-Caveat Lector- http://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/news/world/8458386.htm
Woodward: Administration had 'fever' to take down Iraq $700M diverted from Afghanistan money, book claims By PETER WALLSTEN LOS ANGELES TIMES WASHINGTON - President Bush asked for a plan to invade Iraq in November 2001, about three months after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and at a time when U.S. forces were still in the midst of ousting the Taliban regime from Afghanistan. The timing of Bush's war planning, revealed in a book to be released Monday and confirmed Friday by the White House, is likely to fuel criticism that the Bush administration was preoccupied with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein at the expense of pursuing al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. "You're talking about the late period of November, when things were winding down in Afghanistan," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters, confirming that Bush spoke to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld at that time "about planning related to Iraq." "But there is a difference between planning and making a decision" to go to war, McClellan said. The timing of Bush's planning to oust Saddam is one of several insights detailed in the book "Plan of Attack" by journalist Bob Woodward. In two other recent books, former Bush administration insiders said that they were surprised by the president's early focus on Iraq. Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said Bush's intense interest in Iraq became clear within days of the president's inauguration. Richard Clarke, a former counterterrorism official for Bush and previous presidents, wrote that the day after the Sept. 11 attacks Bush aggressively instructed him and other aides to "see if Saddam did this," despite evidence pointing to al- Qaida. In his book, Woodward describes Vice President Dick Cheney as a "powerful, steamrolling force" in the administration that some in the government believed had a "fever" for taking down Saddam. The Iraqi leader had invaded Kuwait during the administration of Bush's father and later plotted to kill the former president. After a CIA briefing on the spy data on Iraqi weapons, Bush said the intelligence would leave the public unconvinced. But CIA Director George Tenet described the case against Iraq as a "slam dunk." Bush said he took Tenet's assurances as a guarantee, Woodward relayed during an interview with the CBS program "60 Minutes," scheduled to air tonight. Woodward said he found that the administration quietly shifted money around to pay for early preparations for war in Iraq, without the approval of Congress. He said those preparations included building landing strips and addressing other military needs in Kuwait. The money, about $700 million, was taken in July 2002 from a budget item that had been approved for the war in Afghanistan, Woodward wrote. "Some people are going to look at that document called the Constitution, which says that no money will be drawn from the Treasury unless appropriated by Congress," Woodward says in his CBS interview. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ <A HREF="http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
