The President’s speech last night might have been a bit light on content, but after Yellowcakegate it was deemed necessary to take a hard look at some of the facts written in by Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld. According to an administration source, the original speech contained many details that proved to be somewhat questionable.

Here, then are some excerpts from the speech’s first draft (excised portions in italics):

“America and a broad coalition acted first in Afghanistan, by destroying the training camps of terror, and removing the regime that harbored al Qaeda. In a series of raids and actions around the world, nearly two-thirds of al Qaeda’s known leaders have been captured or killed, and we continue on al Qaeda’s trail. That trail now seems to lead towards French and Russian petroleum companies, and they will be dealt with in a swift and deadly manner.”

“We have exposed terrorist front groups, seized terrorist accounts, captured Satan, taken new measures to protect our homeland, and uncovered sleeper cells inside the United States. And we acted in Iraq, where the former regime sponsored terror, possessed and used weapons of mass destruction, took over three quarters of Asia, dropped a nuclear bomb on Tel Aviv, annexed New Jersey, and for 12 years defied the clear demands of the United Nations Security Council. Our coalition enforced these international demands in one of the swiftest and most humane military campaigns in history. In fact, British intelligence has learned that not a single person died in the conflict.”

“This work continues, but honestly, we’re pretty much done at this point. In Iraq, we are helping the long suffering people of that country to build a decent and democratic society at the center of the Middle East. Together we are transforming a place of torture chambers, Al Qaeda vacation resorts, and mass graves into a nation of laws and free institutions.”

“We have conducted a thorough assessment of our military and reconstruction needs in Iraq, and also in Afghanistan. I will soon submit to Congress a request for $87 billion. The request will cover ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, which we expect will cost $66 billion over the next year. Our projections indicate that the return will be enormous, and the operation will pay for itself within a year, which will allow us to further cut taxes while balancing the budget. That’s a sure thing. 100% guaranteed.“