Planet Rove.

It really does seem as if Karl Rove lives on another planet where the truth is what he states it is.

ROVE: No, no. Tom with all due respect that was not the policy of our government that we were going to go into Iraq and take their resources in order to pay for the cost of the war. … [T]he suggestion that somehow or another the administration had as its policy, “We’re going to go in to Iraq and take their resource and pay for the war” is not accurate.

But, prior to the war, that was exactly the point which Paul Wolfowitz was making.

"The oil revenue of that country could bring between 50 and 100 billion dollars over the course of the next two or three years. We're dealing with a country that could really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon."

Nor was he alone in making this sort of claim.

Richard Perle:

"Iraq is a very wealthy country. Enormous oil reserves. They can finance, largely finance the reconstruction of their own country. And I have no doubt that they will."

Ari Fleischer:

"Iraq has tremendous resources that belong to the Iraqi people. And so there are a variety of means that Iraq has to be able to shoulder much of the burden for their own reconstruction."

Donald Rumsfeld:

"When it comes to reconstruction, before we turn to the American taxpayer, we will turn first to the resources of the Iraqi government and the international community."

So what Rove is now stating is frankly wrong. Although, I note that Rove constantly widens the charge against the administration - that Iraq was to pay for "the war" rather than for it's own reconstruction - in order to be able to issue this denial.

Tags: Karl Rove, Iraq war