The Associated Press issued what is tantamount to a press release today from two non profit organizations who analyzed statements by the Bush administration from the period of 2001 through 2003. The “study” which was conducted by the Center For Public Integrity and the Fund For Independence in Journalism seems to be nothing more than an exercise in counting. The statements which they “analyzed” have already been disseminated by numerous leftist websites, even having their own bumper stocker slogan attached to them (”Bush Lied, People Died”).

The conclusion from these two non profit organizations was that the Bush administration made 935 false statements with regards to Iraq, mostly pertaining to them having had weapons of mass destruction. Before analyzing the “news” report though, I think it is pertinent to first take a look at the groups which conducted this poor excuse of a study. As HotAir.com points out:

Whatever the motivation, it’s clear that the reporter, Douglas K. Daniel, paid no attention to the man behind the curtain. The Center for Public Integrity is one of many George Soros fronts. Soros pays the bills and his minions, whether they happen to work at the CPI or the Center for American Progress or Media Matters or wherever, dance to his tune. And Soros has made it his life’s work to bring down the Bush administration. He says it’s the “central focus of my life.” Do you think people paid to “research” by a man with that stated mission are likely to deliver unbiased findings?

While these two organizations may be “non-profit”, they certainly do not appear to be non-partisan. There is clearly an agenda behind releasing a study which provides no new information other than a word count. That being said, let’s forget about the agenda for a moment and take a look at the statements themselves. The press release indicates their were 935 “false statements”, implying the Bush administration lied, however not actually stating they did.

The reason only an implication was made is simple. The statements made by President Bush and others in his administration at the time were believed to be true, not only by Republicans, but Democrats as well.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA): “Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.” Dec 16, 1998

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA): “We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” Sept. 27, 2002

Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL): “We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.” Dec. 8, 2002

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV): “There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years … We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.” Oct 10, 2002

Hillary Clinton (D, NY): October 10, 2002 “In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security.”

And let’s not forget what President Bill Clinton said in 1998 after ordering an attack on Iraq:

Earlier today, I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the Middle East and around the world. Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons. I want to explain why I have decided, with the unanimous recommendation of my national security team, to use force in Iraq; why we have acted now; and what we aim to accomplish . . . The international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again.

More from Stop The ACLU:

Two things here. First, few people now think Saddam had WMDs, of course. But nearly everyone thought he had them before we went into Iraq — including the leadership of every nation on the planet as well as Saddam’s own generals. So, it was not a “lie” if it was commonly thought to be true by nearly every head of state in the world. That Saddam had WMDs may have been a mistaken notion, but it was not a lie before it was known for sure!

Secondly, it is interesting that this “study” claims that Bush “lied” about links with al-Qaeda. Yet even they have to massage that claim of a lie into “meaningful ties to al-Qaida.” This means that even they are admitting that there are ties with al-Qaeda but that they aren’t “meaningful.”

Does that mean the “lie” is not that the ties exist but how “meaningful” they are? Instead of a lie we are squabbling over semantics. In essence, Bush DIDN’T lie about ties to al-Qaida, the is just a debate on how “meaningful” those ties are.

Michelle Malkin has a nice little video reminded us of some other “false statements” which were disregarded by this study which only seemed interested what Republicans were saying:

The misinformation cited in this new study can be directly tied to the two political front groups who released it. Their study was centered on the basis that the war in Iraq was authorized by Congress under false pretenses. While that may be partly correct, the blame does not, and never has, lied with the Bush administration. The anti-war left continues to point the finger at President Bush, while ignoring that Congressional Democrats who had access to the same intelligence reports as Bush agreed with him wholeheartedly. Their short term memories do not allow them to remember that in 1998 the Clinton administration stated publicly that Saddam Hussein was working aggressively to obtain nuclear weapons.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and it is easiest to point fingers after all facts are known. The failures of our intelligence community, both with regards to September 11, as well as Iraq are blatantly obvious at this point, however those failures pre-date both of those events. They also pre-date the Bush administration, as is evidenced by statements made by the Clinton administration in 1998 and beyond.

The claim by the anti war left is that the Bush administration purposely falsified facts in order to wage war on an innocent country. Ignored in this claim is the fact that in order for this to happen, Congressional Democrats would have had to take Bush’s statements at face value without examining reports from the intelligence community themselves. If that were true, it is clear they are no more capable to lead this nation than they claim George Bush to be.

Update: Here is Dennis Kucinich on the House floor today, touting this study as if new information was cited. Here is Kucinich a few minutes later wishing to withdraw his statements after it was brought to his attention that he is a moron.