[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by ajmccarrell

I don't anyone is deliberately lying. What I do think is that the government is completely incompetent. I mean, everyone here thinks that Bush was being diabolical (insert Frankenstein laugh here), but what else was ever done that was competent? The tax cuts are the only thing I didn't have some reservations on or cringe over. That's why I don't buy conspiracy theories. The government can't do anything without leaks, graft, publicity seeking whistleblowers, sycophants in soundbytes, etc. Heck, even Scott McLellan doesn't think he deliberately lied. It appears there was a lot of cherry picking of intelligence and assumptions, certainly. Bush ran the government like a big company and this is exactly what you get with a very large company. A certain environnment is created, and certain goals are set and people fall all over themselves trying to accomplish that goal. Bush clearly wanted to take down Saddam, so he did. It's not that I think that Bush wasn't wrong, I never said that, he certainly was. It's like a car accident or train wreck; everyone sees something different. This is what happens when you get top-heavy and bloated. Big government makes even bigger mistakes.

I mostly agree but I do think there was intent to mislead, aka lying going on. I think that you give the players too much credit. Otherwise I think you're right on the money.