'Technically' true

CBS News | Bush Knew Iraq Info Was False | July 10, 2003 20:44:36

(CBS) Senior administration officials tell CBS News the President's mistaken claim that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa was included in his State of the Union address -- despite objections from the CIA.

Before the speech was delivered, the portions dealing with Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were checked with the CIA for accuracy, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin.

CIA officials warned members of the President's National Security Council staff the intelligence was not good enough to make the flat statement Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa.

The White House officials responded that a paper issued by the British government contained the unequivocal assertion: "Iraq has ... sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." As long as the statement was attributed to British Intelligence, the White House officials argued, it would be factually accurate. The CIA officials dropped their objections and that's how it was delivered.

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa," Mr. Bush said.

The statement was technically correct, since it accurately reflected the British paper. But the bottom line is the White House knowingly included in a presidential address information its own CIA had explicitly warned might not be true.

Bush - "Ok, so I know it's not really true, but since I can define it as a British claim, I'm not really lying."

Clinton - "Ok, so I know she gave me a blowjob, but since I can define "sexual relations" a penile/vaginal penetration, I'm not really lying"

Why did they call Clinton "Slick Willy" again?

Sorry - but if "technically true" isn't good enough for discussions of a blowjob, it's certainly not good enough for justifying going to war.