Chalabigate
"Weapons of Mass Deception"
2004-04-30
Plan of Attack Top 10
Plan of Attack, the new book by veteran journalist Bob Woodward, provides an inside view of the Bush administration's plans to invade Iraq, shattering the myths pushed by a White House obsessed with politics. Woodward interviewed 75 top administration officials and learned that the administration's public story about how and when the war was planned was full of holes.
Here are just a few of the top revelations about the Bush administration's rush to war from Woodward's book.
1. STEALING MONEY FROM AFGHAN WAR FOR IRAQ: Bush Took Money From Afghan War For Iraq -- Bush Hid Move From Congress
"Some of the funding would come from the supplemental appropriations bill being worked out in Congress for the Afghanistan war and the general war on terrorism. The rest would come from old appropriations. By the end of July, Bush had approved some 30 projects [for Iraq war plans] that would eventually cost $700 million. He discussed it with Nicholas E. Calio, the head of White House congressional relations. Congress, which is supposed to control the purse strings, had no real knowledge or involvement, had not even been notified that the Pentagon wanted to reprogram money." [p. 137]
2. EARLY OBSESSION: Bush Had Rumsfeld Draw Up War Plan In 2001
On November 21, Bush pulled Rumsfeld into one of the cubbyhole offices near the Situation Room and said "I want you...What kind of war plan do you have for Iraq.?" After a brief discussion, Bush told him "Let's get started on this. And get Tommy Franks looking at what it would take to protect America by removing Saddam Hussein if we have to." [p. 2]
3. EARLY ACTION: Bush Team Decided To Go To War In Jan 2003 -- Two Months Before Bush Claimed He Had Yet To Make Up His Mind
January 13, 2003, Bush to Powell: "The president said he had made up his mind on war. The United States should go to war." [p. 270]
March 6, 2003, Bush to Public: Bush: "I've not made up our mind about military action." [Bush News Conference, 3/6/03]
* "... Monday, Jan. 13, Powell and Bush met in the Oval Office... 'I really think I'm going to have to do this.' The president said he had made up his mind on war. The United States should go to war. 'You're sure?' Powell asked. Yes, said Bush." [p. 270]
* "...in Washington in early January 2003, Bush took Rumsfeld aside. 'Look, we're going to have to do this, I'm afraid,' he said... It was enough of a decision for Rumsfeld." [p.261]
4. SHARING SECRETS WITH THE SAUDIS: Cheney And Rumsfeld Showed Top Secret Map To Saudi Ambassador
"...on Saturday, Jan. 11, Cheney invited Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador, to his West Wing office. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were also there... Sitting on the edge of the table in Cheney's office, Myers took out a large map labeled TOP SECRET NOFORN. The NOFORN meant NO FOREIGN -- classified material not to be seen by any foreign nation... Staring intently at the 2-by-3-foot Top Secret map, Bandar, a former fighter pilot, asked a few questions about air operations. Could he have a copy of the large map so he could brief Crown Prince Abdullah? he asked, referring to the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. 'Above my pay grade,' Myers said. 'We'll give you all the information you want,' Rumsfeld said. As for the map, he added, 'I would rather not give it to you, but you can take notes if you want.'" [p. 264]
5. ELECTION POLITICS: Bandar Says Saudis Will Fix Oil Prices For 2004
"According to Prince Bandar, the Saudis hoped to fine-tune oil prices over 10 months to prime the economy for 2004. What was key, Bandar knew, were the economic conditions before a presidential election, not at the moment of the election." [p. 324]
6. RUSH TO JUDGEMENT: Bush Team Quick To Link Saddam, 9/11
Wolfowitz "estimated there was a 10 to 50 percent chance Saddam was involved in the 9/11 attacks -- an odd conclusion that reflected deep suspicion, but no real evidence." [p. 26]
7. FAITH-BASED DIPLOMACY: Bush Sidestepped Important Diplomatic Questions
"'We will win," the Polish president said, but sounding like Colin Powell, he added plaintively, 'but what are the consequences?' After a pause, he continued, 'You need wide, broad international support. We are with you, don't worry about it. The risk is the U.N. will collapse. What will replace it?'" These were hard questions that Bush sidestepped, saying only, 'We believe that Islam like Christianity can grow in a free and democratic manner.'" [p.276]
8. VICE PRESIDENT FANATIC: Colin Powell Thought Dick Cheney Had "Fever" For Attack on Iraq
"Powell thought Cheney had the fever. The vice president and Wolfowitz kept looking for the connection between Saddam and 9/11. It was a separate little government that was out there -- Wolfowitz, Libby, Feith and Feith's 'Gestapo office,' as Powell privately put it... Powell thought that Cheney took intelligence and converted uncertainty and ambiguity into fact. It was about the worst charge that Powell could make about the vice president. But there it was." [ p.292]
9. FATHERLY CRITIQUE? Scowcroft Received Bush Sr.'s Approval On Critical Op-Ed
"No one was as close to Bush senior as companion, loyalist and foreign policy soul mate. Scowcroft had coauthored the former president's memoirs. He sent him an advance copy of the article and received no reaction. That meant it was okay. The Wall Street Journal ran his article on August 15 [2002] under the provocative headline, 'Don't Attack Saddam.'" [p.160]
10. MORE WMD DECEPTIONS: Bush Told Elie Wiesel That Attack On Iraq Would Keep Saddam From Attacking Israel With WMD
On February 27, 2003, Bush told Elie Wiesel "If we don't disarm Saddam Hussein, he will put a weapon of mass destruction on Israel and they will do what they think they have to do, and we have to avoid that." [p. 320]
http://www.democrats.org/specialreports/planofattack/
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Here are just a few of the top revelations about the Bush administration's rush to war from Woodward's book.
