Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting me about the war in Iraq and our failure to find weapons of mass destruction. I appreciate you taking the time to share your views.

Like you, I am very concerned about the Bush Administration’s extraordinary rhetoric before the war with Iraq. They frequently claimed that Iraq had a large program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and that WMDs were deployed for use with frontline military units. Since no WMDs have been found in Iraq in the months after the war began, it seems clear now that those claims were exaggerated.

While I am pleased that Saddam Hussein can no longer terrorize the Iraqi people, I am deeply concerned that the war was fought on a false pretense. The Congressional authorization of force in Iraq—which I voted against—explicitly cited the threat posed by Iraqi WMDs as the justification for going to war. It is too early to know for sure how badly our intelligence data was skewed from the facts on the ground in Iraq, but we must investigate. That is why I am a cosponsor of H. Res. 260, a bill that would force the Bush Administration to provide specific documentation supporting their claims about Iraq’s WMD program. I also strongly support Congressional hearings into the matter, as well as internal reviews at the CIA and throughout the intelligence community.

America’s intelligence gathering community plays a very important role in safeguarding our country. The current situation threatens the credibility of our intelligence community. Democracy depends on honesty; if the American people were misled about the threat Iraq posed in order to build support for war, then those responsible must be held accountable. Be assured that I will continue to raise hard questions about the Bush Administration’s claims regarding Iraq.

Again, it is good to hear from you. The people of Marin and Sonoma counties are the most important voices I listen to as I serve in Congress.

Sincerely,

Lynn Woolsey
Member of Congress