This NRO article is a tangent to the topic. Its about Max Clelands News Conference today. He repeats the Bush Lied, People Died meme couple with Joe Wilson is a truth teller. If you recall there was a Memo written by a Rockefeller staffer, outlining the Democratic response to a report favorable to the President. The memo suggested that Democrats continue to cry “Bush Lied People Died”. Well here it is in action:

Rich Lowery

National Review Online

July 19, 2004, 11:29 a.m.

Cleland Attacks Bush

The former senator goes ballistic.

Former Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, a close friend and supporter of presidential candidate John Kerry, today launched into a blistering attack against President Bush.

In a conference call with reporters, Cleland said the president went to war in Iraq ìbecause he concluded that his daddy was a failed presidentî for not having removed Saddam Hussein from power after the first Gulf War. Therefore, Cleland explained, the younger Bush decided to ìbe Mr. Macho Manî by removing Saddam himself.

Cleland also said the president ìflat-out liedî when he asked Congress to authorize war in Iraq. ìHe told us four things,î Cleland said, listing Bushís claims of Iraq weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons programs, attempts to acquire yellowcake uranium in Africa, and ties to al Qaeda. ìAll of that was a pack of lies,î Cleland said. Both Cleland and Kerry voted to authorize the war.

ìThe president is living in a world of denial,î Cleland said. ìSo is the Vice President, and so is the Secretary of State.î

Cleland also said the presidentís famous ì16 wordî contention that Iraq sought uranium in Africa ìis a lie.î When asked if he believes former ambassador Joseph Wilson, the Bush critic whose story was substantially undermined in the new Senate report on pre-war intelligence, Cleland said, ìI do believe that Joe Wilson is telling the truth. I believe he has tremendous credibility, and Iíve met with him personally for hours.î

Cleland condemned the Bush administration for what he said were its illegal efforts to discredit Wilson by publicly identifying his wife, a former covert CIA operative, as the person who recommended him to investigate the African uranium matter. Cleland said there will ìprobably be some indictments coming down, because they [the Bush administration] broke the federal law on that.î