Oct 2002 NIE. "Iraq has WMDs...because I say so"

[EVDebs]

Key Judgments
http://www.fas.org/irp/cia/product/iraq-wmd.html

Bush 'declassified' it in order to say Iraq "HAD" WMDs despite none being physically present in the country. Neat trick.

"We judge that Iraq has continued its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs in defiance of UN resolutions and restrictions. Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of UN restrictions; if left unchecked, it probably will have a nuclear weapon during this decade. (See INR alternative view at the end of these Key Judgments.)"

In essence, the NIE says there ARE WMDs in Iraq 'because the administration says so'....

Compare and contrast this Oct. 2002 NIE with the Duelfer report's conclusions

U.S. 'Almost All Wrong' on Weapons
Report on Iraq Contradicts Bush Administration Claims

By Dana Priest and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, October 7, 2004; Page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12115-2004Oct6.html

""Charles A. Duelfer, whom the Bush administration chose to complete the U.S. investigation of Iraq's weapons programs, said Hussein's ability to produce nuclear weapons had "progressively decayed" since 1991. Inspectors, he said, found no evidence of "concerted efforts to restart the program.""

Who, praytell, is lying to us ? The President or Mr. Duelfer ?

[caledesi]

1. I think I have seen "this part part of the show" before. nt