However, if he is prosecuted for stupidity, then all the other stupid ppl would have to be prosecuted also. That would leave just me and a few other semi-conservatives alive in the whole USA. Actually, not a bad idea. Sacrifice Bush to get rid of all the stupid ppl in the country. A worthy exchange

Again, a site called prosecute bush is not really a reliable source of information. This war had to pass in congress as well. If there are all these organizations like that knew Bush was lying (if that was the case) then they should have come forward. All these people would be equally to blame if in fact all this evidence was so cut and dry.

What kind of self satisfaction do you get from pointing the finger at Bush. What about in the 90s when Clinton heard of a terrorist plot to destroy the twin towers? He thought the threat was not eminent.

We have a 3 branch system of government so that 1 branch does not hold all the power and all the responsibility. Apparently you are blind to this fact.

This war was going to happen. Just a matter of when.
I don't like to see our men and women die in a war but look at the numbers to date. We have lost very few lives in this war and are doing a lot of good. No one my age or younger really knows what a war is or could cost us. So point your finger all you want. Couldn't you find a way to support our men and women instead. Whatever! Just waste you time posting **** all day if you like. It's doing nothing and won't till it's time to vote in someone new.
You could be working to get money for the troops who are over there or for the ones who are home and need to be taken care of now in so many ways. Think about that for a sec. Use you time for something greater.

Its not stupididty or insanity when it is premeditated

And stupid ass McCain - the "former" war hero - has been completely . . . . .


BUSHWACKED

work to get money for the troops? I do that monday through friday and how pathetic my hard earned tax dollars are being wasted on the like of KBR and Halliburton. I am fortunte I do not need to work 7 days a week and am killing time while the sun dries the grass so I can climb on my mower and make my little patch of Uber Umerika a little nicer

Over 95% of the American people as well as over 95% of our elected officials overwhelmingly supported us going into Iraq and it was for a whole slew of reason's not just the WMD threat, which by the way, every major intelligency agency in the world agreed with, there were many, many reason's to do what we did, and literally EVERYONE at the time agreed with it. Hell, you were probably one too, and now don't have the conviction, integrity, and character to follow through on the very tuff commitment we all jointly made ! Thank God there are some brave and courageous men and women who do understand the reasons for the grave choices we made and why we made them and who have the wisdom, courage and integrity to see our commitments through, even when the going gets tough or becomes unpopular, because they know what is at stake for our future generations if we don't see it through!

I have absolutely zero respect for all of you folks that now want to act like it's all Bush's fault and that he lied and deceived everyone when the FACT is, he told us all about how what we would be entering into would be a "years long" type of war and that this new war against terror and the radicals we are fighting will be one long and tough road, but one we must face, and at the time, almost everyone was behind the actions we took and for the right reasons.... but you hypocrites that now act like you never were and have done a 360 degree turn and just want to cut and run and not see through this grave and very serious commitment to fighting this threat are about the lowest scum on the planet to me.... not only are you complete cowards with no convictions or integrity, but you also prove you're a bunch of damn idiots who can't make any decisions and stand by them and will change your mind about important issues that effect our children's futures strictly based on the next "conspiracy theory" that is put out there, rather than looking at facts and reality! Thank God there are still some people who make difficult choices with great forethought and who have the conviction and integrity to see those choices through.... that I can respect.... but this cowardly flip flopping all over the place based on the next social or political whim that seems to become popular and then lying about what your previous convictions and choices were.... is truly about as unrespectable as it can get!

it was a great propaganda coup to brainwash so many americans but most of us have grown up a little. but realy please provide some data on the 95% of amercans supported the war to begin with

This is why we vote. I'm happy to live in this country where you can say whatever you like. I would want him in office again if we had to start from 9/11 all over. Who else with balls did we have at the time? And have we been hit again? What's that tell you? It's all related even if you think not.

You just said it all! Good job man. So True.

Perhapse if bush hadnt been distracted by the Enron bailout and ignored the warnings of the inteligecne community we wouldnt have been hit on 911, but again 911 was not caused by Iraq in case you had forgotten. Our men in Iraq have been "hit" over 4,000 times since 911 and at least a million Iraqi civilians have died. what a tragady. had someone compitent been in charge on 911 our country wouldnt be in such a mess from A to Z

Clinton had the warnings of the terrorist attack and did nothing.

Hmmmmmmmm didnt they already "try" to impeach him?

Yes and I guess we had an ass in office when Pearl harbor took place also? Who are you to say he should have or could have done better. He is as good as we are as a country. We screwed up. Alot of ppl who should be looking out for us screwed up. You must have big shoulders if you think you on your own could do better. I made my point you go ahead with yours cuz we could talk all year and never see eye to eye.

another republican lie here is condi rice under oath, please belive your own eyes and ears..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjSoKy7jNUQ

Guilty by reason of stupidity.

Also guilty of high treason.

Yes perhaps we should crucify him to pay for our own stupidity. Maybe that would appease the rest of the world who hate Americans so much.

Even if you didn't vote for him, you support him with your taxes and with the lives of your sons and daughters in his military. He is the commander and chief.

The power and the real wealth is still in the hands of the people. They just have to realize it and take it back. Read a book called the 80/20 individual by Richard Koch.

Governments are nothing without the people. Corporations are nothing without the people. The people are the power.

JB