LIARS . . . DAMN LIARS . . .

There are little to no words for this jawdropper.

To build its case for war with Iraq, the Bush administration argued that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but some officials now privately acknowledge the White House had another reason for war — a global show of American power and democracy.

Well, we knew that, right?

But to hear them actually say it only makes it that much slimier. For this next snippet, haz-mat suits on...

Officials inside government and advisers outside told ABCNEWS the administration emphasized the danger of Saddam's weapons to gain the legal justification for war from the United Nations and to stress the danger at home to Americans.

"We were not lying," said one official. "But it was just a matter of emphasis."

As Somerby is fond of saying, try and believe you read that.

More than two thousand Iraqi civilians were killed by American/British bombs and guns, not to mention countless thousands of Iraqi conscripts who had no other choice, as well as 150 coalition troops. For each and every one of them, under "cause of death", we should see the phrase: "a matter of emphasis". Boy, we sure emphasized the hell outta that place.

Other than that, I'm more or less speechless and in shock (and yes, awe) over this. Thankfully, the Horse has some very poignant commentary on the issue, namely focused around one unifying idea: why didn't the Bushies tell the truth to the American people? Not to mention the rest of the world?

I need a drink, or a nap, or something.

UPDATE: Kos weighs in:

So [Colin] Powell told the world that Iraq had thousands of tons of chemical weapons. The administration now admits that they won't find that much, and may not find any at all. And it's not a lie???? It's a "matter of emphasis"?

It's unclear whether Powell was party to this strategy, or whether he was simply duped.

And might I add,

WHAT'S WORSE: LYING ABOUT JUSTIFICATION FOR WAR, OR LYING ABOUT BLOWJOBS???