The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder

Infobox Book
name = The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder
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author = Vincent Bugliosi
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subject = Politics, Crime
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publisher = Perseus Books
pub_date = 2008
english_pub_date = May 27, 2008
media_type = Hardcover
pages = 352
isbn = ISBN 978-1593154813
oclc =
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"The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" is a 2008 book by former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi. It argues that George W. Bush took the United States into the invasion of Iraq under false pretenses and should be tried for murder for the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq when he leaves office in 2009. The book was virtually ignored by the mainstream media but still sold over 130,000 copies within its first three months of release. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/business/media/07bugliosi.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=Ex-Prosecutor+Bush+Murder&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin Ex-Prosecutor’s Book Accuses Bush of Murder] New York Times. July 7th, 2008]

Content and themes

Bugliosi argues that Bush intentionally misled Congress and the American people about the evidence that he said mandated going into Iraq and overthrowing Saddam Hussein. Therefore, Bugliosi argues, the deaths of over 4,000 American soldiers and 100,000 Iraqi civilians since hostilities began (as of spring 2008) amount to murder. He further states that any of the 50 state attorneys general, as well as any district attorney in the United States, has ample grounds to indict Bush for the murder of any soldier or soldiers who live in their state or county. [ [http://www.counterpunch.org/ccr05282008.html Why Vincent Bugliosi Wants to Prosecute George W. Bush for Murder] . CounterPunch, 2008-05-28.] Bugliosi says that if he were prosecuting the case, he would seek imposition of the death penalty, and that impeachment alone would be "a joke", considering the magnitude of Bush's alleged crimes. [ [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vincent-bugliosi/the-prosecution-of-george_b_102427.html Excerpt of book] posted at Huffington Post]

The strongest evidence against Bush, Bugliosi says, is a speech on October 7 2002 claiming that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the security of the United States and was capable of attacking America at any time with his stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. However, a National Intelligence Estimate of less than a week earlier stated that while Iraq did have WMD capabilities, it had no plans to use its weapons except in the capacity of self-defense, or if the United States threatened to attack Iraq. Moreover, according to Bugliosi, the president and his administration edited the "White Paper", or declassified version of the NIE released to Congress and the public, censored in a way that made the Iraqi threat seem more ominous than it actually was. In addition, Bugliosi asserts that the Manning Memo shows that, far from making serious efforts to avoid war, Bush considered the possibility of provoking Saddam into starting a war by sending U2 reconnaissance aircraft, falsely painted in UN colors, on flights over Iraq along with fighter escorts, and if Saddam ordered them shot down, it would constitute war. He also argues that Bush pressured intelligence agencies to find proof that Saddam somehow helped al-Qaeda plan the September 11, 2001 attacks. [Bugliosi, Vincent. [http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/09/8834/ The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder] . Common Dreams NewsCenter, 2008-05-09.]

References

External links

* [http://www.prosecutionofbush.com Book Website] hosted by Vanguard Press
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vincent-bugliosi/the-prosecution-of-george_b_102427.html Excerpt] posted at Huffington Post
* [http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/13/citing_iraq_war_renowned_attorney_vincent Vincent Bugliosi Interview on "Democracy Now!" regarding "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder"]