faboo mama

You know, these past 7 years would have been a lot easier if the media had done any sort of investigative journalism and if our Democrats in Congress had acted like they represented the people vs. their own interests or campaign donors. It’s pretty clear that the Iraq War was nothing more than an expensive and deadly ATM for many of our elected officials. They have blood on their hands and no amount of apologizing or mind-changing this late in the game is going to alter the landscape. Whoever voted for this war despite loud criticism of the boondoggle that was to become, is just the same as if they gunned down our soldiers themselves.

So, there’s been a study. Keep in mind, that almost 5 years into this illegal war, our media conglomerates (many whose parent companies are making big money from this war–MSNBC I’m looking at you) didn’t find it necessary to do any digging. A study, that was completely unnecesssary– and I’m sure cost a lot of money as these CW studies are wont to do, was done. A study focusing on comments on the runup to the illegal war.

MSNBC ran an AP article on this study. All emphasis is mine:

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Yeah. We knew that. Hell, many of us knew that before the war started. Those of us who called the administration on their lies were called “unpatriotic” by the more unstable among us. Even elected officials called us “unpatriotic” and then would turn around and deny it.

The study, completed by the Center for Public Integrity and Fund for Independence in Journalism is huge.

The information itself isn’t new because the documents all have been published, the researchers said. The database, however, is remarkable for its breadth — transcripts and documents totaling some 380,000 words. (UPI)

From CPIs website:

On at least 532 separate occasions (in speeches, briefings, interviews, testimony, and the like), Bush and these three key officials, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan, stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (or was trying to produce or obtain them), links to Al Qaeda, or both. This concerted effort was the underpinning of the Bush administration’s case for war.

I remember the first time I heard the Bush Administration reference Iraq. It was November 2001. My ears perked up. I knew that if Bush had become president, that we’d engage in a war. I knew it and I told everyone I knew that I knew it. No one believed me. I was brushed off. Whatever. Then November 2001 came, and I heard “Iraq”. I made a bet with a coworker that we’d have a war with Iraq. He didn’t believe me. I won $500.

I remember laughing my ass off when I heard this adminstration trying to tie Saddam Hussein with al-Qaeda. I mean…anyone who can read would know that Hussein joining in with al-Qaeda would be as possible as a neo-Nazi marrying a black person. You don’t even have to know the region. It’s simple math:

Iraq = secular nation

al-Qaeda = Qur’an thumping nutjobs.

They like totally cancel out each other. Oil and water is what we have here.

Now of course, the newest term from the administration has been “al-Qaeda in Iraq” to, you know, differentiate their lies.

Of course, our stenographers media couldn’t be bothered with printing facts. They were busy doing he said/she said journalism because they felt so bad going after Clinton. WTF?

In addition to their patently false pronouncements, Bush and these seven top officials also made hundreds of other statements in the two years after 9/11 in which they implied that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or links to Al Qaeda. Other administration higher-ups, joined by Pentagon officials and Republican leaders in Congress, also routinely sounded false war alarms in the Washington echo chamber.

The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war. Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, “independent” validation of the Bush administration’s false statements about Iraq.

It would be my dream to not only see everyone in the Bush Administration tried for war crimes, but also these propoganda mouthpieces that urged these lies at the expense of the deaths and injuries to our troops. People like Bill O’Reilly or Rush Limbaugh who, even after Bush said that there were no WMD back in 2004 still bleated the party line.

“Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, ‘independent’ validation of the Bush administration’s false statements about Iraq,” it said.

You should read the study. There’s a page dedicated to the key false statements leading up to the war. These were the statements that left me practically crazed. I’d read/watch/hear these things and was left incredulous. Surely, there’s a reporter who would ask the obvious questions, bringing up facts or…something. Right? Nope. They’d ask their questions and take at face value, the even more ridiculous explanations. Instead of researching responses, they decided to appear “fair” and clearly unbalanced by giving us he said/she said bullshit, with very little facts, always giving a clearer edge to the warmongers.

Beyond the terrible death toll and ridiculous amounts of money missing and spent, one of the saddest things of this whole thing is listening to Republicans, those true-believing Kool-Aid drinkers who still insist that WMD were found in Iraq. Who decide that listening to unhinged nitwits like Sean (ins)Hannity is all they need to learn about the Middle East and they know how Saddam Hussein operated. They know the mind of bin Laden. They know that in order to “free” a people, you must bomb them to the Stone Age.

Bush and Cheney’s friends have made a shitload of money off the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. That was the purpose of our War President. He doesn’t give a shit about Democracy or the American people. The fact that even when caught in these lies, they’re shrugged off…”And?”

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration’s position that the world community viewed Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

“The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world,” Stanzel said.

It’s pathological. Even when caught in a lie, they keep on lying.

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