For the Record
Easy to imaging President Bush saying the following, but he didn't...
"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." -- Bill Clinton, February 17th, 1998
"We must stop Saddam from ever again jeopardizing the stability and the security of his neighbors with weapons of mass destruction." -- Madeleine Albright, Clinton's secretary of state, February 1st, 1998
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again as he has ten times since 1983." -- Sandy Berger, Clinton national security advisor, February 18th, 1998
"We urge you, after consulting with Congress and consistent with the US 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." That from a letter to President Clinton signed by Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others, October 9th, 1998
"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 16th, 1998
"Hussein has chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." -- Madeleine Albright, Clinton's secretary of state, November 10th, 1999
"We begin with a 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, is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." -- Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), September 19th, 2002
"We know that he has stored nuclear supplies, secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." -- Al Gore, September 23rd, 2002
"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, September 23rd, 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Ted Kennedy, September 27th, 2002.
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of '98. 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." -- Robert Byrd (D-WV) October 3rd, 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." -- Senator Bob Graham, Democrat, Florida, December 2002
"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, 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." -- Senator Hillary Clinton, October 10th of 2002
"I will be voting to give the president of the US the authority to use force if necessary to disarm Saddam because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." -- Senator John Kerry, October 9th, 2002
Carl Levin, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Sandy Berger, Nancy Pelosi -- these are all the card-carrying leaders of the left's anti-war brigade today. "Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction! Intelligence was manipulated! We were tricked!" How do you explain your consistency on this issue for five years prior to Bush, three years prior to him even assuming office? And for the record, the WMD clause in the declaration of war that Congress approved was only one of 14 reasons listed in said declaration.
posted by Dale @ 5:29 PM
19 comments
19 Comments:
Music downloads center, you didn't even make a guess. That's not very nice! Since James and Fletch aren't even options (HELLO!) I'm going to have to pick....um, 5...none of the above. Did I at least beat MDCenter? Did I?
lol, you win STL...and for your correct guess you are awarded a keen desire to see the KC Royals finish with less than 100 wins next year...
I need to get more traffic before I try a contest like this again...I'm gonna advertise on American Idol's website
Do any of these quotes change the fact that this war was campaigned for, and constructed upon false pretenses? Who really cares what John Kerry said about the Saddam 5 or 6 years previous?
Bottom line: hundreds of thousands of people (mostly civilians) are dead as a result of this poorly planned and ill-conceived war.
*deep breath*
ok, here's my take...read on at your own risk, but let me state at the outset, I do not like war. I hate it.
The quotes I have in the post matter...
1. The declaration of war Congress approved contained 14 reasons/justifications. Only one of the 14 mentions WMD.
2. Members of Congress had access to THE EXACT SAME INFORMATION that GWB did.
3. Congress declares war, not the president.
4. The blood of every dead Iraqi from this conflict is on the head of Saddam Hussein, not GWB or the U.S.
I'll explain that last point further.
At the end of WWII, things were building up to a colossal amphibious invasion by Allied Forces into Okinawa and Japan. The Allied Forces met and wrote the Potsdam Declaration which called for Japan's surrender. Within the document contained language stating that anything less than total surrender would result in total and utter destruction. Japan was warned. Their intelligence officers knew we detonated an a-bomb. But the govt. of Japan was unmoved. So we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima killing 70k instantly and maybe 250k over time. It was and remains the most destructive military action ever taken. Still, Japan's leaders WERE NOT MOVED. They defiantly stood their ground and refused to surrender. Another bomb was dropped, and finally, they surrendered. Some would say the Allies should have warned Japan again before the first bomb (I'll come back to this) but we didn't. Even still, the defiance of the Japan govt. was the deciding factor in the use of the a-bombs. The tens of thousands of Japanese killed those two days are a direct result of Japan's leaders refusing to accept reality. It's very, very sad. Almost incomprehensible to fathom the destruction.
Present day. Like Japan's govt. Saddam stood defiantly and shook his fist at the U.S. and the U.N. He did use WMD several times on his own people. He completely ignored 17 U.N. resolutions. His military fired on U.S. airplanes patrolling the no-fly zone EVERY DAY FOR 8 YEARS. He harbored terrorists that had their sights on killing Americans. The U.N. passes an 18th resolution telling Saddam to come clean. He does nothing. (If I gave my children 18 warnings before punishment came, they would be the most undisciplined kids ever) SO here comes action. The U.S. builds a small coalition to force Saddam out of power.
Here's where we come back to Japan. Truman gave Japan no warning before he dropped the first a-bomb. GWB gave Saddam 48 hours. Get out or you will be invaded and displaced as president of Iraq. Did GWB have to do that? No. History has no precedent in fact of a leader giving a final warning like that. That tells me that history will show that GWB did everything possible to avoid war. But you can't sit back and make idle threats, you have to follow through.
This is why, like Japan's govt. in WWII, and even more so in this situation, I hold Saddam Hussein responsible for every innocent death in the Iraq conflict because he could have prevented all of them.
*deep breath*
love ya james
People can scream all they want to about WMD, and some may still be found, but there were many other reasons we went to war with Iraq. If Bush 'lied', so did everyone else. Even if the pretenses about WMD were false, the other 13 reasons, some of which are stated above, are reason enough to take action. I'm glad we did and this doesn't make me a bad person and it doesn't make GWB a bad person either.
