April 19, 2004

And in his rush to war he informed Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, before telling his own Secretary of State.

Woodward's "Plan of Attack" reveals that the
incredible shrinking _resident "informed Prince
Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States,
before telling his own Secretary of State."
How can Secretary of Stone Calm 'Em Powell sleep at
night? He is a better man than Clarence Thomas, or I
guess I should say he *was* a better man than Clarence
Thomas...

Center For American Progress: The war in Iraq diverted
critical resources from the fight against al Qaeda.
Woodward's book reveals that President Bush ordered
Secretary of Defense Rumseld to secretly draw up plans
to invade Iraq less than two months after the
terrorist attacks on 9/11. Rather than finishing off
al Qaeda and bin Laden, President Bush changed focus
to a fight a less immediate threat in Iraq. And in his rush to war he informed Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, before telling his own Secretary of State.

Cleanse the White House of the Chickenhawk Coup, Show
Up for Democracy in 2004: Defeat Bush (again!)


http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=3456

Powell Spills Goods on Flawed Iraq War

April 19, 2004

In Bob Woodward's latest book, "Plan of Attack,"
Secretary of State Colin Powell confirms what critics
of the war in Iraq have known all along. The Bush
administration – against the strong desires of most of
the world community – sent the United States to war
under false pretenses, based on distorted
intelligence, and with no hard plan for dealing with
the aftermath. Powell understood best what other Bush
administration officials chose to ignore: the United
States would not be greeted as liberators in Iraq and
it would not be a cost free war.

The Bush administration trumped up intelligence about
weapons of mass destruction to win public support for
an ideological war in Iraq. Secretary Powell received
the unfortunate charge of presenting the Bush
administration's bogus intelligence assessment to the
U.N. Security Council just prior to the U.S. invasion
last year. Unfortunately for Powell and the nation, we
now have independent confirmations that Iraq did not
possess weapons of mass destruction and was not in
collusion with al Qaeda prior to our invasion.

The war in Iraq diverted critical resources from the
fight against al Qaeda. Woodward's book reveals that
President Bush ordered Secretary of Defense Rumseld to
secretly draw up plans to invade Iraq less than two
months after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Rather
than finishing off al Qaeda and bin Laden, President
Bush changed focus to a fight a less immediate threat
in Iraq. And in his rush to war he informed Prince
Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States,
before telling his own Secretary of State.

The administration failed to plan for the aftermath of
war and has created a terrorist front in Iraq where
none existed before. Secretary Powell correctly
assessed the risks in Iraq. Less than three months
before transferring sovereignty to Iraqis, the Bush
administration still has no concrete political plan
for the nation and is quickly losing control of
security on the ground. Rather than decreasing threats
of terror in Iraq, President Bush's unwise war has now
created a central front for terrorists determined to
kill Americans.

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.


Posted by richard at April 19, 2004 12:31 PM