Study: False statements preceded war

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded.

"Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.

Teenage Girl 'Critical' After Knife Attack

A 14-year-old girl is fighting for her life in hospital after a knife attack in a park, police have said.
Jessica Knight was found with multiple stab wounds by a passer-by in Astley Park, in Chorley, Lancashire.



Det Supt Steve Brunskill, leading the police investigation, said: "This is a particularly nasty assault on a defenceless young girl.

"I am appealing for anyone who was in the Astley Village or Astley Park area between 4.30pm and 5.30pm yesterday to contact the incident room at Chorley.

"I am particularly interested to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious behaviour or who has noticed anything in the area recently that has aroused their suspicion."

Mr Brunskill added: "In particular, if you know of anyone who returned home after 5.15pm yesterday in an agitated state, who may also have been blood-stained, then we need to speak to you."

Officers are with Jessica's family at the hospital and are waiting to speak to her to piece together what happened.

Extra officers, including mounted officers and neighbourhood policing teams, will be on patrol in the area.

Officers will be visiting local schools to give reassurance to teachers and pupils and a mobile police station will also be in place in the Astley Village area.

:: Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Thompson quits White House race

Former US Senator Fred Thompson has withdrawn from the Republican presidential race, after a string of poor finishes in early voting rounds.
"I have withdrawn my candidacy... I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," he said in a short statement.

It follows his third place result in Saturday's South Carolina primary - a state he had said he needed to win.

Mr Thompson did not say if he would endorse any of his former rivals.

The ex-Tennessee senator ended his statement by saying that he and his wife, Jeri, would "always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people".

Desire questioned

The actor-politician entered the race in September, months after his rivals had started campaigning.

After climbing into second place in national polls in October, his support steadily plunged as his many critics questioned how seriously he desired the job, says the BBC's Vincent Dowd in Washington.

He finished third with 16% in the South Carolina primary, behind John McCain on 33% and Mike Huckabee with 30%.

The former star of the Law and Order TV series will have thought hard about whether the next Republican primary in Florida at the end of this month offered any hope of a revival - clearly he decided it did not, our correspondent says.

Still wide open

Even with Mr Thompson's departure the Republican race remains wide open, with three candidates each having won in the six states that have voted, our correspondent says.

The remaining Republican presidential contenders are focusing on Florida ahead of that state's primary on 29 January.

Polls suggest Mr McCain has a narrow lead in the Sunshine State over ex-New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Mr Huckabee.

The Democratic White House hopefuls are gearing up for Saturday's South Carolina primary, a day after Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton clashed in a TV debate.

The two senators continued to trade blows on the campaign trail on Tuesday.

The former first lady claimed Mr Obama had been "looking for a fight", while he repeated his claim that the Clintons had been attacking him in "not accurate" ways.

All the contenders are looking towards the potentially decisive "Super Tuesday" on 5 February, when 22 states will vote for a candidate from either side to stand in November's presidential election.

Australian Open 2008 Live Updates

Maria Sharapova produced a magnificent display of clean hitting to thrash world number one Justine Henin 6-4 6-0 in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Maria Sharapova produced a magnificent display of clean hitting to thrash world number one Justine Henin 6-4 6-0 in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
The Russian came out flying to break in the second game and though Henin pulled it back in game nine, a fantastic cross-court backhand won her the set.

Sharapova then waltzed through the second with a succession of winners to end Henin's 32-match winning run.

The fifth seed will now take on Jelena Jankovic in the last four on Thursday.

It is the fourth year running she has reached that stage and few will back against her going all the way after a quite awesome performance which left her Belgian opponent in a daze.

Right from the start she thundered powerful groundstrokes to the corners, leaving Henin struggling to stay in rallies.

The top seed has not been at her best in Melbourne and that lack of fluency was ruthlessly exposed.

Sharapova, 20, had lost six of their eight previous meetings but a seventh never looked likely as she smashed 30 winners to take the opening set.

606: DEBATE
Very impressive performance by Sharapova - she blew Henin off the court

Mikesiva

It was one-way traffic in the second, with Henin suffering her first 6-0 rout since 2002 and first defeat since Wimbledon.

"I really felt like I was in my own bubble," said Sharapova, who lost in last year's final to Serena Williams.

"I wasn't trying to pay attention to her record or how many tournaments she won, which is an increbible number.

"It's amazing when you go out on the court and feel you're doing the right things to beat such an amazing player as her. It's just incredible."

