Bush's War Disinformation Campaign

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by Doug Mann

"Our membership is split 50/50. Fifty-percent don’t believe a thing President Bush says, and fifty percent think he’s a liar." --- Jerry Zero, Teamsters local 705, leadoff speech at founding conference of US Labor Against War

The Bush administration says control of oil reserves under Iraq is not an objective of the plan to invade and occupy Iraq, as antiwar activists contend. However, the Bush administration's cover stories are not convincing. For example, in his presentation to the UN, Secretary of State Colin Powell repeated the administration's claim that Iraq is hiding nuclear, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction, and producing more every day. However, the long awaited evidence presented to the UN Security Council on February 5th largely consists of unverifiable reports from secret sources. Powell stated,

"My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence. I will cite some examples, and these are from human sources." -- Colin Powell's report to the UN security council, (from Cross-examining Colin, by William Rivers Pitt) http://truthout.org/docs_02/020703A.htm

And in a manner consistent with disinformation campaigns carried out by the Reagan-Bush and Bush-Quayle administrations, every time the Bush-Cheney administration announces the discovery of a 'smoking gun,' it's big news in the mainstream media outlets for a few days, but evidence that the smoking gun report is false gets much less attention. In his report to the UN security council (cited in the previous paragraph), Powell even presents evidence of a 'smoking gun' that had been refuted the day before by chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix. In his report Powell said,

"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. Let me take you inside that intelligence file and share with you what we know from eye witness accounts. We have firsthand descriptions of biological weapons factories on wheels and on rails. The trucks and train cars are easily moved and are designed to evade detection by inspectors. In a matter of months, they can produce a quantity of biological poison equal to the entire amount that Iraq claimed to have produced in the years prior to the Gulf War."

According to a report by Dan Plesch (The Guardian UK, 05 Feb 2003):

"In a series of leaks or previews, the state department has said Mr Powell will allege that Iraq moved mobile biological weapons laboratories ahead of an inspection. Dr Blix said he had already inspected two alleged mobile labs and found nothing: "Two food-testing trucks have been inspected and nothing has been found."

"Dr Blix said that the problem of bio-weapons laboratories on trucks had been around for a while and that he had received tips from the US that led him to inspect trucks in Iraq. The Iraqis claimed that the trucks were used to inspect the quality of food production.

"He said he assumed the US secretary of state would not be indicating sites that the inspectors should visit that he had not told them about..." -- US Claim Dismissed by Blix, Dan Plesch in New York, The Guardian UK 05 Feb 2003 http://truthout.org/docs_02/020603A.htm


	Mann for School Board \| home More International News / Opinion \| Support US Troops, Bring Them Home Now \| House Members say "Give Weapons Inspection a Chance" \| Manufacturing Consent for Iraq War Plans \| Bush's War Disinformation Campaign \| Letter to Antiwar Activists \| Black National Congress Opposes War Against Iraq \| US Labor Resolution \| No New War Against Iraq \| Green Party Antiwar Statement \| US Green Party Policy Statement of 9.20.2002 \| Venezuela: Washington's Hand at Work \| DEMANDING DEMOCRACY \| Venezuelan Workers Defy Rightist Oil Blockade Bush's War Disinformation Campaign by Doug Mann "Our membership is split 50/50. Fifty-percent don’t believe a thing President Bush says, and fifty percent think he’s a liar." --- Jerry Zero, Teamsters local 705, leadoff speech at founding conference of US Labor Against War The Bush administration says control of oil reserves under Iraq is not an objective of the plan to invade and occupy Iraq, as antiwar activists contend. However, the Bush administration's cover stories are not convincing. For example, in his presentation to the UN, Secretary of State Colin Powell repeated the administration's claim that Iraq is hiding nuclear, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction, and producing more every day. However, the long awaited evidence presented to the UN Security Council on February 5th largely consists of unverifiable reports from secret sources. Powell stated, "My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence. I will cite some examples, and these are from human sources." -- Colin Powell's report to the UN security council, (from Cross-examining Colin, by William Rivers Pitt) http://truthout.org/docs_02/020703A.htm And in a manner consistent with disinformation campaigns carried out by the Reagan-Bush and Bush-Quayle administrations, every time the Bush-Cheney administration announces the discovery of a 'smoking gun,' it's big news in the mainstream media outlets for a few days, but evidence that the smoking gun report is false gets much less attention. In his report to the UN security council (cited in the previous paragraph), Powell even presents evidence of a 'smoking gun' that had been refuted the day before by chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix. In his report Powell said, "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. Let me take you inside that intelligence file and share with you what we know from eye witness accounts. We have firsthand descriptions of biological weapons factories on wheels and on rails. The trucks and train cars are easily moved and are designed to evade detection by inspectors. In a matter of months, they can produce a quantity of biological poison equal to the entire amount that Iraq claimed to have produced in the years prior to the Gulf War." According to a report by Dan Plesch (The Guardian UK, 05 Feb 2003): "In a series of leaks or previews, the state department has said Mr Powell will allege that Iraq moved mobile biological weapons laboratories ahead of an inspection. Dr Blix said he had already inspected two alleged mobile labs and found nothing: "Two food-testing trucks have been inspected and nothing has been found." "Dr Blix said that the problem of bio-weapons laboratories on trucks had been around for a while and that he had received tips from the US that led him to inspect trucks in Iraq. The Iraqis claimed that the trucks were used to inspect the quality of food production. "He said he assumed the US secretary of state would not be indicating sites that the inspectors should visit that he had not told them about..." -- US Claim Dismissed by Blix, Dan Plesch in New York, The Guardian UK 05 Feb 2003 http://truthout.org/docs_02/020603A.htm