My past op-eds

Here is an op-ed of mine that was published at op/eds.com on Dec9th 2005.



December 09, 2005


The Bush lied mantra is nonsense
Michael Neibel


Judging by the letters to the editor of my local newspapers, it is truly amazing how many people still cling to the “Bush lied” nonsense. They don’t understand how utterly ridiculous they sound. Most Americans understand that there is a difference between being wrong and lying.

Americans supported Bush’s action in Afganistan and they supported the Iraq war as well. It was known that Saddam Hussein was a loose cannon; a man who invaded his neighbors twice and used WMD’s against Iran and his own people; a man who could not be trusted.

It was also known how much anthrax Saddam had in 1991. The UN weapons inspectors however could only find some of it. Saddam could not account for the rest of it. The inspectors could not determine one way or another, the presence of WMDs.

The inspectors are not responsible for the protection of the American people. That is President Bush’s responsibility. He wasn’t getting a definitive answer as to whether Saddam still had WMDs. His only option then was to go in and look to make sure. He did.

I liken it to a case where you and your wife and kids come home from a trip and as you enter the house you see a gun laying on the kitchen table. You turn to your family and say, “Stop. Nobody goes into the kitchen. There’s a gun in there. For reasons of safety we have to assume it is loaded until I check it out myself.”

So you go into the kitchen, pick up the gun, take it apart and find that it is in fact empty. Does this mean you lied to your family? Of course not. But when it comes to your family’s safety, did you do the right thing? Absolutely.

Also, to think Bush lied one would have to believe that he lied to his entire cabinet and they were all dumb enough to believe him, even though they were the ones with all the evidence (intelligence) and could see for themselves.

It takes a great deal of dishonesty to say Bush lied and even greater evasion to believe it yourself. Mr. Bush did the right thing by going into Iraq. His only mistake I think was in stopping at Iraq. There is another gun in Iran and the Iranians are trying hard to load it.








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