Kerry Admits U.S. Invaded Iraq Based on Lie

PARIS (KI) -- The U.S. special ambassador on climate change and former Secretary of State John Kerry recently admitted on French television that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was based on a lie, but refused to admit it was a war of aggression.

Veteran French journalist Darius Rochebin confronted Kerry on French TV channel LCI over U.S. condemnations of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and its leader Vladimir Putin.
“But you, the Americans, you committed the crime of aggression in Iraq,” Rochebin said. “These countries of the Global South say, should we judge George Bush? Why isn’t Bush judged in the same way?”
“No,” Kerry shot back.
“Why?” Rochebin asked.
“Because there’s never even been a direct process or accusation or anything with respect to President Bush himself,” Kerry said. “Have there been abuses in the course of that war, yes.”
“Was it not a crime of aggression to enter into Iraq on the basis of a lie?” Rochebin replied.
“No, no, no,” Kerry said. “Well, we didn’t know it was a lie at the time. You know the evidence that was produced, people didn’t know that it was a lie. So no, again, I think, you’re stretching something. That’s not a constructive way —”
“But he lied,” Rochebin said of Bush. “He lied. He lied.”
“Sir, I’m not going to re-debate the Iraq war with you here right now,” Kerry said. “We spent a lot of time doing that previously. I was opposed to going in, I thought it was the wrong thing to do. But we gave the president the power, regrettably, in the Congress, based on the lie. And when

 we knew it was a lie, people stood up and did the right thing.”

“I get that. But you understand that for the countries of the South, of course, justice, equality, principles, it’s their impression that there is a double standard. And that weighs today, including on the debate of the climate,” Rochebin said.