NEW YORK - August 10 - At its seventh annual national convention in Austin, Texas, IVAW called for the prosecution of senior Bush administration officials for allegedly conspiring to manipulate intelligence in order to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

IVAW alleges that Bush administration officials conspired to create the perception that Saddam Hussein presented an imminent threat to the United States in order to bypass an uncooperative U.N. Security Council and secure a congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq.  The growing body of evidence, including testimony from British officials in the ongoing Chilcot Inquiry, indicates that Bush officials could be charged with criminal offenses against the United States and violations of international law for making false claims to national self-defense.

Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution vests the power to authorize use of military force in the Legislative Branch, not the Executive.  In order to do so responsibly the Congress must be provided with accurate and objective intelligence.  Bush officials' alleged distortion of the intelligence picture created a climate of fear and uncertainty in which the constitutional power of Congress was subverted.

IVAW further alleges that the Bush administration's alterations to Iraqi laws were made for the intended benefit of U.S. multinational corporations and are illegal under international law.  Efforts to pressure Iraqi officials to open up the country's oil industry to foreign investment exacerbated the insurgency and undermined the U.S. military's ostensible mission there.

IVAW finally asserts that senior Bush officials are responsible for the illegal treatment of Iraqi and Afghan officials in U.S. custody and that this treatment was detrimental to the security of American citizens.

Tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of deaths have resulted from the Bush administration's disastrous invasion and occupation of Iraq.  Millions of Iraqis have been internally displaced and hundreds of thousands are forced to subsist as refugees in neighboring countries.  Thousands of American men and women have lost their lives and tens of thousands suffer from wounds sustained while fighting there.  Families and communities across the United States are now suffering from veteran suicides, homelessness, substance abuse and domestic violence.  The long-term cost of this war, including the provision of VA support for our returning veterans, is estimated to run into the trillions. 

It is time for America to hold the officials responsible for this war to account for their decisions.  On behalf of the Iraqis and Americans who have sacrificed everything to restore stability to Iraq, IVAW calls for justice.