No Basis for War of Choice: War Party's Atrocity Porn

The horrific experience of Iraqi woman Jumana Hanna -- supposedly imprisoned, raped, and tortured for years on the orders of Uday Hussein -- was cited by the Bush administration and its supporters as "reason alone" for the war. But Hanna's story -- like the rest of the administration's case -- was a tissue of fabrications. The face of Jumana Mikhail Hanna, a 40-year-old Iraqi expatriate who lives in northern California with her mother and children, is an instrument that appears designed for the specific task of conveying anguish. Photographs of Hanna published in the January 2005 issue of Esquire depict her in poses of agony as she visits locations in Iraq where, prior to the U.S. invasion, she was reportedly tortured. On the strength of her story, and her usefulness in aiding occupation authorities track down Iraqi officials suspected of committing Saddam-era atrocities, Hanna became a heroine in neo-conservative circles. But subsequent developments revealed that Hanna wasn't a brave witness, but rather a brazen con artist. Hanna's story was perfectly tailored to the needs of Bush administration propagandists. And her ability to give photographers their desired "money shot" her body wracked by uncontrollable sobs, her face contorted in unspeakable grief  displayed an ability to simulate emotion worthy of a porn star. The problem was that everything about Hanna' s story is a lie.  [more]

• Proof of Massive Anglo-American Media Lying Over Iraq [more]