Henin tipped her conqueror to lift the trophy on Saturday after being outclassed in an hour and 38 minutes.

The 25-year-old has been troubled by a knee injury but refused to put her defeat down to that.

"A lot of things can happen but she looks like she's the player who is really confident now, and she has a great chance to do it," Henin said.

"She was really aggressive, attacking the ball, and I was way too far back. She's improved quite a lot in the last few weeks and came back much better than she was last year.

"I was a bit anxious, because I knew I wasn't really 100%. It's not an excuse about what happened on the court, because she was much better than me.

"She served consistently and it looked like it was her day and probably her tournament. She's in great shape."

Remains of 'Immense' Rodent Discovered

LONDON (Jan. 16) - Eeek! Imagine a rodent that weighed a ton and was as big as a bull. Uruguayan scientists say they have uncovered fossil evidence of the biggest species of rodent ever found, one that scurried across wooded areas of South America about 4 million years ago, when the continent was not connected to North America.

A herbivore, the beast may have been a contemporary, and possibly prey, of saber-toothed cats - a prehistoric version of Tom and Jerry.



For those afraid of rodents, forget hopping on a chair. Its huge skull, more than 20 inches long, suggested a beast more than eight feet long and weighing between 1,700 and 3,000 pounds.

Although British newspapers variously described it as a mouse or a rat, researchers say the animal, named Josephoartigasia monesi, actually was more closely related to a guinea pig or porcupine.

"These are totally different from the rats and mice we're accustomed to," said Bruce Patterson, the curator of mammals at the Field Museum in Chicago, adding that it was the biggest rodent he had ever heard of.

An artist's rendering showed a creature that looked like a cross between a hippopotamus and guinea pig.

The fossil was found in 1987 about 65 miles west of the capital of Montevideo, near the vast River Plate estuary - a muddy waterway separating Uruguay from Argentina that empties into the South Atlantic. That area is site of ancient riverbanks and other deposits where fossils have been found, he said.

An Argentine fossil collector identified as Sergio Viera donated the skull to Uruguay's National History and Anthropology Museum nearly two decades ago, said museum director Arturo Toscano.

It spent years hidden away in a box at the museum and was rediscovered by curator Andres Rinderknecht, who enlisted the help of fellow researcher Ernesto Blanco to study it.



Blanco told The Associated Press he was shocked when he first came face to face with the fossil, saying it looked even bigger than a cow skull.

"It's a beautiful piece of nature," he said in an interview. "You feel the power of a very big animal behind this."

Blanco said the skull's shape and the huge incisors left no doubt they were dealing with a rodent, but he cautioned that the estimate of the animal's bulk was imprecise.

The extinct rodent clearly outclassed its nearest rival, the Phoberomys, found in Venezuela and estimated to weigh between 880 and 1,500 pounds.

Blanco said the rodent was far more enormous than any South American rodent alive today, surpassing even the present-day capibara that can weigh up to 110 pounds.

He said the animal's teeth pointed to a diet of aquatic plants.

"From what we can tell, we know it was a herbivore that lived on the shores of rivers or alongside streams in woodland areas," Rinderknecht told the AP. "Possibly it had a behavior similar to other water-faring rodents that exist today, such as beavers, which split their time between land and water."

But he said the rodent appears to have had no tail, adding that follow-up studies are being planned to better determine its diet and other traits.

The creature may have been a contemporary to the saber-toothed cats and giant carnivorous birds that roamed the area millions of years ago, but Blanco said it was not clear whether such predators had the power necessary to bring down the huge beast.

"This investigation began about a year and a half ago but it's still not complete," Rinderknecht said, adding that the next step may be a CT scan of the skull "to better determine its interior dimensions."

The research by Rinderknecht and Blanco was published Wednesday in this week's issue of biological research journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Scientists uninvolved with the finding agreed that this was one really big rodent.

"I think it's a very important discovery - it is certainly an immense animal," said Mary Dawson, a paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. She said it and other rodents grew bigger by filling the ecological niche taken elsewhere by rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.

"They got large taking the role of some herbivores that were not present at that time - South America was still an island continent," she said. But when North and South America were linked about 3 million years ago, the rodents were swamped by North American animals and eventually died out.

"It's too bad they're extinct, I'd love to see those things," she said.

Patterson said its discovery gave scientists more insight into the fauna of the prehistoric South American continent, when it hosted creatures such as marsupial predators and hoofed animals known to scientists as archaic ungulates.

