Fred Hiatt's new column pulls excerpts from the new Democratic Senate report from the Select Committee on Intelligence that make dents into the various "Bush Lied" arguments about Iraq. Hiatt says that while Bush, and particularly Vice President Dick Cheney, "spoke with too much certainty at times and failed to anticipate or prepare the American people for the enormous undertaking in Iraq," there is little evidence in the new report that either "lied."
On Iraq's nuclear weapons program? The president's statements "were generally substantiated by intelligence community estimates."
On biological weapons, production capability and those infamous mobile laboratories? The president's statements "were substantiated by intelligence information."
On chemical weapons, then? "Substantiated by intelligence information."
On weapons of mass destruction overall (a separate section of the intelligence committee report)? "Generally substantiated by intelligence information." Delivery vehicles such as ballistic missiles? "Generally substantiated by available intelligence." Unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to deliver WMDs? "Generally substantiated by intelligence information."
Conservative bloggers are praising the column, but considering the best outcome is that your party's leader, and our country's president, relied on false information rather than intentionally misleading, bragging rights only extend so far. Liberal bloggers are largely ignoring the column, and those that are paying attention, are using it as a pivot point to attack John McCain.
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