An Exact Count of Lies

We all know Bush and the rest of the administration lied in the run up to the Iraq War. But do you know exactly how many times they lied?

Two non-profit journalism groups, The Center for Public Integrity and the Fund for Independence in Journalism, counted every time Bush, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, and the rest of the representatives of the administration, said that Iraq and Al-Qaida were linked (lie) or that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to get WMDs (lie).

In total during the two years before the war the administration lied a total of (get ready for it) 935 times. That is 1.3 lies a day, every day, for two years. The implication (as reported in the San Jose Mercury News on 1/23/08) is that the administration knew these were lies, even as they propagated them by every means possible. This number came from a review of a database of public statements made by the administration, in interviews, press conferences and the like.

The study also faults the press for believing these lies, as well it should. There was no independent verification. Bush and his cronies got a free pass after 9/11 and they have been making the most of it ever since. It makes me ashamed of my profession. The article by Douglas K. Daniel quotes the study as saying: "The media coverage creat[ed] an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war." The press fell for it, and so we all fell for it.

You all know I am no fan of this administration. But knowing they lied almost 1000 times (and that is just before the war) on top of their incompetence (as see in Iraq and Katrina) and corruption (Haliburton) makes me even more heartsick for this country. How long will it take us to repair the damage? Both at home and abroad, in our wars and in global perception of the United States. I pray we get a Democrat in the oval office come November.