Laboratories of Mass Deception. 2,531 US Dead in Bush Wars [MORE]
The Washington Post reported an explosive story yesterday revealing for the first time that the Bush administration had authoritative evidence in late May 2003 indicating that two trailers found in Iraq were not the long-sought mobile "biological laboratories. A technical team commissioned by the Pentagon reported back that the supposed bio labs were not WMD production facilities at all. And yet, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and other high-level administration officials repeatedly peddled false claims about Iraq 's biological weapons labs for months after this report was sent to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). President Bush, whose credibility is damaged seemingly on a daily basis, must again confront the question: What did he know and when did he know it.

 
A HISTORICAL RECAP: In Jan. 2003, Bush declared in his State of the Union address that Iraq possessed "several mobile biological weapons labs which were "designed to produce germ warfare agents. Just a few days later, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell reiterated the claim at the United Nations: "One of the most worrisome things that emerges from the thick intelligence file we have on Iraq 's biological weapons is the existence of mobile production facilities used to make biological agents. A few weeks into the war, the supposed WMD production facilities failed to turn up. In early May 2003, Bush stood before a banner declaring "mission accomplished in Iraq , but one major question still lingered. As CNN White House correspondent John King put it (5/1/03), "If the mission is accomplished where are the weapons of mass destruction? To address this question, the administration produced an intelligence report a few days later claiming that two biological weapons labs had been found in Iraq , thus allowing Bush to falsely inform the world, "We found the weapons of mass destruction. In Sept. 2004, after an "exhaustive investigation, the Bush-commissioned Iraq Survey Group finally debunked the false claim, reporting that "no evidence could be found of mobile biological production units. The question turned to what the administration knew and when they knew it. The Post story provides the first evidence that the administration was aware that claims about the bio labs were false. [more]

 
Leaker-In-Chief
Yesterday, a court filing disclosed that President Bush specifically authorized Vice President Cheney's chief of staff Scooter Libby to disclose classified information in an effort to discredit Joseph Wilson, a former CIA adviser whose criticisms undermined the administration's case for war. According to the 39-page document submitted by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald on late Wednesday night, Libby testified that Cheney "advised him that the President had authorized [Libby] to disclose relevant portions" of the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (N.I.E.), the key CIA document that the administration used to persuade Congress and the American public into war. The court filing "for the first time places Bush and Vice President Cheney at the heart of what Libby testified was an exceptional and deliberate leak of material designed to buttress the administration's claim that Iraq was trying to obtain nuclear weapons." While the document does not address the issue of whether Bush was personally involved in specifically leaking Valerie Plame's identity, it is clear from the timing of the leak authorization by President Bush that he was personally involved in the administration-wide effort to smear Joseph Wilson by any means necessary.

BUSH AUTHORIZED LEAKING DESPITE REPEATED ASSURANCES TO THE CONTRARY: Throughout the past two and half years, while the investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame's identity has been ongoing, Bush has made numerous public statements indicating his desire to crack down on leakers. For instance, on September 30, 2003, Bush said, "There's just too many leaks, and if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is." He added, "I want to tell you something -- leaks of classified information are a bad thing." And on October 28, 2003, the president said, "I'd like to know if somebody in my White House did leak sensitive information." Bush never indicated that he was engaged in leaks, instead casting "himself as a disinterested observer, eager to resolve the case and hold those responsible accountable." The new revelations by Fitzgerald, however, demonstrate Bush was personally authorizing highly-sensitive intelligence leaks and has therefore been engaged in a cover-up about the extent of his own involvement in the leak case. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, "The president has always stood so strong against leaks. If he leaked himself, he should explain why this is different than every other leak." [MORE]

•  Cheney Authorized Leak Of CIA Report, Libby Says [more]
• Bush and Cheney withholding material information from the grand jury is a felony [more]