THE US REGIME'S LINE ON IRAQ KEEPS CHANGING
War Rationale: Version 10.0
P.J. Crowley is senior fellow and director of national defense and homeland security and Robert O. Boorstin is senior vice president of national security at the Center for American Progress
In the year since the
invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration has repeatedly shifted its
justification for going to war and constantly changed its story on
intelligence, the United Nations, reconstruction, political transition and the
cost to the American taxpayer. More than anything, the administration's war in
Iraq resembles a software program that, at first, works brilliantly, but then
catches the user in a cycle of "fatal error" messages.
Here then, in Silicon Valley
terms, is a review of the Bush administration's year in Iraq:
Saddam Hussein poses an 'imminent threat' to the American people.
Version 1.0 - Saddam
Hussein is an imminent threat
Version 1.01 - Saddam
Hussein is a gathering threat
Version 1.02 - Saddam
Hussein poses a real and dangerous threat
Version 1.1 - The
smoking gun will be a mushroom cloud
Version 1.2 - We can't
afford to wait
Version 1.3 - We never
said imminent
Version 1.3.1 - OK,
maybe we did say it once or twice
Version 1.4 - We should
have been more precise
Saddam Hussein is ready to use weapons of mass destruction.
Version 2.1 - Saddam
has weapons of mass destruction
Version 2.2 - Saddam has
nuclear weapons
Version 2.3 - Saddam has
biological agents he's never accounted for
Version 2.3.1 - The
trailers are mobile labs for producing chemical weapons
Version 2.3.2 - Unmanned
aircraft are ready to spread Saddam's biological weapons
Version 2.4 - Saddam's
going to make more of all these weapons
Version 2.5 - We all
know where the weapons are
Version 2.5.1 - Well,
Saddam has used weapons of mass destruction
Version 2.5.2 - Iraq is
a big country. We'll find the weapons eventually.
Version 2.5.3 - Saddam
had weapons of mass destruction programs
Version 2.5.4 - Saddam
had "weapons of mass destruction program-related activities"
Version 2.5.5 - David
Kay? Who's David Kay?
Version 2.6 - It's not
about misleading the American people—Saddam Hussein is gone and that's the most
important thing
The intelligence is clear.
Version 3.0 - We
based our statements on our available intelligence
Version 3.1 - Saddam
tried to buy uranium ore in Niger
Version 3.1.2 - Well,
that was what the British told us
Version 3.1.3 - Did we
tell you about Joe Wilson's wife?
Version 3.1.4 - Do you
know a good lawyer?
Version 3.2 - The
intelligence is absolutely clear
Version 3.2.1 -
Intelligence is never 100 percent certain
Version 3.2.2 - We
didn't manipulate the intelligence
Version 3.3 - There was
no consensus within the intelligence community
Version 3.3.1 - We saw
the same intelligence the last administration did
Saddam Hussein has deep ties to Al Qaeda.
Version 4.0 - Saddam
has long-standing ties to Al Qaeda
Version 4.0.1 - You
can't distinguish between Saddam and Al Qaeda
Version 4.0.2 - There is
an Al Qaeda terrorist network in Iraq
Version 4.0.3 - Saddam
has provided Al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training.
Version 4.0.4 - Saddam
will give his weapons to Al Qaeda
Version 4.0.5 - Colin
Powell: I have not seen smoking-gun, concrete evidence about the connection
[between Al Qaeda and Iraq]
Version 4.0.6 - Vice
President Cheney: I still believe there's a connection.
Version 4.0.7 - CIA
Director George Tenet: I told Dick not to say that.
The United Nations just can't handle this.
Version 5.0 - The UN
had 12 years to deal with this
Version 5.1 - We don't
trust the UN to handle this
Version 5.1.1 - We don't
need the UN's help
Version 5.1.2 - The UN
should play a vital, but not central role
Version 5.1.3 - You
there, UN, tell Ayatollah Sistani that elections aren't possible
Version 5.1.4 - UN,
please oversee the election process
Version 5.1.5 - Pretty
please? We'll pay our dues
The war in Iraq won't hurt our efforts in Afghanistan or the hunt for bin Laden.
Version 6.0 - Iraq
won't affect our hunt for bin Laden
Version 6.1 - Assets
have been moved from Afghanistan to Iraq
Version 6.1.1 - Assets
are being returned to Afghanistan
Version 6.2 - We're
mounting a spring offensive against bin Laden
Version 6.2.1 - We'll catch
bin Laden this year
Version 6.2.2 - We hope
to catch bin Laden this year
Version 6.3 - Even if we
catch bin Laden, the threat will still exist.
Mission accomplished.
Version 7.0 - We
won't need hundreds of thousands of troops—that's wildly off the mark
Version 7.1 - Mission
accomplished
Version 7.1.1 - We'll
stay as long as needed and not one day more
Version 7.1.2 - The
troops will be home in six months
Version 7.1.3 - The Iraqi
Army will provide security
Version 7.1.4 - Where's
the Iraqi Army?
Version 7.1.5 - We've
disbanded the Iraqi Army
Version 7.1.3 - The
troops will stay a year and be replaced
Version 7.2 - We're
training the Iraqi army—Iraqification will work
Version 7.2.1 - We don't
need any more American troops
Version 7.2.2 - Well,
maybe we do
Version 7.2.3 - We're
keeping 30,000 more troops on active duty than were authorized
Version 7.2.4 - We don't
know if this increase in troops is a spike or a plateau
Version 7.2.5 - We're
establishing stop loss so troops can't leave
Version 7.2.6 - The Army
is planning multi-year rotations
The cost to the American taxpayer.
Version 8.0 -
Economic advisor Larry Lindsey: The war will cost $200 billion
Version 8.0.1 -
President Bush: You're fired!
Version 8.1 - The war
will pay for itself very quickly
Version 8.1.1 - Iraqi
oil revenue will pay for reconstruction
Version 8.2 - Our allies
will help us
Version 8.3 - We'll pay
for the war through supplementals
Version 8.3.1 - Congress
wouldn't let us put it in the budget
Version 8.3.2 - Can we
please have $87 billion?
Version 8.3.3 - Well, we
really can't calculate what it will cost...
Version 8.3.4 - Well,
maybe we can—$50 billion may be on the low side
Version 8.3.5 - Ask us
after November 2...
Democracy comes to Iraq.
Version 9.0 - We will
be greeted as liberators
Version 9.0.1 - We'll
establish democracy in Iraq
Version 9.1 - We'll turn
this back to the Iraqis quickly
Version 9.1.1 -
President Chalabi will be welcomed with open arms
Version 9.1.2 - Well,
not so fast—we're prohibiting political parties
Version 9.2 - We have
the November 15 agreement—it's unchangeable
Version 9.2.1 - We will
appoint a small governing council
Version 9.2.2 - Well,
maybe a larger one
Version 9.3 - We don't
favor elections
Version 9.3.1 - Caucuses
work in Iowa, why not Iraq?
Version 9.3.2 - OK fine,
we'll have elections
Version 9.4 - We can't
return sovereignty until there is a constitution
Version 9.4.1 - Never
mind, we'll turn over sovereignty first
Version 9.4.2 - We need
to return this to the Iraqis—How about June 30?
Version 9.4.3 - We're
still focused on elections—the ones on November 2
The bottom line.
Version 10.0 - Trust
us. We know what we're doing