WASHINGTON — The White House said in a year-end report released Saturday that the invasion of Iraq had produced "clear evidence of Saddam’s illegal weapons program" and new intelligence about his ties to terrorist organizations.
Those statements and other assertions in the eight-page report offer a preview of President Bush’s plan for framing his record as he begins the final year of his term and plunges into his re-election campaign. The document also could provide fodder for Democratic presidential candidates, who contend that crucial elements of Bush’s prewar case have been discredited.
"Working with the Iraqi people," the report says, "we are now learning the full truth about Saddam Hussein’s regime, including: the mass graves of more than 300,000 victims of Saddam’s brutality; clear evidence of Saddam’s illegal weapons program; and previously undocumented ties to terror organizations."
The reference to an "illegal weapons program" includes a tacit acknowledgment that no actual weapons of mass destruction have been found, eight months after President Saddam Hussein’s government collapsed. Former U.N. weapons inspector David Kay, who is heading the CIA-led search, told Congress in an interim report in October that he had found no evidence that Hussein took steps to produce a nuclear weapon after the U.N. withdrew inspectors in 1998.
Bush said at the time that he viewed the report as vindicating the invasion, because it included evidence that Saddam spent billions of dollars and more than 20 years trying to acquire unconventional weapons.
A senior administration official said the statement about new evidence tying Hussein to terrorism refers in part to files of the former Iraqi Intelligence Service that were seized by the CIA. The Washington Post reported last month that the records would stretch 9 1/2 miles if laid end to end.
The administration had been vague on whether Hussein was behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the new report does not make that claim. Bush said in September he had no evidence of that.
The report, "2003: A Year of Accomplishment for the American People," begins by saying that since Bush took office, "109 million taxpayers have received, on average, a tax cut of $1,544."
The sections are titled: "Building a More Prosperous and Healthier Nation," including the new drug benefit for Medicare; "Leading the Way Toward a Better and More Compassionate Future," including the "do not call" registry to restrain telemarketers; and "Winning the War on Terror and Addressing Global Challenges."
The report’s themes echo those on Bush’s campaign Web site, which outlines "Bush’s Agenda for Building a Safer, Stronger and Better America."
The president devoted his weekly radio address Saturday to a similar review of the year, saying administration initiatives "have made us safer, more prosperous and a better country."
With critics saying the Medicare law will enrich drug, medical and insurance companies, Bush began by saying it will save seniors money and give them peace of mind. "We confronted problems with determination and bipartisan spirit," he said. "Yet our work is not done."
Among the assertions in Bush’s report that drew the most attention of his critics were that the administration had practiced "fiscal restraint" and had "proposed stringent new rules on diesel fuel and power plant emissions, which will result in dramatic reductions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury."
The Center for American Progress, a 3-month-old think tank, issued an eight-page rebuttal, "2003: A Year of Distortion." David Sirota, the center’s director of strategic communications, called Bush’s report "a manifesto of factual distortions and historical revision."
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