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Tuesday, July 13, 2004
The wrong 'why' for U.S. invasion
The Senate's careful report on intelligence carries a strong message. America waged war against another country on erroneous pretenses.
That's a stressful reality for a country that considers itself a force for peace.
All along, many Americans thought the war was based on wrong assessments of Iraqi weapons programs, terrorist ties and overall military strength. But much of the public and many members of Congress in both parties believed in a real threat to national security.
The report finds that the warnings stemmed from faulty intelligence. Even some senators who voted to support President Bush are saying that knowing the truth would or might have made a difference in their own votes and Congress' final decision on war.
The Senate report carefully avoids blaming the administration, finding no evidence of pressure on analysts to change their conclusions. Even if that disputed conclusion is accepted, though, it's sobering to recall that Vice President Dick Cheney publicly began beating the drums for war in August 2002, declaring Iraq a threat.
No matter what mistakes the intelligence community made, a war fever infected the Bush administration.
Americans must digest the report's unsettling assessment of the basis for a war in which Iraqis and Americans are still dying. The report will not help the country figure out the next steps. But it raises new questions about the doctrine of pre-emptive war. And it certainly will create greater skepticism for the next administration to declare it has grounds to launch an unprovoked war.
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