When will Bush administration admit it lied?

To the editor:

The primary reasons for going to war given by the Bush administration were weapons of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaida. The public was told that Iraq had 100 to 500 tons of chemical and biological weapons and even nuclear weapons. Anyone investigating, however, knew that these claims were exaggerations at best and outright lies at worst.

Now the evidence mounts. CIA and State Department people release a film analyzing the Bush arguments, which are shown to be false. All top people from Saddam Hussein's regime claim that WMDs didn't exist. Then the Carnagie Institute released a lengthy analysis showing heavy administration influence in the selection and interpretation of data. Paul O'Neill then gives us a candid glimpse into the administration. Now David Kay, chief of the WMD search, quits, saying that he doesn't believe there were any WMDs. Finally, the White House has admitted that there were no links to al-Qaida, and Colin Powell admitted that there may have not been WMDs.

Five hundred-plus U.Sl lives have been lost, we've spent billions of taxpayer dollars, Iraq is on the brink of civil war and no one has an exit plan. How long can the Bush administration continue to pretend that they didn't consciously lie to the U.S. public?

JENNIFER ST.CLAIR

Cape Girardeau