Rewriting History

The new "spin" is that the invasion of Iraq was always about implementing democracy. That is, the talk of WMD was just a side note to the plan to bring democracy to Iraq.

Anyone who was alive and awake during the build up to the invasion knows that this view is pure BS.

But, just in case you had any doubt, this review of Bush's March 17, 2003 speech to the nation should set you right. In a key passage the reviewer finds that:

Bush’s key March 17 address, in printed form (available at www.whitehouse.gov), runs 27 paragraphs. For those keeping score at home, exactly 18 of those paragraphs mention or emphasize the WMD threat. Five raise the “freedom” issue.

And the WMD warnings receive much higher priority; Bush does not “bury the lead.” The first four paragraphs discuss nothing but WMDs, in 10 separate sentences. Only after that, in one short paragraph, does Bush mention that Saddam’s regime “has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East” and has “deep hatred” of America. He then linked Saddam to al-Qaeda, another charge now widely discredited.

Then it was back to WMDs for eight more paragraphs, before mentioning a “new Iraq that is prosperous and free.”

Don't let them rewrite history like this.

Here is the link to the entire story.

UPDATE: Here is a link to the March 17, 2003 speech.