[LA Times] Bush Deceived Public on Iraq War, Gore Says

Bush Deceived Public on Iraq War, Gore Says (subscritpion)
From Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Al Gore on Monday accused President Bush of intentionally deceiving the public about the reasons for invading Iraq and said Bush was so ideologically driven that he refused to admit — or even learn from — his mistakes.

"It is beyond incompetence — it is recklessness that risks the safety and security of the American people," Gore said in a speech at Georgetown University.

Gore, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2000 and loser of that bitterly contested election, complained that Bush's refusal to budge from "a rigid, right-wing ideology" had led him to forbid any dissent and ignore warnings that might conflict with his assumptions about Iraq, tax cuts and other policy issues.

"He is arrogantly out of touch with reality," Gore said. "He refuses to ever admit mistakes, which means that so long as he is our president we are doomed to repeat them."

The speech, sponsored by the liberal activist group MoveOn.org, was billed as Gore's last major policy speech before the Nov. 2 election. He delivered his remarks in strong but measured tones, avoiding the overheated passion that had marked some of his appearances this year.

Gore touched on many topics but saved his sharpest critique for Bush's Iraq policies. He said evidence from the Sept. 11 commission and other reports showed the invasion of Iraq was Bush's first choice rather than his last.

Worst of all, Gore said, was that Bush and his Cabinet purposely created the false impression that Saddam Hussein was linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist network and that the Iraqi leader was somehow to blame for the Sept. 11 attacks — a notion that 70% of the public once believed, according to polls.

"This was not an unfortunate misreading of the available evidence, causing a mistaken linkage between Iraq and Al Qaeda," Gore said. "This was something else — a willful choice to make a specific linkage whether evidence existed or not."

The Republican National Committee dismissed Gore's criticism: "Each time he speaks, Al Gore, like John Kerry, demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to protect America's homeland and win the war on terror."

Gore, who won the popular vote in 2000 but lost the electoral vote after a recount of ballots in Florida, has not campaigned with Sen. John F. Kerry, but he has made speeches and appearances to support the presidential nominee and to help the Democratic Party raise money.