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Death of Michael Ledeen, maker of the phony case for the invasion of Iraq

Michael Ledeen played a key role in making the phony case for the invasion of Iraq—and other damaging skullduggery.

Michael Ledeen, the controversial national security journalist, scholar and schemer who died at age 83 on May 17 from complications following a stroke, played a significant covert role leading up to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, as well as other productions of false intelligence for political ends. Obituaries published this week gave scant attention to the key role Ledeen played in fabricating intelligence to justify the eventually disastrous military campaign to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from power. The main goal of toppling the regime was achieved but the succeeding occupation, at a cost of an estimated $2 trillion, has been judged a military and diplomatic disaster resulting in 37,000 U.S. casualties, at least 200,000 and possibly a million Iraqi civilians dead due to war-related action, and the creation of a virtual Iranian client state in Baghdad.

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