An exchange from the Bush/Blair press conference:
Q Mr. President, an account of the White House after 9/11 says that you ordered invasion plans for Iraq six days after September the 11th — Bob Woodward’s account. Isn’t it the case that you have always intended war on Iraq, and that international diplomacy is a charade in this case?
THE PRESIDENT: Actually, prior to September the 11th, we were discussing smart sanctions. We were trying to fashion a sanction regime that would make it more likely to be able to contain somebody like Saddam Hussein. After September the 11th, the doctrine of containment just doesn’t hold any water, as far as I’m concerned.
I’ve told you the strategic vision of our country shifted dramatically, and it shifted dramatically because we now recognize that oceans no longer protect us, that we’re vulnerable to attack.
This is, of course, a demonstrable lie, as this article makes clear. This war has been on the drafting board since well before September 11. And any pundit who argues otherwise is either poorly informed or lying, and in either case, is not a person whose words should be trusted.