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I admit it, the president lied about WMD's


Sarge

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"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..."

- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003 | Source

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."

- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002 | Source

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."

- President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998 | Source

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."

- President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998 | Source

"We must stop Saddam from ever again jeopardizing the stability and security of his neighbors with weapons of mass destruction."

- Madeline Albright, Feb 1, 1998 | Source

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."

- Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998 | Source

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."

Letter to President Clinton.

- (D) Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, others, Oct. 9, 1998 | Source

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."

- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998 | Source

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."

- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999 | Source

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and th! e means of delivering them."

- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002 | Source

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."

- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 | Source

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."

- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 | Source

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."

- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002 | Source

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."

- Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002 | Source

"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."

- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002 | Source

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."

- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002 | Source

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction."

- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002 | Source

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Yep, many prominent democrats including Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and John Kerry in the late 90's and in the 21st century have commented on Saddams WMD's. What good are words if you are not willing to put action behind them?

Good point, but when you decide to act at least have a plan that makes sense. It is also a good idea to be able to adjust your plan when the flaws are exposed.

:rolleyes:

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A History Of Lies: WMD, Who Said What and When ?

05/30/03

Intelligence leaves no doubt that Iraq continues to possess and conceal lethal weapons

George Bush, US President 18 March, 2003

Saddam's removal is necessary to eradicate the threat from his weapons of mass destruction

Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary 2 April, 2003

Before people crow about the absence of weapons of mass destruction, I suggest they wait a bit

Tony Blair 28 April, 2003

We are asked to accept Saddam decided to destroy those weapons. I say that such a claim is palpably absurd

Tony Blair, Prime Minister 18 March, 2003

It is possible Iraqi leaders decided they would destroy them prior to the conflict

Donald Rumsfeld, US Defense Secretary 28 May, 2003

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.

Dick Cheney

Speech to VFW National Convention

August 26, 2002

Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.

George "aWol" Bush

Speech to UN General Assembly

September 12, 2002

If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world.

Ari Fleischer

Press Briefing

December 2, 2002

We know for a fact that there are weapons there.

Ari Fleischer

Press Briefing

January 9, 2003

Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.

George "aWol" Bush

State of the Union Address

January 28, 2003

We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more.

Colin Powell

Remarks to UN Security Council

February 5, 2003

We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have.

George "aWol" Bush

Radio Address

February 8, 2003

So has the strategic decision been made to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction by the leadership in Baghdad? . . . I think our judgment has to be clearly not.

Colin Powell

Remarks to UN Security Council

March 7, 2003

Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.

George "aWol" Bush

Address to the Nation

March 17, 2003

Well, there is no question that we have evidence and information that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical particularly . . . all this will be made clear in the course of the operation, for whatever duration it takes.

Ari Fleisher

Press Briefing

March 21, 2003

There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. And . . . as this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them.

Gen. Tommy Franks

Press Conference

March 22, 2003

I have no doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction.

Defense Policy Board member Kenneth Adelman

Washington Post, p. A27

March 23, 2003

One of our top objectives is to find and destroy the WMD. There are a number of sites.

Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clark

Press Briefing

March 22, 2003

We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.

Donald Rumsfeld

ABC Interview

March 30, 2003

Obviously the administration intends to publicize all the weapons of mass destruction U.S. forces find -- and there will be plenty.

Neocon scholar Robert Kagan

Washington Post op-ed

April 9, 2003

I think you have always heard, and you continue to hear from officials, a measure of high confidence that, indeed, the weapons of mass destruction will be found.

Ari Fleischer

Press Briefing

April 10, 2003

We are learning more as we interrogate or have discussions with Iraqi scientists and people within the Iraqi structure, that perhaps he destroyed some, perhaps he dispersed some. And so we will find them.

George "aWol" Bush

NBC Interview

April 24, 2003

There are people who in large measure have information that we need . . . so that we can track down the weapons of mass destruction in that country.

Donald Rumsfeld

Press Briefing

April 25, 2003

We'll find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so.

George "aWol" Bush

Remarks to Reporters

May 3, 2003

I'm absolutely sure that there are weapons of mass destruction there and the evidence will be forthcoming. We're just getting it just now.

Colin Powell

Remarks to Reporters

May 4, 2003

We never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country.

Donald Rumsfeld

Fox News Interview

May 4, 2003

I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam Hussein -- because he had a weapons program.

George "aWol" Bush

Remarks to Reporters

May 6, 2003

U.S. officials never expected that "we were going to open garages and find" weapons of mass destruction.

Condoleeza Rice

Reuters Interview

May 12, 2003

I just don't know whether it was all destroyed years ago -- I mean, there's no question that there were chemical weapons years ago -- whether they were destroyed right before the war, (or) whether they're still hidden.

Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, Commander 101st Airborne

Press Briefing

May 13, 2003

Before the war, there's no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical. I expected them to be found. I still expect them to be found.

Gen. Michael Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps

Interview with Reporters

May 21, 2003

Given time, given the number of prisoners now that we're interrogating, I'm confident that we're going to find weapons of mass destruction.

Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff

NBC Today Show interview

May 26, 2003

They may have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer.

Donald Rumsfeld

Remarks to Council on Foreign Relations

May 27, 2003

For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction (as justification for invading Iraq) because it was the one reason everyone could agree on.

Paul Wolfowitz

Vanity Fair interview

May 28, 2003

It was a surprise to me then — it remains a surprise to me now — that we have not uncovered weapons, as you say, in some of the forward dispersal sites. Believe me, it's not for lack of trying. We've been to virtually every ammunition supply point between the Kuwaiti border and Baghdad, but they're simply not there.

