Bush, Advisers Misled US on Iraq: Senate Report

False statements by Bush, top officials were 'orchestrated campaign'

(NEWSER) - President Bush and top administration officials made hundreds of false statements—932, to be exact—about the national security threat from Iraq following 9/11, report two nonprofit journalism organizations. In the two years after the attacks, Bush and top officials stated at least 532 times that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, was trying to make or get them, or was linked to al-Qaeda, the study found. More»

At the time, existence of WMDs in Iraq was 'beyond doubt'

(NEWSER) - Tony Blair mounted a spirited defense of Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war today, telling the Chilcot inquiry he would make the same choices now, based on the information he had then. “The crucial thing after Sept. 11 is that the calculus of risk changed,” the former prime minister told the panel, and he deemed the risk of an Iraqi WMD too terrible to ignore. “Could we take the risk of this man reconstituting his weapons program?” More»

Bush put US on path to banana republic status

(NEWSER) - The 2000s were dominated by George W. Bush and the new American oligarchy he represents, writes Juan Cole. He lists hit 10 lowest points of an awful decade:

• “The constitutional coup of 2000,” in which “ugly racial and other low tricks” and a “far right-wing Supreme Court” delivered the election to the worst president in history.

Former State chief also denies that race clouded Bush Katrina response

(NEWSER) - Condoleezza Rice appeared on The View today to defend Bush administration policies, and lament a few key mistakes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rice expressed regret that weapons of mass destruction never surfaced in Iraq—but stands behind the ouster of Saddam Hussein. Rice also said Hurricane Katrina was “one of the greatest disasters for the administration,” but had harsh words for critics of President Bush’s response. More»

In memoir, Bush aide regrets not defending war to public harder

(AP) - Karl Rove says in a new memoir that the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq badly damaged the Bush administration's credibility and led to dwindling public support for the war. The former White House political adviser blames himself for not pushing back against claims that President Bush had taken the country to war under false pretenses, calling it one of the worst mistakes he made. The president, he adds, did not knowingly mislead the American public about the existence of such weapons. More»