1. STEALING MONEY FROM AFGHAN WAR FOR IRAQ: Bush Took Money From Afghan War For Iraq -- Bush Hid Move From Congress
"Some of the funding would come from the supplemental appropriations bill being worked out in Congress for the Afghanistan war and the general war on terrorism. The rest would come from old appropriations. By the end of July, Bush had approved some 30 projects [for Iraq war plans] that would eventually cost $700 million. He discussed it with Nicholas E. Calio, the head of White House congressional relations. Congress, which is supposed to control the purse strings, had no real knowledge or involvement, had not even been notified that the Pentagon wanted to reprogram money." [p. 137]
2. EARLY OBSESSION: Bush Had Rumsfeld Draw Up War Plan In 2001
On November 21, Bush pulled Rumsfeld into one of the cubbyhole offices near the Situation Room and said "I want you...What kind of war plan do you have for Iraq.?" After a brief discussion, Bush told him "Let's get started on this. And get Tommy Franks looking at what it would take to protect America by removing Saddam Hussein if we have to." [p. 2]
3. EARLY ACTION: Bush Team Decided To Go To War In Jan 2003 -- Two Months Before Bush Claimed He Had Yet To Make Up His Mind
January 13, 2003, Bush to Powell: "The president said he had made up his mind on war. The United States should go to war." [p. 270]
March 6, 2003, Bush to Public: Bush: "I've not made up our mind about military action." [Bush News Conference, 3/6/03]
* "... Monday, Jan. 13, Powell and Bush met in the Oval Office... 'I really think I'm going to have to do this.' The president said he had made up his mind on war. The United States should go to war. 'You're sure?' Powell asked. Yes, said Bush." [p. 270]
* "...in Washington in early January 2003, Bush took Rumsfeld aside. 'Look, we're going to have to do this, I'm afraid,' he said... It was enough of a decision for Rumsfeld." [p.261]
4. SHARING SECRETS WITH THE SAUDIS: Cheney And Rumsfeld Showed Top Secret Map To Saudi Ambassador
"...on Saturday, Jan. 11, Cheney invited Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador, to his West Wing office. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were also there... Sitting on the edge of the table in Cheney's office, Myers took out a large map labeled TOP SECRET NOFORN. The NOFORN meant NO FOREIGN -- classified material not to be seen by any foreign nation... Staring intently at the 2-by-3-foot Top Secret map, Bandar, a former fighter pilot, asked a few questions about air operations. Could he have a copy of the large map so he could brief Crown Prince Abdullah? he asked, referring to the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. 'Above my pay grade,' Myers said. 'We'll give you all the information you want,' Rumsfeld said. As for the map, he added, 'I would rather not give it to you, but you can take notes if you want.'" [p. 264]
5. ELECTION POLITICS: Bandar Says Saudis Will Fix Oil Prices For 2004
"According to Prince Bandar, the Saudis hoped to fine-tune oil prices over 10 months to prime the economy for 2004. What was key, Bandar knew, were the economic conditions before a presidential election, not at the moment of the election." [p. 324]
6. RUSH TO JUDGEMENT: Bush Team Quick To Link Saddam, 9/11
Wolfowitz "estimated there was a 10 to 50 percent chance Saddam was involved in the 9/11 attacks -- an odd conclusion that reflected deep suspicion, but no real evidence." [p. 26]
7. FAITH-BASED DIPLOMACY: Bush Sidestepped Important Diplomatic Questions
"'We will win," the Polish president said, but sounding like Colin Powell, he added plaintively, 'but what are the consequences?' After a pause, he continued, 'You need wide, broad international support. We are with you, don't worry about it. The risk is the U.N. will collapse. What will replace it?'" These were hard questions that Bush sidestepped, saying only, 'We believe that Islam like Christianity can grow in a free and democratic manner.'" [p.276]
8. VICE PRESIDENT FANATIC: Colin Powell Thought Dick Cheney Had "Fever" For Attack on Iraq
"Powell thought Cheney had the fever. The vice president and Wolfowitz kept looking for the connection between Saddam and 9/11. It was a separate little government that was out there -- Wolfowitz, Libby, Feith and Feith's 'Gestapo office,' as Powell privately put it... Powell thought that Cheney took intelligence and converted uncertainty and ambiguity into fact. It was about the worst charge that Powell could make about the vice president. But there it was." [ p.292]
9. FATHERLY CRITIQUE? Scowcroft Received Bush Sr.'s Approval On Critical Op-Ed
"No one was as close to Bush senior as companion, loyalist and foreign policy soul mate. Scowcroft had coauthored the former president's memoirs. He sent him an advance copy of the article and received no reaction. That meant it was okay. The Wall Street Journal ran his article on August 15 [2002] under the provocative headline, 'Don't Attack Saddam.'" [p.160]
10. MORE WMD DECEPTIONS: Bush Told Elie Wiesel That Attack On Iraq Would Keep Saddam From Attacking Israel With WMD
On February 27, 2003, Bush told Elie Wiesel "If we don't disarm Saddam Hussein, he will put a weapon of mass destruction on Israel and they will do what they think they have to do, and we have to avoid that." [p. 320]
http://www.democrats.org/specialreports/planofattack/
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Milton Frihetsson, 21:06