Muffin, Although it kinda wigs me out to call you a pastry-name I have 2 points.
1. HAHA! I won cuz i played suckas!!
2. Although I agree that the blah, blah, blah had 14 points and congress declares war, and blah blah Saddam is a bad guy, I also agree that the media and the Bush admin pushed the WMD angle to develop fear after 9/11. I can say this because out of the 14 points the only 1 I know from memory is the WMD. The UN seemed just happy as punch to let Saddam be a bad guy to his own people, so were we off playing Lone Ranger or blah, blah, blah oil. I believe some sort of war was inevitable w/ Saddam still in power, but w/o the WMD misinformation I don't think we'd be in the same situation we are in now. I think it was executed swifly, but planned poorly. I also barely watch the news so I don't hold any clout to my above thoughts but I do know over the past 2 years the more info I know, the more frustrated I am.
PS - HAHA! I won. Bring on the next competitions! Whoooo, cuz you're all going downnnn!
ahbahsean, your enthusiasm is contagious...in between the blahs...I agree, the WMD is the only thing anyone remembers because that's the most scary option, having anthrax or some other WMD unleashed on the U.S. is horrifying...the reason we remember only this might be related to why the networks keep making made for TV movies like Category 7: The End of the World
Nuh-uh, you didn't just mention Cat 7! That movie rocks! Did you see that Eiffel Tower collapse, or George Washington's head fall off Rushmore?! That storm is B.A.D. BAD! But don't you worry, Gina Gershon's gonna save us all!
I almost taped it, but I was out of the house when it started, and when I got home 'Grey's Anatomy' was already on and there's just no pulling me away from that Dr. Shepherd.
Man...
I really wish i had the time to lay out where i believe the many points in your analogy (WWII/Saddam) are faulty. It just breaks down at so many points especially toward the end, wherein Bush gives Saddam 48 hours to disarm. Well...based upon what we've turned up regarding WMD, it looks like he had nothing to turn over. And we still went to war.
My greater point however was that if a gov't really wants to go to war, it will manufacture a reason to do so, Democratic or Republican. Who really cares who said what regarding Saddam Hussein and this war.
The war is tragic, unjustified and unwinnable.
the analogy breaks down here...unlike Truman, Bush gave Saddam a final chance, 48 hours or else.
That doesn't sound like someone who wants war. Besides, we were already at war in Afghanistan.
History will judge GWB's actions...I think he did the right thing at the right time.
You watch, impeachment will be attempted because of this but remember...everyone, on both sides of the aisle thought at that time, going to war was the right thing to do. And as I mentioned before, which is not disputed (because it can't be) Congress declares war and approves spending for war, NOT the president.
Blame Congress...even the Republicans.
Congress approved the war based on faulty intelligence. Bush pushed for the war when our intelligence said there was no evidence of WMD, and no case for an all out war, and in defiance of the UN.
And i should add that this was not a congressionally approved declaration of war as the constitution spells out. this was a military action.
Bush laid the case for war against Iraq, very early on. Bush met much resistance from a congress that wanted to go to the UN before taking any course of action. Bush essential told congress that we will go to the UN as long as I have your support when the time is needed. Congress then approved the use of military force against Iraq, if, and only if, it is used as a last resort. Obviously it wasn't, because if it was we would clearly have been able to determine that there were no WMD, eliminating the need for an all out war.
Love you too my friend. Hope you are well.
hey MD, haven't checked in in a while so here is my earnest but likely (and expected) poorly spelled and inadiquitely comment...
look, when 911 happened bush asked... "was it iraq?"
he has been looking for an excuse to go to war. this contradicts the idea that he gave saddam a chance to step down. he was looking to go to war.
also, yes clinton bombed the Sh** out of irag. yes your quotes reveal that he and the dems believed their were WMD's.
however, it was BUSH who took us to iraq... under the same faulty intel.
and if you hate war, why do you support this one?
or do you just want to support BUSH and the GOP?
if so, why? why "pick" a party? christians arent republican or democrats. so why feel the need to support one party? that goes to all you disappointed kerry voters...
also, was there some kind of contest?
i missed that part some how...
and no one is suprised by this
Managing Time requiries skills %%desc%% also mean that you %%desc%% learn new skills.
Dude, i think the nudist is correct, how are we still on this topic?! Have we at least solved it yet?
Fletch, turn your desk around and face the front of the class....
I think this is like a record for the number of posts on one entry...all this time I've been making these vain attempts at humor when really, Iraq was what people want to talk about...geez
Fletch, pretty good spelling man, glad to know Sylvan Learning Center doesn't have to worry about running out of clients...
Iraq, we're there, it's not the best thing to be at war...but now that we ARE there, what's the best solution? Run away and leave Iraq to fend for itself? I think we need to stick around and help them become the shining beacon of free govt. (not necessarily democracy) in the Middle East.
There issue solved...new post please...oh, that's my job...
funny thing is GWB was in there with me...
he said it was his third time through
it's a good thing that you, and he, know that mispelling words is a sign of genius
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