50 Planted Stories Created Momentum for Iraq War

Dailykos had another incredible item linky today, detailing the propaganda effort from Britain and the US to create a supportive atmosphere for the debacle in Iraq. The story behind the detailed study of the Bush Administration's propoganda campaign:

Colonel Sam Gardiner (USAF, Ret.) has identified 50 false news stories created and leaked by a secretive White House propaganda apparatus. Bush administration officials are probably having second thoughts about their decision to play hardball with former US Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Joe Wilson is a contender. When you play hardball with Joe, you better be prepared to deal with some serious rebound.

After Wilson wrote a critically timed New York Times essay exposing as false George W. Bush's claim that Iraq had purchased uranium from Niger, high officials in the White House contacted several Washington reporters and leaked the news that Wilson's wife was a CIA agent.

Wilson isn't waiting for George W. Bush to hand over the perp. In mid-October, the former ambassador began passing copies of an embarrassing internal report to reporters across the US. The-Edge has received copies of this document.

The 56-page investigation was assembled by USAF Colonel (Ret.) Sam Gardiner. "Truth from These Podia: Summary of a Study of Strategic Influence, Perception Management, Strategic Information Warfare and Strategic Psychological Operations in Gulf II" identifies more than 50 stories about the Iraq war that were faked by government propaganda artists in a covert campaign to "market" the military invasion of Iraq.

The opening page lists some of the lies that many on the skeptical side knew for lies when they heard them. Lots of good reading there.

From Indybay.org:

Sam Gardiner's text appears to be here, linked from the usnews.com article:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/documents/truth_1.pdf
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/documents/truth_2.pdf
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/documents/truth_3.pdf
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/documents/truth_4.pdf
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/documents/truth_5.pdf
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/documents/truth_6.pdf