Journalist Shares War Secrets

[gldstwmn]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in612067.shtml

(CBS) Legendary journalist Bob Woodward discusses his new book, which reveals secret details of the White House’s plans to attack Iraq, for the first time on television in an interview with correspondent Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes, Sunday, April 18, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Woodward interviewed 75 of the people who helped prepare for the war, including President Bush – the only source who speaks for attribution -- in the upcoming book, “Plan of Attack,” published by Simon & Schuster. Both CBSNews.com and Simon & Schuster are units of Viacom.

In the interview, Woodward talked about how the administration was able to finance secret preparations for the Iraq war.

"President Bush, after a National Security Council meeting, takes Don Rumsfeld aside, collars him physically and takes him into a little cubbyhole room and closes the door and says, 'What have you got in terms of plans for Iraq?' What is the status of the war plan? I want you to get on it. I want you to keep it secret," says Woodward.

"...The end of July 2002, they need $700 million, a large amount of money for all these tasks. And the president approves it. But Congress doesn't know and it is done. They get the money from a supplemental appropriation for the Afghan War, which Congress has approved. ...Some people are gonna look at a document called the Constitution which says that no money will be drawn from the treasury unless appropriated by Congress. Congress was totally in the dark on this."

Woodward will answer the following questions, among others, in the interview with Wallace Sunday night:


How early did President Bush begin planning the war on Iraq?


In the war’s wake, which top administration officials now barely speak to each other?


What did the CIA say to President Bush to convince him that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction?


Which foreign dignitary was told of the plans to attack Iraq days before even key cabinet members were briefed?


Which key advisers did President Bush ask – and not ask – about whether he should go to war with Iraq?


Why did the CIA think Saddam had been killed before the ground war even began?

[dissention]

Shocking.

Thanks for posting that, I'll be sure to grab a copy of the book when it's released.