It was an astonishing sight. One of the world's most powerful leaders, flanked by the world's most powerful leader, insisting discredited intelligence information was either valid or good enough. Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain said boldly that he stood behind the fake documents linking Iraq with attempts to obtain uranium from Niger. And President Bush avoided the question about his State-of-the-Union speech citing that same faulty information as justification for war with Iraq.

Both men continue under fire for overstating the rationale for invading Iraq. After having claimed for months that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and was an imminent threat to the United States, the President now says what an evil butcher Saddam Hussein is. When challenged on changing his reasoning for war, he accuses his critics of being "revisionist historians". In fact, it is the President who is revising this episode of history.

Prime Minister Blair now says that history will forgive him and President Bush if it turns out they were wrong about weapons of mass destruction. That's because Saddam Hussein is so evil that the world is better off without him. No doubt. But, then, that would justify taking out many more evil leaders around the world, not just Saddam Hussein. Neither the British nor the Americans are prepared to do that.

Meanwhile, CIA Director George Tenet has taken responsibility for the ill-advised words in the President's State-of-the-Union speech. Yet, it appears, from comments made by Senators he briefed in a closed meeting, that it was a White House official who insisted on including those infamous 16 words. Why was it so important to say that Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Niger? Because it was a key point, now downplayed by the White House, in persuading Americans that war with Iraq was essential to our security.

After Tenet reluctantly blamed himself, suddenly the White House cooed over him. National Security Advisor, Condoleeza Rice, praised the job he is doing, as did the President himself. It looks like Tenet is being rewarded for being a good soldier and taking the rap for his boss. Must make Harry Truman, legend of "the buck stops here" philosophy, roll over in his grave.

During the period leading up to the invasion of Iraq, Administration officials deluged Americans with all the threats Saddam Hussein posed. His strong ties with al-Qaeda. His possession of aluminum tubes that could be used for nuclear weapons (they didn't mention the extensive reworking these tubes would require for such a use). The stockpiling of chemical and biological weapons. And, the search for uranium in Niger. Except for the tubes, which have many uses, none of these has yet been verified.

Consequently, the President has switched his story. We needed to invade Iraq because Saddam Hussein butchered his own people. No question about that. But, that wasn't the reason the American people readily agreed to commit the lives of our troops and billions of our dollars to war with Iraq. The President says he takes full responsibility for the decision to go to war. But, he refuses to take responsibility for giving us the wrong reasons. George Tenet, our intelligence community, British intelligence, Iraqi dissenters are responsible for that.

Perhaps the White House should look back 30 years. President Richard Nixon refused to take responsibility for Watergate and the White House cover-up of that petty and history-changing burglary. Nixon denied knowledge of any wrongdoing. It was people who worked for him who were responsible. Americans would have forgiven Nixon if he'd 'fessed up and apologized. He didn't and we dumped him.

President Bush needs to take responsibility for more than deciding to go to war. He needs to acknowledge the hyperbole he used to get us to agree. Most Americans still believe he made the right decision. But, that could change if they decide they can no longer trust what he says. As the "guerilla tactics" (as General Abizaid calls the attacks on American soldiers) claim more American lives, President Bush, more than ever, will need his country to believe in him. This issue won't go away until this buck stops on his desk.