Anyone half way to open mindedness now knows the case for attacking Iraq was manufactured. But it’s only fair to recognize the president and his inner circle believed they lied in a good cause: that the U.S. and the world would benefit from American hegemony in the Middle East, the Iraq action to be the opening move toward that goal.

During 2002, the State Department had instructed its leading Mideast expert to work with several groups of Iraqi exiles to assess potential problems in a post-war Iraq. The resulting report predicted a need for long and expensive U.S. commitment.

But the Iraqi National Congress, exile group headed by Ahmed Chalabi, persuaded Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld that U.S. “liberators” would be greeted with cheers and flowers. Rejecting the State Department report, he set up a Defense Department group, which produced the desired rosier forecast and had the State Department expert shut out of any further reconstruction planning.

Following a quick and easy victory by U.S. troops, the Iraqi National Congress would take over reconstruction and humanitarian work, with short-term U.S. assistance, supplemented by oil revenues and effectively form an interim government, compliant to U.S. direction.

In the euphoria induced by this outcome, the cause cited for the war would quickly slip from public attention.

The violence and disorder in Iraq now shows us the results of the end trying to justify the means (preemption and falsehood) – and the end turning out to be a delusion.

Dorothy E. Prince, Auburn

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