Prewar statements by Cheney under scrutiny - Billings Gazette [View All]

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http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?display=rednews/2003/08/06/build/world/46-cheney.inc


Prewar statements by Cheney under scrutiny

Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON -- Unlike CIA Director George Tenet and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, who have taken responsibility and ex-pressed regret for allowing President Bush to make an erroneous claim in his State of the Union address, Vice President Dick Cheney in recent days has staked out an unapologetic defense of the war in Iraq.


Last week, the president took personal responsibility for the claim that Iraq sought to buy uranium from Africa, an assertion that rested partly on forged documents. But a day later, Cheney was basking in applause during a speech to conservative state legislators with a line suggesting little doubt about the war's justifications or results.


"In Iraq, a dictator with a deep and bitter hatred of the United States -- who built, possessed and used weapons of mass destruction and cultivated ties to terrorists -- is no more," Cheney said.


As the White House fends off questions about whether the administration misused prewar intelligence, lawmakers and analysts are increasingly scrutinizing the role played by Cheney. Some are asking if Cheney, one of the most powerful figures in the administration and perhaps the most influential vice president in history, went too far in making the case for war.

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Even in the 'wilderness' of Montana, the people are again learning to cypher .... Note that this story is dated August 6th, meaning that the media has NOT dropped the 'Weaponsgate' story entirely ...