"These were things with trunks on their noses, huge claws on their hands, they look like somebody just made them up," he said.

Little trace of big rodent is left. Its closest surviving cousin, the pacarana, is endangered. The sharp-clawed 33-pound rodent lives in the hills around the Andes Mountains. It is considered among the largest living rodents, but its slow rate of reproduction - and reputation among humans as a tasty treat - means its prospects are grim.

Blanco said he was thrilled with the discovery of the huge rodent after so many years.

"When you start to open all these boxes, often times you find all kinds interesting pieces of paleontology," he said.

"The collector alerted us that it was an important fossil," Toscano said, adding that the skull remains carefully packed in a box in the museum's paleontology collection.

Both Blanco and Toscano said they hoped the find would attract more resources to museums in the developing world such as Uruguay's - which is so strapped for cash it has been unable to hold public exhibitions since 2000.

Update on Britney's Breakdown

Britney's Breakdown: Everyone's Got an Opinion
Check Out What Hollywood Has to Say About Britney

Stars can't stop talking about Britney Spears' latest spree of bizarre behavior. Shortly after her Jan. 3 breakdown and two-night stint in the hospital, the fallen pop star skipped a crucial hearing in her child custody case with ex-husband Kevin Federline, which led a court commissioner to rule that Spears can't see her two sons until another hearing in February.

Since then, she's been spotted all over town on the arm of her purported new boyfriend, Adnan Ghalib, going on shopping sprees and hitting Hollywood clubs.

Now, a new batch of celebrities is sounding off on Spears.



Movie star and fellow mom Demi Moore offered some sympathy for Spears, who's been relentlessly followed by the paparazzi and media: "No one has seen it worse than Britney Spears," Moore, 45, told V magazine. "How can anyone see that and think that's an OK way to expect anybody to live, no matter where they're at in their life? ... I do think the boundaries could use a little reshaping, redefining what an invasion of privacy is."



"American Idol" alum Clay Aiken echoed 2007's oft-viewed YouTube plea of die-hard Spears fan Chris Crocker: "We have a presidential election going on, and for whatever reason, this is what people are interested in," he told "Entertainment Tonight," Thursday. "I think that is probably the saddest thing. Leave her alone, just leave her alone."



Rosie O'Donnell, the always opinonated former "View" moderator, weighed in on the Spears situation on her blog, comparing her to another famous woman who was hounded by the paparazzi, Princess Diana. "She will be trying to get away, but they will chase her, just as they chased her into that church yesterday," O'Donnell wrote on her Jan. 15 blog, the day after Spears skipped a child custody hearing to go to lunch and church. "There were dozens of them, jostling their way into the sanctuary, elbowing past each other, just to creep closer to her. Even her last-minute, folded-hand prayers can't be kept sacred. There can be no silent moments in a crowd; no silence, and no secrets."



Former "America's Next Top Model" judge and ex-model Janice Dickinson had harsher words for the pop star and her mom. "My opinion on Britney Spears, is Mrs. [Lynne] Spears should be jailed. Britney's mom is responsible for all this stuff going on," Dickinson told "Access Hollywood," Jan. 13. As for Spears, "I'd slap her silly!" she said. But the former alcohol addict, now in recovery, continued, "I would beg Britney just to give it all up. I would say, 'You're rich enough! Give it up and try to focus on the two boys.' I seriously hope that Britney doesn't kill herself. I seriously hope that she doesn't damage herself."

Boomerang Comes Back After 25 Years

BRISBANE, Australia (Jan. 17) - Boomerangs really do come back - even after 25 years. Officials in an Australian Outback town were surprised when a boomerang arrived in the post. Along with it was a note from a guilt-ridden American who said he stole it years earlier from a museum in the mining town of Mount Isa, and now felt rotten about it.

"I removed this back in 1983 when I was younger and dumber," said the note, according to Mount Isa Mayor Ron McCullough. "It was the wrong thing to do, I'm sorry, and I'm going to send it back," said the note.

McCullough on Thursday gave the contrite thief's first name as Peter but said it would be unfair to release his full identity.

McCullough said the parcel was sent to the location of the old museum, now a paper manufacturing plant and community center, and was then handed to the Mount Isa council. He declined to reveal the value of the donation.

McCullough said the boomerang would be returned to its rightful owner, if he could be found.

Boomerangs were traditionally used by Aborigines as a hunting weapon. A typical returning boomerang can travel up to 150 feet in the air before returning to the thrower.