Nope, not op-ed. This is a reference to Judith Miller, and others, that published false information in the New York Times about Iraq's nonexistent weapons of mass destruction on the front page.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Miller#The_Iraq_War

Oh no. So that's how the aluminum tube information spread. Thanks for pointing this out, I stand corrected.

The two part PBS documentary[1] is a terrific source of information. From the events leading up to the war until the origin of ISIS skirmishes.

They explicitly cover the aluminum tube and how the government used a news paper article to justify their stance. It also covers the famous 16 words from Bush [1].

I found it fascinating to learn about all the internal politics during this period and the war state shapes the opinion of the masses. How does one go about justifying a war that has left millions dead, maimed, and traumatized for life, that has cost (and continues to) trillions of dollars, and continues to shape the world we live in today? Highly recommended.

[1] https://www.pbssocal.org/programs/frontline/frontline-bushs-...

https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-bushs-war-part-2/

[2] https://www.factcheck.org/2004/07/bushs-16-words-on-iraq-ura...

Judith Miller wasn't an op-ed columnist.

OTOH, ISTR that she was at least accused of actively deceiving her editors.

Op-ed is still part of the paper's message, considering they do not just publish a random sample of letters received, and editors can be fired for allowing the wrong op ed to run.