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WASHINGTON - President Bush's aides did not forcefully present him with dissenting views from CIA and State and Defense Department officials who warned that U.S.-led forces could face stiff resistance in Iraq, according to three senior administration officials.
Bush embraced the predictions of some top administration hawks, beginning with Vice President Dick Cheney, who predicted in the weeks before the war with Iraq that Saddam Hussein's regime was brittle and that Iraqis would joyously greet coalition troops as liberators, the officials said.
The people who led us into this should be held responsible for its outcome. I hope that outcome is as good as possible, and if so they'll be responsible for that, too. But make no mistake, if this is a disaster the blame falls on their shoulders.