Decision-makers shape facts to retroactively justify an already-chosen course of action

Evidence

With regime change per se a hard sell—and a violation of international law—the alleged imminent grave threat of lethal weapons in Saddam’s hands became the reason for preemptive military action. The Bush administration having made the decision to oust Saddam, the intelligence and the facts were shaped to justify it. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2316

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2316
• XREF: connects to: Recording reasons and evidence makes arbitrary-action review more feasible. — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 2898