Saddam Hussein 'clearly' had WMD

[Pabster]

It's clear Fred scares the snot outta the left. The bashing has just begun. October 9 is gonna be a fun debate. :laugh:

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
But Thompson did not say anything factually incorrect in his statement...hell, there are plenty of sound bytes from the Clinton Administration asserting that Saddam was a threat...many politicians engage in sabre rattling to motivate voters, and Thompson probably realizes that his campaign's only hope is to rally the remnants of the NeoCon base, many of whom still believe that Saddam was a threat worthy of immediate removal.

But the TRAITOR IN CHIEF is the only politician who actually launched an actual war Iraq. He was the one politician who had the consumate responsibility to be absolutely right and to tell the truth to the American people about why he was sending their citizens to bleed and die for what he believed.

He failed dismally at both. As of 10/2/07 7:15 pm EDT, 3,808 American troops are dead, tens of thousands more are wounded, scarred and disabled for life because the Bushwhackos LIED.

They lied, and they silenced mountains of evidence they had before they started their illegal war that every lame excuse they offered for starting it was a lie. George W. Bush and his criminal cabal should be tried for murder for every American death in their WAR OF LIES in Iraq.

Harvey, what part of CONGRESS AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S APPROVAL have you not understood? Man youre dense.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: blackangst1

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
But Thompson did not say anything factually incorrect in his statement...hell, there are plenty of sound bytes from the Clinton Administration asserting that Saddam was a threat...many politicians engage in sabre rattling to motivate voters, and Thompson probably realizes that his campaign's only hope is to rally the remnants of the NeoCon base, many of whom still believe that Saddam was a threat worthy of immediate removal.

But the TRAITOR IN CHIEF is the only politician who actually launched an actual war Iraq. He was the one politician who had the consumate responsibility to be absolutely right and to tell the truth to the American people about why he was sending their citizens to bleed and die for what he believed.

He failed dismally at both. As of 10/2/07 7:15 pm EDT, 3,808 American troops are dead, tens of thousands more are wounded, scarred and disabled for life because the Bushwhackos LIED.

They lied, and they silenced mountains of evidence they had before they started their illegal war that every lame excuse they offered for starting it was a lie. George W. Bush and his criminal cabal should be tried for murder for every American death in their WAR OF LIES in Iraq.

Harvey, what part of CONGRESS AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S APPROVAL have you not understood? Man youre dense.

What part of being lied to do you not understand?

Most American people except obvious ones on here understand we were lied to.

Many Republicans in Congress admit we were lied to as well but the majority are still in lock step with yours and their liar in Chief.

Their should be a litmus test for citizens and politicians that are so easily duped.

 

[UberNeuman]

Originally posted by: blackangst1
Harvey, what part of CONGRESS AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S APPROVAL have you not understood? Man youre dense.

But you choose to overlook the fact that if 9-11 had not happened - the congress and the American people would not have supported going into Iraq....

 

[Jhhnn]

But you choose to overlook the fact that if 9-11 had not happened - the congress and the American people would not have supported going into Iraq....

Indeed, UberNeumann. I remember when Saddam-ALQAEDA-terrar-Iraq-Osama-wmd's-9/11 was a single word, at least in the lexicon of the rightwing...

Conflation of issues is a time honored technique in the realm of propaganda, the success of which has never been more apparent than in the invasion of iraq... The bush faction buffaloed and bamboozled both the public and congress very effectively to get what they wanted all along. Fred's pitch is the same as theirs, deceptive at its core... gently massaging all the erroneous zones in the psyche of the core rightwing voter... eliciting the same pavlovian response as usual...

That's been apparent for some while, yet a fair % of the electorate refuses to admit they've been hornswaggled... the ones ol' Fred was pitching to buy the new and improved version of the same old snake oil...

Obviously, he'll sell some- there's a sucker born every minute, but it seems doubtful that there are enough susceptible to his tired old pitch to put him into the Whitehouse...

 

[Lemon law]

As Jhhnn points out, the snakeoil of wmd and the get them before they get us sales pitch
was successful in Iraq. And Fred seems the heir apparent to massage all the needed parts of the republican base while selling the US public ever more of the same improved snake oil.

