Former Legal counsel to President Nixon ~ John Dean ,
who knows a few things about lies and deception , writes
about the the CREDIBILITY factor in regards to George
W. Bush's " weapons of mass destruction " .
Bush's statements are all chronologically listed .
Allen
Worse Than Watergate?
John Dean
John Dean, a FindLaw columnist, is a former counsel to the president
of the United States.
Editor's Note: This article first appeared on Findlaw.com on June 6,
2003
Presidential statements, particularly on matters of national security,
are held to an expectation of the highest standard of truthfulness. A
president cannot stretch, twist or distort facts and get away with it.
President Lyndon Johnson's distortions of the truth about Vietnam forced him to
stand down from reelection.
President Richard Nixon's false statements about Watergate forced his resignation.
Frankly, I hope the WMD are found, for it will end the matter.
Clearly, the story of the missing WMD is far from over. And it is too early, of course, to
draw conclusions.
But it is not too early to explore the relevant issues.
President Bush's Statements On Iraq's Weapons Of Mass Destruction
Readers may not recall exactly what President Bush said about weapons
of mass destruction; I certainly didn't. Thus, I have compiled these statements below.
In reviewing them, I saw that he had, indeed, been as explicit and declarative as
I had recalled. Bush's statements, in chronological order, were:
"Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the
production of biological weapons."
United Nations Address, Sept. 12, 2002
"Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is
rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons."
"We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized
Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons
the dictator tells us he does not have."
-Radio Address, Oct. 5, 2002
"The Iraqi regime... possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons.
It is seeking nuclear weapons."
"We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical
agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas."
"We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing
fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse
chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We're concerned that Iraq
is exploring ways of using these UAVS for missions targeting the UnitedStates."
"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program.
Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group
he calls his "nuclear mujahideen" -- his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs
reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program
in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other
equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons."
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech, Oct. 7, 2002
"Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the
materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent."
State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2003
"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime
continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."
Address to the Nation, March 17, 2003
Should The President Get The Benefit Of The Doubt?
When these statements were made, Bush's let-me-mince-no-words posture was convincing
to many Americans. Yet much of the rest of the world, and many other Americans, doubted
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