Beginning to feel very petulent--
The point about the yellow cake story is that EVERYONE knew it was false and the reason it was included in the speech was because it was false. If it were true, it would have been "top secret" and even the President couldn't reveal it on national television.
Telling lies to "protect national security" and "confuse the enemy" is called "disinformation." The problem here isn't that the false information was disseminated, but that it was USED to justify an otherwise unjustifiable action.
Spreading false stories to keep bad things from happening is one thing; spreading false stories to make bad things happen is another.
Wilson telling the truth about top secret matters would normally lead to a charge of treason. That normal procedures won't work in this case is obvious from the fact that to prosecute him for telling the truth, they would have to admit that the nation (not just the press) was lied to.
That's why even now Hadley comes out to speak to Cindy Sheehan and tells her the President "believed" there were WMDs in Saddam's arsenal. Aside from the fact that one can't argue with belief, making this point at this time shows how important denying the lie is.
While it's OK to lie to your enemies, it's not OK to lie to your own people.
Posted by Hannah at August 8, 2005 06:20 AM