But one must still ask if Thompson has the slickness of Cheney or if he is more of a Joe Lieberman type who will simply wisely nod his head and assert the villainy of the current demon is something everyone knows. I submit Cheney was the far more dangerous VP candidate in 2000 and had already had the complete package from corporate and courts to political ready to go while Lieberman was winging it. And Cheney also had a front man in GWB to hide behind. What if anything Thompson has in terms of a complete package general plan probably will not come out until later. And will likely depend on various neocons joining his campaign while staying as invisible as possible.

After that Thompson has some other snakeoil salesmanship problems to contend with. Not only must he sell the new snakeoil in diluted form to get elected by the American public, he is also going to have to contend with foreign relations issues from world leaders who are losing patience with GWB. My guess is that most are willing to wait until GWB term expires but some may take an active role in making sure that the next US President is not a GWB clone if the 08 election shapes up that way. If they do that in a politically astute manner they can indirectly discredit Thompson without attacking him directly.

The other problem is that GWB&co. may not be able to resist having one last bite from the apple in the form of military intervention in N. Korea, Syria, Iran, or Pakistan with a full court snakeoil blitz. Running the huge risk that the final bite of the apple will quickly and fully backfire big time. And if and when that scenario comes to pass, if Thompson's campaign is too fully invested in snakeoil sales, it may well doom Thompson faster than he can reinvent himself.

That and the fact a recession is forecast makes it difficult for me to conceive as Thompson as anything but a lightweight swimming against the flow of events. But time will tell and the election of 11/08 is still a year away.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Jamie571

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: Lemon law
And with the help of Limbaugh and friends, she might suddenly gain the religion needed to bring the religious right along.

How would Limbaugh help Hillary get elected?

Limbaugh totally ripped her apart today. And at the same time Fred posted on his website supporting Limbaugh relating to the "phoney soldier" comments.

You can bash Limbaugh all you want, but hes on the radio day after day dismantling everything the Democrats do. And no I'm not saying I believe everything he says.

I think the dems have a lot to fear from Fred, especialy in the debates.

Not really, in fact they should hope he gets the nomination because he's a Bush lite and anything to do with Bush is a strong negative in the court of public opinion and in the end the election.

 

[Starbuck1975]

What part of being lied to do you not understand?

There was plenty of skepticism about Bush's WMD claims well before we went into Iraq.

Bush did not lie to the American people or Congress...we had enough information to question the invasion of Iraq, and the accuracy of our intelligence reports...the American people did not question the sabre rattling because emotions were still high after 9/11...Congress did not oppose Bush on Iraq because he was a popular wartime President at the time.

Once things started going south in Iraq, then people started to question the war...and by then it was too late...Democrats suddenly found their voice as the minority party, and Republicans held their party lines and rallied to Bush once he was on the defensive.

Bush is the convenient target, but there is plenty of blame to go around.

But the TRAITOR IN CHIEF is the only politician who actually launched an actual war Iraq. He was the one politician who had the consumate responsibility to be absolutely right and to tell the truth to the American people about why he was sending their citizens to bleed and die for what he believed.

And it is Congress' responsibility to ensure that a President does not prematurely or impetuously commit this nation to war.

Bush was a fool for committing us to Iraq...Congress was foolish for not questioning his decision...and the American people were foolish for not holding our elected government accountable for its foolishness.

 

[BigRig04]

Here's the whole problem with the WMD thing. The way I can invision the conversation going down is like this.

We ask the population if Saddam has WMD's, Saddam is constantly keeping his people in a state of fear telling them he has the WMD's to keep them in line, so the Iraqi's come back to us and say "Yeah, he's got them." So we see pictures that look like WMD's, Saddam is keeping his people in line by telling them that he has them, and we put 2 and 2 together. Now it turns out that either Saddam moved them out of the country, or never had them and was ruling his people by fear. Either way, hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
Bush did not lie to the American people or Congress...

BULLSHTI!!! You can stop right there. You've lost all crediblity.

