Continuing the blog series on the administration push to Iraq. In August, 2002, the partly stealth, partly hype campaign is launched in deadly earnest. By this time, the White House has marshaled all the necessary think-tank support and has enlisted every significant element of the rightwing echo machine.
August 1-14, 2002:

Aug. 1, 2002 – The CIA publishes a paper titled ‘Iraq’s Reemerging Nuclear Program.’ The paper does not mention the Niger uranium story.

Aug. 5, 2002 – U.S. and U.K. forces destroy an air defense base in southwest Iraq, near the Saudi border. (Middle East Economic Survey Sept 23, 2002)

 
Aug. 5, 2002 – Gen. Franks briefs Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell and Rice on the “Hybrid Plan” which will be used in invading Iraq.

Aug. 2002 – White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card forms a White House Iraq Group, according to an article a year later in the Washington Post:

 
“Systematic coordination began in August, when Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. formed the White House Iraq Group, or WHIG, to set strategy for each stage of the confrontation with Baghdad. A senior official who participated in its work called it "an internal working group, like many formed for priority issues, to make sure each part of the White House was fulfilling its responsibilities.        

       In an interview with the New York Times published Sept. 6, Card did not mention the WHIG but hinted at its mission. "From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August," he said.  The group met weekly in the Situation Room.

       Among the regular participants were Karl Rove, the president's senior political adviser; communications strategists Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin and James R. Wilkinson; legislative liaison Nicholas E. Calio; and policy advisers led by Rice and her deputy, Stephen J. Hadley, along with I. Lewis Libby, Cheney's chief of staff.” (“Depiction of Threat Outgrew Supporting Evidence,” Aug. 10, 2003, front page)

 
The campaign to sell war with Iraq to the broader public begins openly at this time. The campaign is launched by the Weekly Standard magazine and is followed up by conservative commentators using both their network television appearances and their syndicated columns. Notwithstanding Andrew Card’s later comment about not launching a new product in August, starting in August 2002, either the Weekly Standard or the ‘Project for the New American Century,’ or sometimes a sympathetic commentator allied with them writing for the Washington Post or other majors, runs an article once a week for the next 16 weeks, pushing war with Iraq.

Aug. 8, 2002 – Rumsfeld is briefed by the Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, in Douglas Feith’s office, and a member of the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group (PCTEG) on a draft titled “Assessing the Relationship between Iraq and al-Qaida.”

Aug. 8, 2002 -- Rightwing radio personality Rush Limbaugh weighs in on the topic of war with Iraq and says that September 11 would be a good time to attack.

Same day – Radio personality Bill O’Reilly also supports war, with “A Friendly Reminder” on “how America's alleged allies are dealing with the Saddam Hussein situation.”

 
Translation: America’s allies, along with the rest of the world, are not rushing to war with Iraq.

Same day – George F. Will brings out a column calling for congressional authorization for the President to go to war with Iraq (“If We Must Fight, Let’s Do It Right,” Chicago Sun-Times, A31).

Aug. 9, 2002 – The Joint Intelligence Task Force-Combating Terrorism (JITF-CT) issues a memo, “JITF-CT Commentary: Iraq and al-Qaida, Making the Case,. The memo rebuts most of the Feith office draft purporting to show a relationship between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.

Aug. 10, 2002 – Bush discusses Iraq with reporters in Crawford, Texas, again making clear his continuing agenda against Iraq:

 
“THE PRESIDENT: Anybody got anything?

Q Do you, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I do. I'm in close consultations with my senior staff on a variety of subjects. As I said yesterday, I have no timetable for any of our policies as regards to Iraq. That -- yesterday I spent time with my principal advisors on that subject, as well as others. I am pleased with the reports about the productivity of American workers. I thought that was a continuing signal that our economy grows and strengthens.

Next week I'll be having an economic summit that we'll discuss ways that we can further job growth. So, anyway, I'll be spending some time on subjects that might interest you all.

Q Mr. President, yesterday in an interview I guess with Scott, you described Iraq as the enemy.

THE PRESIDENT: I described them as the axis of evil once. I described them as an enemy until proven otherwise. They obviously, you know, desire weapons of mass destruction. I presume that he still views us as an enemy. I have constantly said that we owe it to our children and our children's children to free the world from weapons of mass destruction in the hands of those who hate freedom. This is a man who has poisoned his own people, I mean he's had a history of tyranny . . .

Q Do you think the American people are prepared for casualties in Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that that presumes there's some kind of imminent war plan. As I said, I have no timetable. What I do believe the American people understand is that weapons of mass destruction in the hands of leaders such as Saddam Hussein are very dangerous for ourselves, our allies. They understand the concept of blackmail. They know that when we speak of making the world more safe, we do so not only in the context of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, but nations that have proven themselves to be bad neighbors and bad actors.

Thank you. Have fun today.”

 
Notwithstanding the reference to “bad neighbors,” the nations bordering Iraq do not support an invasion of Iraq. This point is not made during presidential appearances, and the large media outlets continue to neglect it or to omit it.

Aug. 14, 2002 – National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice chairs a meeting of principals, without Bush present since he is in Crawford, Texas. The officials work on a draft of a National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) titled “Iraq: Goals, Objectives and Strategy.”

          Part of the final product: “U.S. goal: Free Iraq in order to eliminate Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and associated programs, to prevent Iraq from breaking out of containment and becoming a more dangerous threat to the region and beyond.” (Woodward, Plan of Attack, 154)

Aug. 14, 2002 – The Joint Intelligence Task Force-Combating Terrorism (JITF-CT), above, issues another memorandum about the purported relationship between al Qaeda and Saddam. This memo rebuts in more detail the Feith office draft purporting to show such a relationship.