Bob Woodward: Bush Misleads On Iraq

(CBS)  President Bush's former chief of staff, Andy Card, said the Bush presidency will be judged by three things: "Iraq, Iraq, Iraq." Bob Woodward, of Watergate fame, has just completed his third book on the Bush presidency, "State of Denial."

Woodward spent more than two years, interviewed more than 200 people including most of the top officials in the administration and came to a damning conclusion. He tells Mike Wallace that for the last three years the White house has not been honest with the American public.

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"It is the oldest story in the coverage of government: the failure to tell the truth," Woodward charges.

Asked to explain what he means that the Bush administration has not told the truth about Iraq, Woodward says, "I think probably the prominent, most prominent example is the level of violence."

Not just the growing sectarian violence — Sunnis against Shias that gets reported every day — but attacks on U.S., Iraqi and allied forces. Woodward says that's the most important measure of violence in Iraq, and he unearthed a graph, classified secret, that shows those attacks have increased dramatically over the last three years.

"Getting to the point now where there are eight, 900 attacks a week," he says. "That's more than 100 a day—that is four an hour. Attacking our forces."

Woodward says the government had kept this trend secret for years before finally declassifying the graph just three weeks ago. And Woodward accuses President Bush and the Pentagon of making false claims of progress in Iraq – claims, contradicted by facts that are being kept secret.

For example, Woodward says an intelligence report classified secret from the Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded in large print that "THE SUNNI ARAB INSURGENCY IS GAINING STRENGTH AND INCREASING CAPACITY, DESPITE POLITICAL PROGRESS."

And "INSURGENTS RETAIN THE CAPABILITIES TO…INCREASE THE LEVEL OF VIOLENCE THROUGH NEXT YEAR."

But just two days later a public defense department report said just the opposite. "Violent action, will begin to wane in early 2007," the report said.

What does Woodward make of that?

"The truth is that the assessment by intelligence experts is that next year, 2007, is going to get worse and, in public, you have the president and you have the Pentagon [saying], 'Oh, no, things are going to get better,'" he tells Wallace. "Now there's public, and then there's private. But what did they do with the private? They stamp it secret. No one is supposed to know," says Woodward.

"Why is that secret? The insurgents know what they're doing. They know the level of violence and how effective they are. Who doesn't know? The American public," he adds.

"President Bush says over and over as Iraqi forces stand up, U.S. forces will stand down. The number of Iraqis in uniform today I understand is up to 300,000?" Wallace asks.

"They've stood up from essentially zero to 300,000. This is the military and the police," Woodward replies.

"But, U.S. forces are not standing down. The attacks keep coming," Wallace remarks.

"They've stood up and up and up and we haven't stood down, and it's worse," Woodward replies.

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[drgoodwin12]

to getreal have you not insulted just about everyone here?the statements posted below are copies of your post.

[drgoodwin12]

to get real more of your comments First of all Excalibur 18, learn to articulate your ENGLISH! Your sentences are outrages and not proper. Before you go on this column, make sure you know how to write properly. You see, this is the type of people that think they know all the answers. Losers! Get real and Get a life! Loser Dorks who have nothing better to do with their lives ACT like they are the RIGHT INFORMANTS in the political life. All of you should run for President since you think you know how to handle this world the right way. God help us all!

[drgoodwin12]

to getreal Yeah!!!! Let's get Bush impeached!! YEAH! We losers who do nothing but sit in front of the cbsnews opinion page have all the answers to solve this blame game. MORONS!,more of your solutions

[drgoodwin12]

To getreal where have I insulted you by incuinating that you are a rovette,an anarchist or that you have been in hibernation?Those are not insults they are only a mirror to hold up to your face.If you are a rovette so be it, or an anarchist. If you have been in hibernation for the last 6 years so what so has most of the country.Those are not insults and I am still waiting for you to post a solution to the U.S. problems.Even if they are not plausible they are better than rhetoric.

[johnnnn1]

rsinghmd
I couldnt agree more, and it's evident in his speech and behaviour. I recall the interview with Tim Russet and then again with Wolf Blitzer, there was this disenjenous effort to convince anyone that he and only he is right in this fight against terror. Make note and look in his eyes when he delivers his speeches, there is this determination. Rent the movie The Caine Mutiny and ask if there are similarirties.

[rsingmd]

I am a Psychiatrist for 20 Yrs and have worked with Substance Abuse Disorder, including Alcoholism. There is a saying in the field of Alcoholism"Once an Alcoholic Always an Alcoholic".An Alcoholic may stop drinking alcohol but the behaviors associated with the disease continues, specialy the "DENIAL" which is the paramount symptom of the disease.It is easier to be clean but very hard to be SOBER,that is free of the behaviors.From the beginning President Bush has shown clear and consistent Alcoholic behavior and because of his disease he will continue to to use denial in many areas of his life,including the War and the State of the State.

[falcore1]

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --George W. Bush,
We're here,we're here, we're here because we're here...

[clevenjones]

The president and vice president say one of the reasons they know they are winning the war on terror is because the terroists have not attacked in the U.S. since 911. The terrorists know they do not have to attack here because they attack the U.S. period in Iraq. They have also stepped up in afganistan. However, there is a rear flank terrorists attack on the U.S. They know the citizenry have grown weary of this war based on the proven deceit that got us in it. They will keep it up. We should not let our arrogance keep us there. Because we wear the red A (America) on our chest does not mean we should "stay the course." We should institute the plan of phased withdrawal immediately. The Iraquis will figure it out. They are not a stupid people. Our stupidity is the laughing stock of the world. We have a lot of work to do to restore credibility.

[shabab_cc]

Iraq War is a big mistake. The whole world knows it and so do the Bush Administration. It doesn't matter if somebody is reluctant to admit it. The fact is... it was a big mistake and a major disaster. It just made our world much worse and unsafe. The War started under the pretext of WMD, then is got shifted to freedom for Iraqi's from Saddam, and now it became a fight against terror or even justified as fighting against Al Qaeda.
The focus Shifted from WMD, because the US couldn't find any, Shifted from Iraqi's freedom because the Iraq is worse than Hell.
The focus and the strategy keeps shifting, because the US doesn't know why they are in Iraq and what they are doing and whom they are fighting.

[drgoodwin12]

To Raymond Howard Carlson your email address does not work,so what else beside what you have posted here do you have to say.To getreal your insults and banter remind one of of a rovette or a anarchist which is just as as bad.Offer solutions or intelligent dialogue,otherwise go back to hibernation,something you obviously have been in for the last 6 years.When the intel agencies and the pentagon both suggest and are currently training individuals for determent of terrorist recruitment that reinforces what I have calling for,for almost 3 years.