Thanks to Todd33 the following list from his post on these forums on 8-12-2005:

LIES:

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction
Dick Cheney, speech to VFW National Convention, Aug. 26, 2002

Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.
George W. Bush, speech to UN General Assembly, Sept. 12, 2002

No terrorist state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people and the stability of the world than the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Donald Rumsfeld, testimony to Congress, Sept. 19, 2002

If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world.
Ari Fleischer, press briefing, Dec. 2, 2002

We know for a fact that there are weapons there.
Ari Fleischer, press briefing, Jan. 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?. The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 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 W. Bush, radio address, Feb. 8, 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 W. Bush, address to the U.S., March 17, 2003

The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.
George W. Bush, address to U.S., March 19, 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

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

But make no mistake - as I said earlier - we have high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction. That is what this war was about and it is about. And we have high confidence it 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 W. 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 W. 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

I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam Hussein ? because he had a weapons program.
George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, May 6, 2003

We said what we said because we meant it?..We continue to have confidence that WMD will be found.
Ari Fleischer, press briefing, May 7, 2003

You remember when Colin Powell stood up in front of the world, and he said Iraq has got laboratories, mobile labs to build biological weapons....They're illegal. They're against the United Nations resolutions, and we've so far discovered two. And we'll find more weapons as time goes on, but for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong. We found them.
George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, May 31, 2003

Backpedaling:

We never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country.
Donald Rumsfeld, Fox News interview, May 4, 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 don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons [SEE NEXT QUOTE].
Donald Rumsfeld, Senate appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing, May 14, 2003

We believe [Hussein] has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.
Dick Cheney, NBC's Meet the Press, March 16, 2003

They may have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer.
Donald Rumsfeld, remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations, May 27, 2003

I think some in the media have chosen to use the word 'imminent.? Those were not words we used. We used 'grave and gathering' threat [SEE NEXT QUOTE].
Scott McClellan, press briefing, Jan. 31, 2004

This is about an imminent threat.
Scott McClellan, press briefing, Feb. 10, 2003

After being asked whether Hussein was an "imminent" threat: "Well, of course he is."
Dan Bartlett, CNN interview, Jan. 26, 2003

After being asked whether the U.S. went to war because officials said Hussein?s alleged weapons were a direct, imminent threat to the U.S.: "Absolutely."
Ari Fleischer, press briefing, May 7, 2003

More lies

"Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at [past nuclear] sites."
George W. Bush, speech to the nation ? 10/7/2002

"The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."
Condoleezza Rice, 1/8/2003

"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 W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

?U.S. intelligence indicates that Saddam Hussein had upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents.?
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

?We have also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas."
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

"Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaida."
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

"Our intelligence sources tell us that he (Saddam) has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production."
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

"We know he's been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."
Dick Cheney, ?Meet the Press? 3/16/2003

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Not really, in fact they should hope he gets the nomination because he's a Bush lite and anything to do with Bush is a strong negative in the court of public opinion and in the end the election.

No, he's not "Bush lite", but when he gets the nomination, you and your ilk will be desperately trying to paint him as such.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Pabster

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Not really, in fact they should hope he gets the nomination because he's a Bush lite and anything to do with Bush is a strong negative in the court of public opinion and in the end the election.

No, he's not "Bush lite", but when he gets the nomination, you and your ilk will be desperately trying to paint him as such.

If he's like you parroting the Neocon BS my ilk won't have to paint anything, it was be as obvious as that perpetual confused look on your face

 

[Starbuck1975]

BULLSHTI!!! You can stop right there. You've lost all crediblity.

Coming from someone with no credibility, and a tendency towards drama...read the rest of my post before knee jerking to the first sentence...some of you insist on holding onto this notion that Bush accomplished this massive deception.

I remember seeing BBC and other reports clearly questioning the extent of our intelligence with regards to WMDs in Iraq...the UN inspection teams similarly questioned Bush's sabre rattling well before we invaded.

 

[Ldir]

Originally posted by: Pabster

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Not really, in fact they should hope he gets the nomination because he's a Bush lite and anything to do with Bush is a strong negative in the court of public opinion and in the end the election.

No, he's not "Bush lite", but when he gets the nomination, you and your ilk will be desperately trying to paint him as such.

Bush lite is redundant. Thompson is more of the same, not better or worse. Rudy is the really dangerous one. He can hurt America more than Dub did.

 

[Ldir]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
I remember seeing BBC and other reports clearly questioning the extent of our intelligence with regards to WMDs in Iraq...the UN inspection teams similarly questioned Bush's sabre rattling well before we invaded.

What does that have to do with the Bush regime lying about Iraq? That only shows they knew the truth and lied anyway.

 

[Moonbeam]

I've been wondering if anybody is watching ebay to see if those weapons turn up there.

