Saturday Rapid Response: Bush lashes out with lies

The following media action alert courtesy of the Oregon branch of the Rapid Response Network.
Oregon Report — Saturday, November 12, 2005
Bush lashes out with lies—we, the people, must fight back

This LA times story by Warren Vieth and James Gerstenzang on Bush’s “counterattack” is the lead story above the fold in the Oregonian.

The story does not provide an adequate fact check for Bush’s lies/distortions: for example, the reporters say the Robb-Silverman Commission “found no evidence that White House officials or other administration figures pressured intelligence analysts to shade or change their reports for political reasons”—but fail to point out the commission wasn’t authorized to investigate any manipulation of the intelligence. Also, the reporters cast the entire story as a “rhetorical volley” of he said/he said/we’re clueless between R’s and D’s, leaving the average reader to conclude “it’s all politics.”

For a fairly good mainstream media assessment of the lies (they delicately call it “asterisks”) in Bush’s rewriting of history, see the WaPo’s Asterisks dot White House’s Iraq argument:Administration had access to intel that wasn’t shared with Congress

For an excellent full rebuttal of Bushco’s lies, see William Rivers Pitts'"Yes, they lied"

Speak out today—write a quick letter calling Bush on his lies. Send your message to as many media outlets as you can. And, talk to your friends and neighbors about Bush’s lies.

* The Democrats did not have access to the same intelligence as did the White House
* The competent, reality-based Clinton team warned of Saddam, got rid of Saddam’s WMDs, and never made false claims about his supposed ability to attack the US (let alone lead us into war under false pretenses)
* Bush is on the ropes, weak, vulnerable, desperate, pathetic, dangerous, incompetent, untrustworthy
* What is the strategy for success in Iraq?

letters@news.oregonian.com
letters@latimes.com
warren.vieth@latimes.com
letters@washpost.com
letters@nytimes.com
Contact your elected representatives
letters@news.oregonian.com
Or contact your local paper
Drop a quick line to national media

Never give up.
_____________________________________
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