Bush cries "wolf"

It's been more than a year since Bush and Co. starting arguing that Iraq was trying to build a nuclear bomb, yet in that time, not a single shred of evidence has emerged.

Front and center in the administration's arguments was the discovery of aluminum tubes Bush argued could only be used in a weapon's program. However, that notion has now been thoroughly discredited.

As the U.N. inspections continue, some weapons experts said the aluminum tubes saga could undermine the credibility of claims about Iraq's arsenal. To date, the Bush administration has declined to release photos or other specific evidence to bolster its contention that Iraq is actively seeking to acquire new biological, chemical and nuclear arms, and the means to deliver them.

[...]

"If the U.S. government puts out bad information it runs a risk of undermining the good information it possesses," said David Albright, a former IAEA weapons inspector who has investigated Iraq's past nuclear programs extensively. "In this case, I fear that the information was put out there for a short-term political goal: to convince people that Saddam Hussein is close to acquiring nuclear weapons."

And the kicker?

Significantly, there is no evidence so far that Iraq sought other materials required for centrifuges, such as motors, metal caps and special magnets, U.S. and international officials said.

Kind of hard to build a nuclear bomb with nothing but aluminum tubes.

Incidentally, there is no mystery about the purpose of the aluminum tubes -- they are the perfect size to fit Iraq's rusting multiple rocket launchers. Banned by the arms embargo on the nation, but a far cry from building nukes.

Ultimately, the administration is shooting itself in the foot. By using exaggeration and outright falsehoods to try and sell the war, they are making skeptics of the entire world.

And everyone knows the story about the boy who cried "wolf".

Posted January 23, 2003 07:12 PM | Comments (41)