 

[Starbuck1975]

What does that have to do with the Bush regime lying about Iraq? That only shows they knew the truth and lied anyway.

Sabre rattling, arrogance and impetuous strategic/military decisions do not constitute a lie.

 

[Jhhnn]

Sabre rattling, arrogance and impetuous strategic/military decisions do not constitute a lie.

The alternative is incompetence... or a mixture of both, lying incompetence...

I take it you'd put the admin well towards the incompetent end of the spectrum...

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
Bush did not lie to the American people or Congress...

BULLSHTI!!! You can stop right there. You've lost all crediblity.

Thanks to Todd33 the following list from his post on these forums on 8-12-2005:

LIES:

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction
Dick Cheney, speech to VFW National Convention, Aug. 26, 2002

Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.
George W. Bush, speech to UN General Assembly, Sept. 12, 2002

No terrorist state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people and the stability of the world than the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Donald Rumsfeld, testimony to Congress, Sept. 19, 2002

If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world.
Ari Fleischer, press briefing, Dec. 2, 2002

We know for a fact that there are weapons there.
Ari Fleischer, press briefing, Jan. 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?. The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 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 W. Bush, radio address, Feb. 8, 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 W. Bush, address to the U.S., March 17, 2003

The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.
George W. Bush, address to U.S., March 19, 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

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

But make no mistake - as I said earlier - we have high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction. That is what this war was about and it is about. And we have high confidence it 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 W. 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 W. 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

I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam Hussein ? because he had a weapons program.
George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, May 6, 2003

We said what we said because we meant it?..We continue to have confidence that WMD will be found.
Ari Fleischer, press briefing, May 7, 2003

You remember when Colin Powell stood up in front of the world, and he said Iraq has got laboratories, mobile labs to build biological weapons....They're illegal. They're against the United Nations resolutions, and we've so far discovered two. And we'll find more weapons as time goes on, but for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong. We found them.
George W. Bush, remarks to reporters, May 31, 2003

Backpedaling:

We never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country.
Donald Rumsfeld, Fox News interview, May 4, 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 don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons [SEE NEXT QUOTE].
Donald Rumsfeld, Senate appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing, May 14, 2003

We believe [Hussein] has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.
Dick Cheney, NBC's Meet the Press, March 16, 2003

They may have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer.
Donald Rumsfeld, remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations, May 27, 2003

I think some in the media have chosen to use the word 'imminent.? Those were not words we used. We used 'grave and gathering' threat [SEE NEXT QUOTE].
Scott McClellan, press briefing, Jan. 31, 2004

This is about an imminent threat.
Scott McClellan, press briefing, Feb. 10, 2003

After being asked whether Hussein was an "imminent" threat: "Well, of course he is."
Dan Bartlett, CNN interview, Jan. 26, 2003

After being asked whether the U.S. went to war because officials said Hussein?s alleged weapons were a direct, imminent threat to the U.S.: "Absolutely."
Ari Fleischer, press briefing, May 7, 2003

More lies

"Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at [past nuclear] sites."
George W. Bush, speech to the nation ? 10/7/2002

"The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."
Condoleezza Rice, 1/8/2003

"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 W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

?U.S. intelligence indicates that Saddam Hussein had upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents.?
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

?We have also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas."
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

"Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaida."
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

"Our intelligence sources tell us that he (Saddam) has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production."
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
George W. Bush, State of the Union Address ? 1/28/2003

"We know he's been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."
Dick Cheney, ?Meet the Press? 3/16/2003

Too bad sigs are limited to 255 characters.

The above should be in every real true American's sigs.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Too bad sigs are limited to 255 characters.

The above should be in every real true American's sigs.

As should these:

We 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." -- From a letter signed by Joe Lieberman, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara A. Milulski, Tom Daschle, & John Kerry ,among others, on October 9, 1998

"This December will mark three years since United Nations inspectors last visited Iraq. There is no doubt that since that time, Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to refine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer- range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." -- From a December 6, 2001 letter signed by Bob Graham, Joe Lieberman, Harold Ford, & Tom Lantos, among others.

