But you knew that.

The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit center for investigative journalism, finds that in the two years after 9/11, the Bush administration made at least 935 false statements to justify military action.

Neocons like to roll their eyes and claim, in exhausted, put-upon voices, that “everyone thought that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.” I feel compelled to point out that it took 2 years and 935 statements (plus multiple trips to the UN) precisely because not everyone was convinced: dissenting voices weren’t limited to French newspapers and college campuses, they were also in Time and Newsweek, the House of Representatives and Houses of Parliament, and at the center of multiple high-profile firings and smear campaigns (remember Scott Ritter and Hans Blix?).

In July of 2003 President Bush submitted to a rare press conference, and The Daily Show was kind enough to cover it. It’s a wonderful clip and you should all watch it. In it, Bush explains that the lackluster economy can be blamed on journalists, who have spooked investors with their incessant, um, reporting:  Bush complains that every time he turns on his television all he hears and sees is “March to War. March to War. March to War.”

Jon Stewart: “Yeah, why were they doing that? I mean, it’s not like some asshole was marching us to war….“

Tags: 9/11, Bush, Center for Public Integrity, impotent rage, iraq, Rachel Powers, The Daily Show, War