Lt. Gen. James Conway, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Press Interview

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It's getting so old.

This administration in a nut shell

Even thought before us we were not (At war, in a reccession, running a deficit, have high gas prices, have a increase in unemployment, have a uptake in crime, have the highest goverement spending ever) it's not our fault. It's Clintons and the Democrats fault....

So much for Trumans "The Buck Stops here"

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Cav...A simple question:

Did Saddam's OWN generals and people believe he had WMD stockpiles?

A simple answer: I don't know

But if I had to offer a guess...

The Iraqi people likely had no clue either way except for the Khurds that Saddam actually used poison on.

As far as his generals it was probably a need to know basis.

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Clinton believed Saddam had WMD's. He wanted to get the weapons inspectors back in.

Bush believed Saddam had WMD's. He wanted to invade the country, install a new government, and spend billions of dollars trying to defend it and rebuild it.

The difference isn't what they believed; it's what they wanted to do about it.

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http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0108/490972.html

Piro, a Lebanese-American who speaks Arabic, debriefed Saddam after he was found hiding in an underground hideout near his home city north of Baghdad in December 2003, nine months after the U.S. invasion.

Piro said Saddam also said that he wanted to keep up the illusion that he had the program in part because he thought it would deter a likely Iranian invasion.

"For him, it was critical that he was seen as still the strong, defiant Saddam. He thought that (faking having the weapons) would prevent the Iranians from reinvading Iraq," Piro told Scott Pelley of "60 Minutes."

Piro added that Saddam had the intention of restarting an Iraqi weapons program at the time, and had engineers available for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

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It's getting so old.

This administration in a nut shell

Even thought before us we were not (At war, in a reccession, running a deficit, have high gas prices, have a increase in unemployment, have a uptake in crime, have the highest goverement spending ever) it's not our fault. It's Clintons and the Democrats fault....

So much for Trumans "The Buck Stops here"

Republicans never take blame or accountability for their ****-ups....not when the clintons or carter are around.

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Clinton believed Saddam had WMD's. He wanted to get the weapons inspectors back in.

Bush believed Saddam had WMD's. He wanted to invade the country, install a new government, and spend billions of dollars trying to defend it and rebuild it.

The difference isn't what they believed; it's what they wanted to do about it.

I would agree 100% but Clinton didnt have to deal with this on 9/12, when no one knew what could happen next. Would this dictator, who had his ass kicked very publicly 10 years before give a terrorist something that could cause more damage than a 767? On that date anything was and could be possible.

He made a choice to do something about it - handled the post war badly but at least he did something about a perceived threat.

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I would agree 100% but Clinton didnt have to deal with this on 9/12, when no one knew what could happen next. Would this dictator, who had his ass kicked very publicly 10 years before give a terrorist something that could cause more damage than a 767? On that date anything was and could be possible.

He made a choice to do something about it - handled the post war badly but at least he did something about a perceived threat.

Yeah, the complaint is really that the *something* that Bush decided to do was poorly led and badly mismanaged.

...I think we would have been better off if Bush had decided to do *something* else (perhaps given the weapons inspectors more time to do their job), or maybe if *someone* else had been in charge.

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Well, probably the difference is that none of the quoted folks invaded Iraq over any of these assumptions. Perhaps, the thought was, "If we can deal with the Soviets over the duration of a Cold War, then we can deal with Saddam," who, of course, was one of our former allies.

And of course we knew about his WMDs, which he did have one at time. Especially when they were used during Iran - Iraq conflict, in which Saddam had our support.

The problem is, when it comes to the pre-war efforts to persuade the American public that an invasion was necessary, creating ties between Saddam, 9-11 (which some folks still believe), and Al-Qaida, and creating an impression that Saddam was an immediate threat.

It has been demonstrated that the administration willfully deceived the American public and perhaps some lawmakers as well. Soon after the 9-11 attack, administration members, and specifically VP Cheney, wanted connections to be found between Saddam and 9-11.

As the Downing Street documents said, "fix the facts."

Complete responsibility cannot be shouldered by President Bush, as far as the inaccuracy of what was believed, but as the commander-in-chief, it is his position to mostly certain share some of it. Especially if the President and the administration were only interested in forging ahead with an invasion, no matter the conclusions of WMD investigators or the intelligence community.

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He made a choice to do something about it - handled the post war badly but at least he did something about a perceived threat.

Bush had my support in Afghanistan

He lost my support and the vast majority of the planet with his decision to invade Iraq. There is a big difference between doing something and doing the right thing.

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The problem is, when it comes to the pre-war efforts to persuade the American public that an invasion was necessary, creating ties between Saddam, 9-11 (which some folks still believe), and Al-Qaida, and creating an impression that Saddam was an immediate threat.

It has been demonstrated that the administration willfully deceived the American public and perhaps some lawmakers as well.

Bill Klinton deceived the AMerican public about Iraq? And all those other Dems lied about him having WMD's too?

Say it ain't so :)

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Republicans never take blame or accountability for their ****-ups....not when the clintons or carter are around.

Actually Republicans are taking the blame (i.e. 2006 national elections). All of our leaders should be held accountable, especially if they have spoken out on this issue.

However,

Democrats are the ones who want to scapegoat the war on Republicans and act as if they have never said anything in regards to pre war rhetoric, which as Sarge nicely pointed out, is just not the case. Again, if words (especially the strong, intimidating, point blank language some of the Democrats used about Saddam) are not backed up with some type of credible action (millitary if need be) then they are just words and do not hold water.

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