"Whereas Iraq has consistently breached its cease-fire agreement between Iraq and the United States, entered into on March 3, 1991, by failing to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction program, and refusing to permit monitoring and verification by United Nations inspections; Whereas Iraq has developed weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological capabilities, and has made positive progress toward developing nuclear weapons capabilities" -- From a joint resolution submitted by Tom Harkin and Arlen Specter on July 18, 2002

"Saddam's goal ... is to achieve the lifting of U.N. sanctions while retaining and enhancing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. We cannot, we must not and we will not let him succeed." -- Madeline Albright, 1998

"(Saddam) will rebuild his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and some day, some way, I am certain he will use that arsenal again, as he has 10 times since 1983" -- National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Feb 18, 1998

"Iraq made commitments after the Gulf War to completely dismantle all weapons of mass destruction, and unfortunately, Iraq has not lived up to its agreement." -- Barbara Boxer, November 8, 2002

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retained 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 capability. Intelligence reports also indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons, but has not yet achieved nuclear capability." -- Robert Byrd, October 2002

"There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat... Yes, he has chemical and biological weapons. He's had those for a long time. But the United States right now is on a very much different defensive posture than we were before September 11th of 2001... He is, as far as we know, actively pursuing nuclear capabilities, though he doesn't have nuclear warheads yet. If he were to acquire nuclear weapons, I think our friends in the region would face greatly increased risks as would we." -- Wesley Clark on September 26, 2002

"What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use such weapons in the past. Today, a number of evidences may lead to think that, over the past four years, in the absence of international inspectors, this country has continued armament programs." -- Jacques Chirac, October 16, 2002

"The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow." -- Bill Clinton in 1998

"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, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. 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. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security." -- Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002

"I am absolutely convinced that there are weapons...I saw evidence back in 1998 when we would see the inspectors being barred from gaining entry into a warehouse for three hours with trucks rolling up and then moving those trucks out." -- Clinton's Secretary of Defense William Cohen in April of 2003

"Iraq is not the only nation in the world to possess weapons of mass destruction, but it is the only nation with a leader who has used them against his own people." -- Tom Daschle in 1998

"Saddam Hussein's regime represents a grave threat to America and our allies, including our vital ally, Israel. For more than two decades, Saddam Hussein has sought weapons of mass destruction through every available means. We know that he has chemical and biological weapons. He has already used them against his neighbors and his own people, and is trying to build more. We know that he is doing everything he can to build nuclear weapons, and we know that each day he gets closer to achieving that goal." -- John Edwards, Oct 10, 2002

"The debate over Iraq is not about politics. It is about national security. It should be clear that our national security requires Congress to send a clear message to Iraq and the world: America is united in its determination to eliminate forever the threat of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction." -- John Edwards, Oct 10, 2002

"I share the administration's goals in dealing with Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction." -- Dick Gephardt in September of 2002

"Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." -- Al Gore, 2002

"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." -- Bob Graham, December 2002

"Saddam Hussein is not the only deranged dictator who is willing to deprive his people in order to acquire weapons of mass destruction." -- Jim Jeffords, October 8, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Ted Kennedy, September 27, 2002

"There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein's regime is a serious danger, that he is a tyrant, and that his pursuit of lethal weapons of mass destruction cannot be tolerated. He must be disarmed." -- Ted Kennedy, Sept 27, 2002

"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." -- John F. Kerry, Oct 2002

"The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but as I said, it is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and particularly in the last 4 years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons. He has had a free hand for 4 years to reconstitute these weapons, allowing the world, during the interval, to lose the focus we had on weapons of mass destruction and the issue of proliferation." -- John Kerry, October 9, 2002

"(W)e need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime. We all know the litany of his offenses. 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. That is why the world, through the United Nations Security Council, has spoken with one voice, demanding that Iraq disclose its weapons programs and disarm. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but it is not new. It has been with us since the end of the Persian Gulf War." -- John Kerry, Jan 23, 2003

"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 mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." -- Carl Levin, Sept 19, 2002

"Every day Saddam remains in power with chemical weapons, biological weapons, and the development of nuclear weapons is a day of danger for the United States." -- Joe Lieberman, August, 2002

"Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 - 1994, despite Iraq's denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons.U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq's claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction." -- Patty Murray, October 9, 2002

"As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. 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." -- Nancy Pelosi, December 16, 1998

