Slow Burn, Season 5: The Road to the Iraq War

Episode 2: Terror (April 28, 2021)

Host: Noreen Malone (Slate Podcasts)
Theme:
This episode explores the fear and paranoia that engulfed the United States in the wake of 9/11 and the 2001 anthrax attacks, tracing how uncertainty, imagination, and suspicion drove U.S. leaders toward seeing Iraq as the next primary enemy. The story dives into how a combination of war games, political pressure, media narratives, and bioterror panics contributed to the forging of false links between Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda, and terrorism, ultimately paving the psychological road to the Iraq War.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Prelude: War Games and Dark Winter

• [00:04–03:33]
  • Retired Air Force Colonel Randy Larson designed "Dark Winter," a 2001 war game simulating a biological terrorist attack.
  • The exercise imagined smallpox being released in the U.S., supplied by Saddam Hussein to Al Qaeda, plunging the government into chaos.
  • The simulation exposed how unprepared the U.S. was for such an event, both logistically and in terms of communication.
    • Randy Larson: “There's no way you can convince 300 million Americans to do something they don't want to do, that they don't think is in their own best interest.” [02:31]
  • Politicians were largely uninterested prior to 9/11; the threat was not seen as urgent.

2. The Shock of 9/11: A New Era of Fear

• [03:33–05:41]
  • 9/11 transformed the Bush administration’s priorities from domestic to security.
  • There was a rapid pivot in focus to terrorism, including threats of bioweapons.
    • Randy Larson: “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” [05:25]
  • High-level briefings put biological weapons top of mind for White House staff.

3. The Anthrax Attacks: Heightening the Panic

• [16:01–24:33]
  • Anthrax-laced letters were sent to media and political offices; several died, and many were infected.
  • The attacks fueled widespread panic: people stockpiled antibiotics, officials worried about supplies.
    • Tom Daschle: “Yes. This created a new appreciation of how technology and circumstances have erased whatever sense of invulnerability we had.” [21:47]
  • Government officials themselves, including Dick Cheney, adopted extreme precautions (e.g., carrying hazmat suits).

4. Searching for the Enemy: Iraq and the Urge to Connect Dots

• [10:09–15:47]; [25:44–33:48]
  • Almost instantly, Pentagon leadership sought connections between Saddam Hussein and 9/11.
    • Gary Greco: “I quickly surmised that a case would be built against Iraq and we would be going to war with them.” [11:38]
  • Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraqi National Congress played into these suspicions, eager to implicate Saddam.
  • Wolfowitz and others at the highest levels pushed the Iraq connection; even when CIA analyses refuted a link, theory persisted.
    • Robert Draper: “We need to go after Iraq … He is the head of the snake, and we need to cut that head off.” [14:06]
  • The White House and media began floating the idea that Iraq could be the unseen force behind anthrax.
    • John McCain: “…Some of this anthrax may, and I emphasize may, have come from Iraq. If that may be the case, then that's when some tough decisions are going to have to be made.” [28:11]

5. The Media and “Bentonite”: Fueling Suspicion

• [30:47–33:48]
  • Major news outlets, notably ABC News, claimed a chemical marker (bentonite) in the anthrax pointed to Iraq.
    • Brian Ross (ABC): “It is called bentonite ... it is a trademark of Saddam Hussein's biological weapons program.” [31:05]
  • Later, this was proven false by scientists like Paul Keim—the anthrax strain in the attacks was not linked to Iraq.
    • Paul Keim: “We tested it, and it was not the same as the anthrax letters. And so that was a really important negative result.” [32:53]

6. Uncertainty, Overimagination, and the Push for War

• [39:23–41:22]
  • The administration’s logic shifted from proof to suspicion: if Iraq could build anthrax, it might do so in the future.
  • Paranoia and a climate of fear made anything seem possible, eroding critical thinking.
    • Robert Draper: “If 9/11 was a failure of the imagination ... what happened in the runup to war was an overreliance on the imagination.” [39:23]
  • By Christmas 2001 and early 2002, discussions and speeches turned public attention toward Iraq as the “axis of evil.”
    • George W. Bush: “States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world by seeking weapons of mass destruction.” [40:36]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the visceral panic after the anthrax attacks:

  • Tom Daschle: “We were told the next day to bring the clothes that we were wearing … in a garbage bag so they could be disposed. Incredibly naive and ill informed, but that was what we were told.” [20:55]
  • Grant Leslie (Daschle intern on opening the anthrax letter): “I cut a little bit into the top of the envelope. I didn't even open it the whole way, but immediately when I cut, a puff of white powder came out ... I thought immediately that it could be anthrax.” [18:30]

• On the government’s search for an enemy:

  • Gary Greco: “We knew none of [the 9/11 hijackers] to be Iraqis, nor did we possess any evidence of their involvement.” [10:53]
  • Paul Keim (After conclusively ruling out Iraq’s involvement in the anthrax letters): “The scientists weren't surprised. They said, oh, yeah, that makes sense, that they were using the volume strain. ... The American type culture collection ... sold them that strain for $25.” [33:18]

• On how panic shaped foreign policy:

  • Noreen Malone (narrator): “The authorities told the public another attack could come at any moment, anywhere, but also not to panic or the terrorists would win.” [39:02]

Timeline & Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:04 – Introduction and Dark Winter war game
• 01:45 – Simulating government/media response
• 03:33 – Bush pivots focus after 9/11
• 05:41 – Anthrax fear and public warnings
• 09:07 – Robert Draper on fear inside the White House
• 10:09 – Pentagon shifts attention to linking Iraq and 9/11
• 14:06 – Wolfowitz’s push at Camp David
• 16:01 – Anthrax case revealed in Florida
• 17:19 – Anthrax hits NBC, Tom Brokaw, and Capitol Hill
• 18:30-20:50 – Grant Leslie’s account of opening Senator Daschle’s anthrax letter
• 21:47 – Daschle reflects on changing perceptions of vulnerability
• 25:44 – Cheney publicly speculates about Al Qaeda and anthrax
• 28:11 – John McCain floats Iraq-anthrax connection on Letterman
• 30:47 – ABC’s bentonite report and public impact
• 32:53 – Paul Keim conclusively debunks Iraq link to anthrax
• 39:23 – Draper on imagination, overreaction, and Iraq
• 40:36 – Bush’s “axis of evil” State of the Union

Closing Insight

The episode captures a nation frayed by real and perceived threats, collectively lurching toward an even larger and more consequential war. It shines a light on how fear—stoked by terrorism, media narratives, bureaucratic overreaction, and bad science—opened the door to the disastrous decision to invade Iraq, especially when critical thought was smothered by the imperative to “connect the dots.”

For Next Episode

The series will delve deeper into the Bush administration's case for Weapons of Mass Destruction, and how shaky intelligence and fear coalesced into irreversible action.