By now, we all know the story.  The Bush administration’s claim that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction was used as a pretense for invading Iraq.  To quote  former President Bush directly: “Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agents. Evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. The Iraqi dictator must not be permitted to threaten America and the world with horrible poisons and diseases and gases and atomic weapons.” In the shadow of 9 / 11, fear grew in the hearts of Americans – as it did in people throughout the world.  Such claims, as we later found out,  were little more than bald-faced lies. There were so many misleading statements, manipulative semantics and straight up  fabrication, it’s hard to know where to begin. After taking a poll around the RELATIVTY office, below is what was mentioned most often.

• 1. Everything said by Colin Powell to the United Nations -his presentation of satellite photos and American intelligence reports was immediately attacked as inaccurate. Several years later, it’s not only seen as laughable, but one of the biggest lies ever perpetrated on the world populace. Some have said Powell calls it the low point of his life. He resigned his post following Bush’s first term.
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• 2.  The War is Not About Oil – Nearly all players involved were former oilmen and the ministry of oil was immediately surrounded after the invasion.
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• 3.  Saddam Hussein was a Powerful Enemy of the United Dates and had Weapons of Mass Destruction - Hussein was an insignifacant Middle East dictator who posed no threat to America. Total number of WMDs, chemical or biological weapons found: zero.
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• 4.  American Soldiers will be Greeted as Liberators and Large Numbers of Iraqis Who Live Abroad will Return Home – more people are leaving Iraq now than ever before and needless to say, soldiers were treated like an occupying army and not the country’s saviors.
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• 5. Mission Accomplished – seven years and thousands of deaths later, there are many, including the 140,000 American soldiers still in Iraq, who would disagree with Mr. Bush.
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• 6.  No One Could Have Predicted the Violent Insurgency – intelligence report after intelligence report predicted any invasion of Iraq would result in a bloody insurgency.
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• 7. Saddam Hussein had Operational Ties with Al Qaeda – simply put, no ties were ever discovered.
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• 8. Forgien Fighters are to Blame for the Insurgency – 1 million Iraqis have died since 2003 and 4 million more have been displaced, leaving 20 million still in Iraq. Less than a thousand Syrian and Iranian radicals cannot be the cause of a six year long insurgency.
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• 9. Jessica Lynch Fought Her to Freedom and is an American Hero -the POW’s release was already arranged and not a single person was present when American soldiers stormed the hospital where the arrnaged drop was set (with cameras in tow) to rescue her.
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• 10. The United States of America has No Interest in a Permanent Presence in Iraq – four army bases are now permanently established and will remain in Iraq after any American withdrawal.

The Presidency of George W Bush saw some of the most defining moments in contemporary history. One would expect him to have gone down in quotations books on subjects like war and the economy. What George W Bush is most quoted for, however, is his famous slip-of-the-tongue. A man of few words and even less sense, comedians everywhere were sad to see his presidency come to an end. That George, he’s so wacky. When he opens his mouth, you never know what sort of strangeness he’s going to unleash on his audience. But that’s what makes him special.

• 1. “You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn’t it? I mean, that is fantastic that you’re doing that.” —to a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005
• 2. “I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.” —Greater Nashua, N.H., Jan. 27, 2000
• 3.  “They misunderestimated me.” —Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000
• 4. “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
• 5. The only way we can win is to leave before the job is done” - Greeley, Colorado, Nov. 4, 2006
• 6. You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror” - interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006
• 7.  Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.” —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004
• 8. Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?” —Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
• 9. I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” —Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000
• 10. “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004