"Even today, Iraq is not nearly disarmed. Based on highly credible intelligence, UNSCOM [the U.N. weapons inspectors] suspects that Iraq still has biological agents like anthrax, botulinum toxin, and clostridium perfringens in sufficient quantity to fill several dozen bombs and ballistic missile warheads, as well as the means to continue manufacturing these deadly agents. Iraq probably retains several tons of the highly toxic VX substance, as well as sarin nerve gas and mustard gas. This agent is stored in artillery shells, bombs, and ballistic missile warheads. And Iraq retains significant dual-use industrial infrastructure that can be used to rapidly reconstitute large-scale chemical weapons production." -- Ex-Un Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter in 1998

"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. And that may happen sooner if he can obtain access to enriched uranium from foreign sources -- something that is not that difficult in the current world. We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." -- John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002

"Saddam's existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America, now. Saddam has used chemical weapons before, both against Iraq's enemies and against his own people. He is working to develop delivery systems like missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that could bring these deadly weapons against U.S. forces and U.S. facilities in the Middle East." -- John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002

"Whether one agrees or disagrees with the Administration's policy towards Iraq, I don't think there can be any question about Saddam's conduct. He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do. He lies and cheats; he snubs the mandate and authority of international weapons inspectors; and he games the system to keep buying time against enforcement of the just and legitimate demands of the United Nations, the Security Council, the United States and our allies. Those are simply the facts." -- Henry Waxman, Oct 10, 2002

 

[umbrella39]

BULLSHTI!!! You can stop right there. You've lost all crediblity.

Thanks to Todd33 the following list from his post on these forums on 8-12-2005:

LIES:

Odd isn't it how only one guy actually had the power to invade Iraq, if appropriate and if necessary and not just talk about it. The name of the guy escapes me right now but I think he was the sitting POTUS at the time. I wonder how many of our congressmen/women can't sleep at night knowing they authorized force to a warmongering manchild. Wonders how many would take that back right now if they could, both R's & D's.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Too bad sigs are limited to 255 characters. The above should be in every real true American's sigs.

Along with the quotes that Pabster provided...does lying about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein only count when they come from Bush? Last I checked, without Congressional support, a President can only go so far in deploying military forces...Congress was cheerleading right along side Bush, Democrats and Republicans...until things went to hell, and the Democrats smelled politican opportunism on the playing field.

The alternative is incompetence... or a mixture of both, lying incompetence...I take it you'd put the admin well towards the incompetent end of the spectrum...

Yes.

I firmly believe that Bush sought to project decisiveness and strength in marching the nation towards war in Iraq...the leaders of Europe did it just prior to WW1 and WW2...it certainly isn't unprecendented for a leader to weigh emotion more heavily in making military decisions.

The American people wanted a response after 9/11, and Bush played to the crowd, despite the warnings of those who understood the implications and complexities of an Iraq invasion. Why Bush chose Iraq, we may never know.

This is speculation on my part, but I honestly believe that the NeoCon strategists sought to create an American presence in the Middle East, and essentially force Al Quaida to expose its network in fighting that American force in its own backyard...Iraq was the easiest and most convenient nation to invade for establishing that American presence.

And, well, we now understand the foolishness of such a strategy.

 

[Ldir]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975

Too bad sigs are limited to 255 characters. The above should be in every real true American's sigs.

Along with the quotes that Pabster provided...does lying about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein only count when they come from Bush? Last I checked, without Congressional support, a President can only go so far in deploying military forces...Congress was cheerleading right along side Bush, Democrats and Republicans...until things went to hell, and the Democrats smelled politican opportunism on the playing field.

Because they believed Dub's lies. They were stupid, not dishonest.


--------------------
Bush Apologists of America (BAA): Pulling the wool over America's eyes since 1980.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
Along with the quotes that Pabster provided...does lying about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein only count when they come from Bush? Last I checked, without Congressional support, a President can only go so far in deploying military forces...Congress was cheerleading right along side Bush, Democrats and Republicans...until things went to hell, and the Democrats smelled politican opportunism on the playing field.

It counts more when the liar is the TRAITOR IN CHIEF and his gang of murderers. It counts more when his lies are the direct cause of the deaths of 3,809 American troops (as of 10/5/07 11:25 am EDT), the wounding of tens of thousands more American troops and squandering TRILLIONS of dollars of American treasure.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: Ldir
Because they believed Dub's lies. They were stupid, not dishonest.

Ah, the tired old Bush fooled 'em argument. You really need to come up with something a bit more ingenuous...