Is Iraq a threat to the US? NO. Al Qaeda is. Is Al Qaeda supported by Iraq. No evidence of that, no evidence of nuclear weapons. No, no, no.
Let's review what we know about the connection between Iraq and terrorists, shall we?
Iraqi intelligence was involved in the first WTC bombing
The Republican guard run terrorist training camps in Salman Pak
Career terrorist Abu Nidal just 'happened' to retire in Baghdad.
The Israelis are finding Iraqi-trained Palestinian terrorists
Saddam has spent $15 million paying Palestinian terrorists
There are definite reports of Al Quaeda men inside Iraq now.
Al Qaeda is threatening attacks to prevent the US invasion of Iraq
The Kurds report Iraqi intelligence working with Ansar al Islam in Northern Iraq
Agents of Saddam Hussein attempted to assassinate Bush 41 and Laura Bush
As for 'no evidence of nukes', be serious:
Saddam was within a year of getting nukes in 1991
He agreed to disarm as part of the armistice agreement
He blocked the inspections at every turn, in violation of the agreement
The inspectors nevertheless thought they had destroyed most of his program, until
Defectors told them they had missed half of it
Then inspectors were thrown out in 1998
Saddam has had four years to work and hide his labs
More defectors tell us he is doing just that, and is within a year or two of getting nukes -- though if has succeeded in buying fissile material, he might even have one now.
All Iraq observers agree, that Saddam is besotted with the idea of getting nukes -- for good reason, as it will likely protect him from regime change.
A little here, a little there, this starts to amount to real evidence after a while. Saddam works with terrorists. Saddam is trying desperately to get nukes, and is probably close. We have evidence.
This line of "only Al Qaeda is a threat" is absurd. You are forced to admit that Al Qaeda is a threat because of 9/11. Before 9/11, you would also have denied that Al Qaeda was a threat, because their attacks had been minor and dismissable up to that point. So far Saddam has been clearly linked to the first WTC attack and to the attempted assassination of the first President Bush. These attacks are also minor enough that you dismiss them. I would prefer not to wait until you are forced to acknowledge that Iraq is a threat, because it would mean that Saddam had successfully launched a major attack.
Before 9/11, we ignored the threats and minor attacks of one avowed enemy. Now you want us to keep ignoring the threats and minor attacks of Saddam, another avowed enemy. I don't think that's a good idea at all. |
