Bob Woodward, the reporter whose coverage of the Waterngate break-in in the 1970’s helped to bring down the administration of President Richard Nixon, has written a new book, Plan of Attack that provides a behind the scenes detailed look into White House preparations for the invasion of Iraq, preparations that began without Congressional knowledge or approval and just five days after Sept. 11.
In an interview with Mike Wallace on CBS News’ 60 Minutes, Woodward revealed how Vice President Dick Cheney was one of the driving forces behind the claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Cheney reportedly had the President’s ear on a daily basis, while others in the administration, including National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice were kept out of the loop.
The book, due out on April 19, was written after Woodward interviewed 75 top administration officials, including President Bush, who allowed himself to be quoted on the record. In a startling exchange, Woodward asked Bush if he’d consulted his father before invading.
“I asked the president about this. And President Bush said, ‘Well no,’ and then he got defensive about it,” says Woodward. “And then he said something that really struck me. He said of his father, ‘He is the wrong father to appeal to for advice. The wrong father to go to, to appeal to in terms of strength.’ And then he said, ‘There’s a higher father that I appeal to.’”
Undoubtedly Bush apologists will stick their heads further up their asses and try to explain away such reckless behavior and clear violations of the Constitution, but the evidence is mounting and a case for impeachment can and should be made.
This administration, for reasons known only to President Bush himself, has avoided going after the real culprits for 9/11, created false reasons for an unnecessary invasion of Iraq for the purposes of removing another head of state, caused the deaths of 700 American soldiers and close to 10,000 Iraqis, and in the process escalated the level of violence around the world.