The Iraq War Sell Job Keeps Unraveling

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"Two highly classified intelligence reports delivered directly to President Bush before the Iraq war cast doubt on key public assertions made by ... administration officials as justifications for invading Iraq," reports Murray Waas. The "President's Summary" of National Intelligence Estimates "illustrates what the president knew and when he knew it," explained a senior official. An October 2002 President's Summary stated the Energy Department's and State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research's belief that aluminum tubes acquired by Iraq were "intended for conventional weapons." At the time, Bush and others "were citing the tubes as clear evidence of an Iraqi nuclear program," as other spy agencies claimed. A January 2003 President's Summary stated "U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously agreed" that Saddam Hussein was "unlikely" to attack the United States. In other news, a BBC poll found 60% of respondents in 35 countries feel the Iraq war has increased the threat of terrorism. The poll also found that half of Iraqis favor a quick withdrawal of U.S. troops. A Gallup poll found two of three U.S. adults also favor imminent withdrawal.