Har-dee-har-har
The Hidden Columnists--David Brooks Edition (03 Nov)

In which Bobo tries his hand at humorous irony with his clunkily titled "The Harry da Reid Code" column (for Times Select subscribers, here's the link):

Harry Reid sits alone at his kitchen table at 4 a.m., writing important notes in crayon on the outside of envelopes. It's been four weeks since he launched his personal investigation into the Republican plot to manipulate intelligence to trick the American people into believing Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Reid had heard of the secret G.O.P. cabal bent on global empire, but he had no idea that he would find a conspiracy so immense.

Reid now knows that as far back as 1998, Karl Rove was beaming microwaves into Bill Clinton's fillings to get him to exaggerate the intelligence on Iraq. In that year, Clinton argued, "Iraq still has stockpiles of chemical and biological munitions ... and the capacity to restart quickly its production program and build many, many more weapons."

These comments were part of the Republican plot to manipulate intelligence on Iraq.

Reid now knows that in the late 1990's, Dick Cheney and other Republican officials used fluoridated water in the State Department and other government agencies to brainwash Clinton administration officials into exaggerating the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.

Aha. I see where the humor is leading... CLINTON!!!!!!!

In 1997 Clinton's defense secretary, William Cohen, went on national television and informed the American people that if Saddam has "as much VX in storage as the U.N. suspects" he would "be able to kill every human being on the face of the planet."

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright compared Saddam to Hitler and warned that he could "use his weapons of mass destruction" or "become the salesman for weapons of mass destruction."

Clinton's national security adviser, Sandy Berger, warned that "Saddam's history of aggression, and his recent record of deception and defiance, leave no doubt that he would resume his drive for regional domination if he had the chance. Year after year, in conflict after conflict, Saddam has proven that he seeks weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, in order to use them." These comments were also part of the Republican conspiracy to exaggerate and manipulate intelligence.
[...]
Harry Reid sits alone at his kitchen table at 4 a.m. He knows now that seven centuries ago at a secret meeting of the Bilderberg Society-Trilateral Commission-American Enterprise Institute, the six High Lords of the Secret Order of the Neocons decided to implant alien life forms into potential Democratic officials that could be activated in case there was a need to manipulate intelligence on Iraq.

This is why in 2002 Al Gore declared that Saddam Hussein "has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." This is why in 2001, a Clinton assistant secretary of state, Robert Einhorn, said at a Congressional hearing, "Today, or at most within a few months, Iraq could launch missile attacks with chemical or biological weapons against its neighbors."

This is why the Clinton National Security Council staffer Kenneth Pollack has written, "The U.S. Intelligence Community's belief toward the end of the Clinton administration [was] that Iraq had reconstituted its nuclear weapons program and was close to acquiring nuclear weapons."

These assertions were all part of an elaborate Republican conspiracy to manipulate and exaggerate intelligence on Iraq.

Atrios comes back with this:

Interesting how every conservative is suddenly invoking the Clenis as an excuse for the Iraq war. Some points:

Just because Clinton may have believed something does not necessarily make it true. I didn't think we needed to remind conservatives of that, but it's also something liberals believe. There never was a personality cult of the Clenis (except, oddly, on the right) which turned us all into his Lemmings.
[...]
In 2002-2003 we had weapons inspectors in Iraq, thanks to the great and wonderful sabre rattling by Bush, to determine if post-1998 the capacity for any WMD had been rebuilt. They found that it hadn't, but instead of acting on that new information the Bush administration took us to war anyway.

And he points to this post at Seeing the Forest:

A standard Republican talking point about Iraq is that "everyone thought there were WMD" and then they cite statements by President Clinton and others.

Here's what they are leaving out. At the end of 1998, after Iraq expelled UN weapons inspectors, President Clinton ordered a bombing campaign that completely wiped out Iraq's weapons capabilities. For good.

Clinton statement to the nation, Dec 16, 1998:

“Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.

U.S. Strikes at Iraqi Targets

… Warplanes aboard the USS Enterprise combined with more than 200 cruise missiles from eight Navy warships to converge on Iraqi targets at 5:06 p.m. EST (1:06 a.m. Baghdad time).

U.S. Steps Up Attack on Iraq

The attack by U.S. and British forces against Iraq broadened and intensified yesterday, as salvos of missiles pounded scores of targets throughout the country and the skies over the Iraqi capital filled with the flash of huge explosions, the smoke of distant conflagrations and the brilliant red tracings of antiaircraft fire.

[...]

And, of course, the Republican reaction to Clinton wiping out Iraq's WMD capabilities? (Keep in mind as you read this all their bluster about the supposed threat of WMD as they ramped up the propaganda leading to the war...) Republicans skeptical of Iraq attack on eve of impeachment vote

"I cannot support this military action in the Persian Gulf at this time," Lott said in a statement. "Both the timing and the policy are subject to question."

"The suspicion some people have about the president's motives in this attack is itself a powerful argument for impeachment," Armey said in a statement.