How did the U.S. government lead its people to war?
Bush Administration Claims vs. The Facts
The Bush administration made a series of claims prior to the Iraq War, each intended to support the idea that Saddam Hussein was a grave and imminent threat. None of these claims were true.
The epilogue of the film, LEADING TO WAR, presents refutations to eight of these claims.
Here, each of these claims is examined in detail, using government and press reports, to show how the Bush administration presented intelligence to support these claims, despite the fact that behind closed doors Bush officials knew this intelligence to be disputed or even false.
Eight Pre-War Claims Refuted:
• No weapons of mass destruction of any kind were found in Iraq.
• No mobile biological weapons labs were found in Iraq.
• Iraq did not seek to acquire yellowcake uranium from Africa.
• The aluminum tubes were not suitable for nuclear weapons development.
• Mohamed Atta, the lead 9/11 hijacker, did not meet with Iraqi intelligence in Prague.
• Iraq did not provide chemical weapons training to al-Qaeda.
• There was no collaborative relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda.
• The implication that Iraq was involved in the attacks of 9/11 was untrue.
The Costs of War:
Further,
the Bush administration’s assurances of how the war would unfold proved to be completely inaccurate. As detailed in the epilogue of the film, the ramifications of the Iraq War have been tragic:
• Millions of Iraqis have been displaced from their homes. Nearly 2,000,000 have fled the country.
• Untold numbers of people have been mentally and physically wounded.
• War expenditures have exceeded $500 billion.
