I have been concerned about the truthfulness of the administration for some time. I think the case is pretty well-made at this point that Bush has certainly lied about Iraqi efforts to buy uranium from Niger. The question remains regarding what other lies he's told about the the budget, his promises to African countries, etc.

My comments make little difference in the larger scheme of things, but it is not just me who questions Bush's forthrightness. I take particular notice when members of the Senate conclude that we have been lied to by W and his coterie of spin doctors and synchophants.

Take a look at an exerpt from comments made by Senator Carl Levin, Ranking Member Senate Armed Services Committee. Levin stated, in part:
"The President's statement that Iraq was attempting to acquire African uranium was not a "mistake." It was not inadvertent. It was not a slip. It was negotiated between the CIA and the NSC. It was calculated. It was misleading. And what compounds its misleading nature is that the CIA not only "differed with the British dossier on the reliability of the uranium reporting" to use Director Tenet's words, but the CIA had also "expressed [its] reservations," again using Director Tenet's words, to the British in September 2002, nearly five months before the State of Union address. Furthermore, the CIA pressed the White House to remove a similar reference from the President's speech on October 7, 2002, and the White House did so - nearly four months before the State of the Union address.

The uranium issue is not just about sixteen words. It is about the conscious decisions that were made, apparently by the NSC and concurred in by the CIA, to create a false impression. And it is not an isolated example. There is troubling evidence of other dubious statements and exaggerations by the Intelligence Community and Administration officials."

Levin makes it plain that Bush did not "mis-speak" but, given the intentionality of the statement, lied to Congress and the American people. He cynically wanted to manipulate the fears of the population and a cowed Congress to support his unilateral attack of Iraq.

You can read all of Levin's presentation in the Congressional Record, 108th Congress, First Session, Tuesday 15 July 2003.