Michael Santomauro
8 Questions Tim Russert Won't Ask George W. Bush
Tue Feb 10 13:32:24 2004
64.140.158.77

8 Questions Tim Russert Won't Ask George W. Bush
By David Corn
http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3&pid=1238

Tim Russert, the Grand Inquisitor of Sunday morning, is scheduled to have
George W. Bush in the witness chair for a full hour on the next Meet the Press.
He's a lucky man--Russert, that is. This will be high drama, as the nation's
politerati--and millions of others--watch to see if Russert gives Bush the
hot-seat treatment.

There is, of course, much to ask Bush about. Did he decided to use military
force against Iraq before 9/11? Where are the WMDs he insisted were there? Why
is he using phony budget numbers? Did he engage in less-than-proper business
dealings before he entered politics? Why he has misled the public while
promoting his policies on stem cells research, global warming, and missile defense?
Why has he opposed certain homeland security measures and not adequately funded
others? It's a long list, and I'm sure Russert is busy preparing his own
queries. But in an unsolicited act of kindness, I have crafted eight questions for
Russert--several on matters in the news, a few on issues that have received
less attention. And, Tim, since you always like to display your source material
when you ask the tough questions, feel free to call me, and I'll send you the
citations or the clips. Unlike many of Bush's WMD assertions, these questions
are based on real evidence.

* In October 2002, during a speech in Cincinnati, you said that Saddam
Hussein had a "massive stockpile" of biological weapons. But the National
Intelligence Estimate on Iraq did not report there was any "massive stockpile" of
bioweapons in Iraq. And this past Thursday, CIA director, George Tenet said, "We
said we had no specific information on the types or quantities of [biological]
weapons, agent, or stockpiles at Baghdad's disposal." So if the CIA did not say
there was a "massive stockpile" of biological weapons in Iraq, what was your
basis for asserting a stockpile existed? Did you know something the CIA did
not? Did you overstate the intelligence?

* In December 2002, you said, "We do not know whether or not [Hussein] has a
nuclear weapon"--a remark suggesting that Hussein might have one. But the
National Intelligence Estimate said that he did not have a nuclear weapon and that
it would take Iraq five to seven years to produce a nuclear weapon--and then
only if its nuclear weapons program was "left unchecked." This past week,
Tenet said, "We said Saddam Hussein did not have a nuclear weapon." Was it not
misleading to tell the public that "we don't know" whether Iraq had a nuclear
weapon, when, in fact, we did know?

* Before the war, you said Hussein was "dealing" with al Qaeda. On May 1, you
called Hussein an "ally" of Al Qaeda. At a press conference in July 2003, you
were asked to provide evidence to back up your claims that Hussein had been
working with al Qaeda. You replied,

"Yes, I think, first of all, remember I just said we've been there for 90
days since the cessation of major military operations. Now, I know in our world
where news comes and goes and there's this kind of instant--instant news and
you must have done this, you must do that yesterday, that there's a level of
frustration by some in the media. I'm not suggesting you're frustrated. You don't
look frustrated to me at all. But it's going to take time for us to gather
the evidence and analyze the mounds of evidence, literally, the miles of
documents that we have uncovered. "

That is, you said that investigators were still looking for evidence. But the
question was, what evidence did you have at the time that you made those
prewar claims that al Qaeda and Hussein were in cahoots? You did not answer that
question then. Can you tell us what evidence you had for saying that Hussein
was an "ally" of al Qaeda?

* In July 2001, US intelligence produced a warning that read, "Based on a
review of all-source reporting over the last five months, we believe that UBL
[Usama bin Laden] will launch a significant terrorist attack against U.S. and/or
Israeli interests in the coming weeks. The attack will be spectacular and
designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack
preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning."

This was less than two months before the horrific 9/11 attacks. According to
the final report of the joint inquiry on 9/11 conducted by the House and
Senate intelligence committees, this warning was prepared for "senior government
officials." The committees did not publicly say who received the report, and
they said this was because the CIA would not permit them to tell the public which
"senior government officials" were warned. The committees were angry about
being gagged this way. But committee sources did tell reporters that this report
was sent to the White House.
Why wouldn't your administration tell the public who saw this warning? Did
you or any of your national security team see this report? If so, what did you
or they do in response? If this report did not make it to you or your senior
aides, wouldn't you consider that a terrible mistake and want to find out who
was responsible for that?

* In your Air National Guard records, your annual performance review, dated
May 2, 1973, says that you did not report for duty to your home base for an
entire year. When this was disclosed during the 2000 campaign, your campaign said
that you had spent part of that time doing service at an Air National Guard
base in Alabama. But the commander of that base said--and recently
confirmed--that you never showed up there. In 2000, your campaign promised to produce the
names of people whom you served with in Alabama and who could vouch for your
presence at the base there. It never did so. Why not? Can you now give us names
of men or women with whom you served in Alabama?

* During the year in question, you lost your flight status and were grounded
for failing to submit to an annual physical examination. In 2000, your
campaign aides said that was because you were in Alabama at the time and your
personal doctor was in Houston. But the Boston Globe noted, "Flight physicals can be
administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons." Not personal
physicians. And there were military physicians stationed in Alabama, where you were
living for part of that year. Why did you not take a flight physical? Why did
your campaign put out an explanation that was wrong?

* By your own account, you returned to Houston after the November election of
1972. Yet the records show you did not report in to your Air National Guard
base there for six months--not until after that performance review noted you
had been missing for a year. Why not? What were you doing during that time?

* When you ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1978 in Texas, you gave an
interview to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper. You were asked about your
position on abortion, and this is how that newspaper reported your answer: "Bush
said he opposes the pro-life amendment [which would outlaw abortion] and
favors leaving up to a woman and her doctor the abortion question." Sixteen years
later, when you ran for governor in Texas in 1994, you campaigned as an
antiabortion conservative. Few people seem to realize your position on abortion
changed 180 degrees. Please tell us, when did you change your view on abortion and
why?

DON'T FORGET ABOUT DAVID CORN'S NEW BOOK, The Lies of George W. Bush:
Mastering the Politics of Deception (Crown Publishers). A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
The Library Journal says, "Corn chronicles to devastating effect the lies,
falsehoods, and misrepresentations....Corn has painstakingly unearthed a bill of
particulars against the the president that is as damaging as it is thorough."
For more information and a sample, check out the book's official website:
www.bushlies.com 

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Peace is patriotic!
Michael Santomauro
Editorial Director
253 West 72nd street #1711
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Available for Talk-Radio interviews 24hours 212-787-7891
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