Like the Vice President's statement that Iraq had reconstituted it's nuclear weapons program.

Like President Bush's statement in his State of the Union speech that Saddam was actively seeking to buy uranium from a country in Africa (i.e., Niger), and had the ability to produce 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.

Like Rumsfeld's claim that we would have no more than 30,000 troops remaining in Iraq by the end of 2003.

Like Paul Wolfowitz's testimony before the House Committee on Appropriations Hearing on a Supplemental War Regulation, 3/27/03 that Iraq's oil revenues would finance its own reconstruction.

Like Rumsfeld's statement regarding Saddam's weapons of mass destruction in an interview with ABC on March 30, 2003: "We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."

Like the Bush administration's coverup and denials of the extent of the torture and abuse of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and in secret prisons overseas practiced by the US military and the CIA.

Like Vice President Cheney's bald faced lie that Saddam had ties to Al Qaeda in a campaign speech he gave on September 10, 2004, despite the 9/11 Commission’s conclusion that there was no collaborative relationship between Saddam and Al Qaeda terrorists.

Like Vice President Cheney's assertion in June, 2005 that the Iraqi insurgency was in its "last throes."

Like the propaganda (i.e., "good news" stories) the Pentagon has paid Iraqi newspapers publish.

Like the Pentagon's deliberate and "significant underreporting" of the violence in Iraq disclosed in the report issued by the Iraq Study Group headed up by former Secretary of State James Baker.

These were just a few of the lies, falsehoods, cover-ups, erroneous statements, and deliberate disinformation that I recalled off the top of my head this morning. If I wanted to, I am certain that I or others could document hundreds of more examples. That won't matter to the Kool-Aid drinkers at The Jawa Report and elsewhere in Right Wing World who will continue to believe whatever the Bush administration and the Pentagon tell them, and will continue to doubt any media report which disputes the officially approved narrative regarding Iraq, Afghanistan and the War on Terror. Those of us on the "left" do not always blindly accept at face value major news reports because of a well documented bias in the mainstream US media favoring President Bush and Republicans, and attacking liberals, progressives, Democrats and anyone else who publicly dissents regarding the Bush administration’s well documented history of disinformation, lies and propaganda. However, I think in this instance we are more than justified in granting the Associated Press more credibility when it comes to their Iraq reporting than the official statements offered by our President and his government about what's happening "over there." The track record of the AP in Iraq may not be perfect, but it shines like a solid gold trophy in comparison to the Bush administration’s record for truth.

Iraq Iraq War Jamil Husssein Associated Press Pentagon Bush adminsitration Pentagon's Disinformation campaign President Bush Vice President Cheney Propaganda Right Wing Blogs Iraq Study Group Saddam Hussein 911 Commission Report Sixteen Words Niger forgeries Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Bush lies Michelle Malkin