We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories. You remember when Colin Powell stood up in front of the world, and he said, Iraq has got laboratories, mobile labs to build biological weapons. They’re illegal. They’re against the United Nations resolutions, and we’ve so far discovered two. And we’ll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven’t found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they’re wrong, we found them.

Right…

“and if anybody bothered to remember it, and because Mike asked, Google should suk for Mr. George W. I’m a war president and we found the weapons of mass destruction Bush.”

Thanks SL. Believe it or not, I’d never seen this quote.

I did some googling of my own, and Bush had every reason to believe what he was saying in the Polish interview was accurate.

Here’s a link to a CBS News story from the same date as Bush’s Polish interview.

The CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency had both concluded that the trucks were in fact mobile biological weapons labs. The CBS story contains the following quotes from a combined report prepared by these two agencies:

“Both contained equipment, such as fermenters, that could be used to make biological weapons, the report says.

“Examination of the trailers reveals that all of the equipment is permanently installed and interconnected, creating an ingeniously simple, self-contained bio-processing system,” the report says. “The trailers probably are part of a two- or possibly three-trailer unit. Both trailers we have found probably are designed to produce BW agent in unconcentrated liquid slurry.”

*SNIP*

“The report dismisses alternate explanations for the trailers.

Captured Iraqi scientists have claimed the vehicles were for producing hydrogen for weather balloons that would support conventional artillery. The report acknowledges the trailers could be used to make hydrogen but says it would be inefficient compared to widely available commercial hydrogen generation systems.

“BW (Biological weapon) agent production is the only consistent, logical purpose for these vehicles,” the report says.”

The CIA and DIA assessment proved to be wrong, but that does not change the fact that Bush was only repeating what he believed was an accurate and reliable conclusion from his two primary intelligence bodies.

Buggeration

link

“The CIA and DIA assessment proved to be wrong, but that does not change the fact that Bush was only repeating what he believed was an accurate and reliable conclusion from his two primary intelligence bodies.”

Mike, I know you read Atlantic. That means you’ve read several pieces on Bush’s cherry picking of information that supports his message, and on the way analysts were encouraged to forward analyses “consistent” with the Administration’s paradigm.

“Mike, I know you read Atlantic. That means you’ve read several pieces on Bush’s cherry picking of information that supports his message, and on the way analysts were encouraged to forward analyses “consistent” with the Administration’s paradigm.”

And I leave open the possibility that this is the case here.

Still, I think it’s a stretch to suggest that the CIA and DIA investigators’ actual opinion of the trailers was decidely contrary to what their report says. The CBS story’s language, and the quotes they pull from the report, seems unequivocal in my view. Bush may have taken it a step further by saying ” these are definitely mobile BW labs,” but I don’t see this as being nearly as damning as SL does. There sure as hell isn’t even the hint of a ” lie” here.

SL: I’m up against the clock again, back to the salt mine for more indentured labour. Hopefully tomorrow…..