Everyone had the same intelligence. This bogus claim has been repeated over and over again by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and the entire GOP spin machine in their defense of pre-war WMD claims by the administration. This is not true. It’s a ridiculous claim, and the fact that they are repeating it cast even more doubt on the administrations credibility about pre-war claims.
Senator Bob Graham had a front-row seat during the runup to the Iraq war given his position on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Calling Bush’s claims “outrageous,” on Sunday he made it clear that most Democrats did NOT have access to the same intelligence as the administration. This should be obvious to everyone. Legislators NEVER have the same access to information, and the Bush administration is notorious for being one of the most secretive administrations since the Nixon years.
If the administration’s main defense is so patently false, how can we trust them? Do they have any credibility left? Graham says no:
The president has undermined trust. No longer will the members of Congress be entitled to accept his veracity. Caveat emptor has become the word. Every member of Congress is on his or her own to determine the truth.
