LIE -- WHITE HOUSE DID NOT ORDER IRAQ PLANS RIGHT AFTER 9/11: White
House Press Secretary Scott McClellan
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...0040323-4.html)
yesterday was asked about Clarke's charges that "the President was
directing the Pentagon to prepare plans for the invasion of Iraq." He
responded, "that's part of his revisionist history." The reporter then
asked, "Are you saying it's not true?" McClellan again responded, "Yes,
that's right. I am. That's just his revisionist history to make
suggestions like that." This denial was echoed by National Security
Adviser Condoleezza Rice
(http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0403/22/ltm.04.html) as well. But
according to the 1/12/03 WP (which quotes senior Administration
officials) "six days after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, President Bush signed a 2-and-a-half-page document
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...nguage=printer)
marked 'TOP SECRET'" that "directed the Pentagon to begin planning
military options for an invasion of Iraq." This is corroborated by a CBS
News, which reported on 9/4/02 that five hours after the 9/11 attacks,
"Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was telling his aides to come up
with plans for striking Iraq
(http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/...in520830.shtml)
.." And it is consistent with the President's thinking. As he said
immediately after the attacks, " I believe Iraq was involved
(http://newsmine.org/archive/9-11/was...arts-today.txt)
" and Iraq " probably was behind this in the end
(http://www.amarilloglobenews.com/sto..._thebush.shtml) " -
despite having no proof and being told that was not the case
(http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in607356.shtml) .