<font color=red>If The Bush Administration Lied About WMD, So Did These People </font>
John Hawkins
Since we haven't found WMD in Iraq yet, a lot of the anti-war/anti-Bush
crowd is claiming that the Bush administration lied about Iraq's weapons
of mass destruction. The story being floated now is that Saddam had no
WMD (or almost none) and that the Bush administration didn't tell the
truth about the WMD threat.
Well, if they're going to claim that the Bush administration lied, then there
sure are a lot of other people, including quite a few prominent Democrats,
who have told the same lies since the inspectors pulled out of Iraq in
1998. Here are just a few examples of what I'm talking about...
"[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." -- 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and
developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Ted Kennedy, September 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
"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
"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 |
