This is an email going around, less a few quotes removed for brevity. I would be happy to edit any out if you can show me they are inaccurate. I have no way of validating them, but they are certainly an eye-opener if true and complete.


"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

"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 Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
- Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"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."
- Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry ( D - MA), and others Oct. 9, 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."
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 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, Sept. 23, 2002

"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

"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

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapon 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

"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


SO NOW THESE SAME DEMOCRATS SAY PRESIDENT BUSH LIED, THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, AND THAT HE TOOK US TO WAR UNNECESSARILY! (unknown source)

 

Um.... wasn't it generally accepted by reasonable people, and well proven by the failure to find WMD after the "victory" that the U.N. inspectors were achieving their goal of frustrating Sadam Hussein's evil plans.

Shame of Colin Powell, George W. Bush, Tony Blair and George Tenet for lying to the world.

Triple shame on them for following to the dark side Darth Vader Cheney, Wyoming's third senator.

I expect your "candidate" will win his first national election in a few days. Oh my gosh, I sincerely hope we survive his second term.

 

It goes both ways. This piece from today's New York Times contains George W. Bush quotes. To repeat the question, "Are these quotes accurate? If yes all voters should read them."




OP-ED COLUMNIST
Taking Bush at His Word
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Published: October 30, 2004


I often criticize statements by President Bush, so today let me praise some of his real wisdom:

 

I think the point is that if everybody had the same intell, and everybody believed the same way, it's Monday morning quarterbacking for these people (Kerry included) to say Bush misled us. Do you think Colin Powell knew the facts were wrong when he sat in front of the UN showing satellite pictures?
And don't forget that WMD positively did exist in Iraq. I haven't heard any of the above people say that Saddam did not use chemical weapons against his own people.

 

The George W. Bush people went into the White House predisposed to get Sadam Hussein. Their first instructions on September 11, 2001 to their intelligence people was to find the link.

Yes, I think they knew or should have known that the aluminum tubes were not suited for making nuclear weapons but were purchased for making conventional missles.

Yes, I think they knew or should have known that the Nigerian yellow cake purchase was bad propaganda.

Yes, I think they knew or should have known they were getting unreliable information from the ex-patriot Iraqies.

Yes, I think they knew or should have known that Saudi Arabia was more linked to 9/11 than Iraq, that Sadam Hussein was no religious fundamentalist, that our invasion was bound to unite the moderates with the extremists against us.

I think the Bush people duped Colin Powell and I think he should have said as much and resigned and come out for Kerry. Too bad he didn't.

Kerry isn't wonderful. Bush is absolutely dangerous, perhaps more dangerous than 50% of the electorate can imagine.

I fear for our republic.

 

 

Barry,
I think it's amazing that Colin Powell was duped, and you weren't. I think if you run for president, I might vote for you. (I'm half serious, I don't really like Bush or Kerry either one)
My purpose for posting these quotes was to see:
1) if anyone could show me that they were inaccurate (there is so much BS on the interent they might have been totally manufactured, and
2) if accurate, just to show that there are a lot of two-faced people out there.

 

"Knew or should have known"???

How can you "should have known" something? Maybe you should have known that sticking your hand into an open flame will result in a burn but in the intelligence field it's not quite that clear cut. Most of the intel analysts agreed with the briefs given to the President, although there has been a lot of media play about the "dissenting" views of a few. Remember that these sources were not just U.S. intel agencies but those of many other countries (and NOT just the UK). The "predisposition" of the administration to invade Iraq is a widely held belief with no basis in proven fact. Just because you believe it don't make it so. And just because S. Hussein was a so-called "secular" leader didn't make him any less of a threat to the region and, by extension, the U.S. A. Hitler was a "secular" leader in the most traditional sense and I doubt if many people would consider him a non-threat. If you don't like G. Bush, fine. but please don't make up issues that lack factual basis to reinforce that dislike. I have many bones to pick with the President on many issues but I reserve my criticism to those areas and don't invent motivations to explain them.

 

I cannot peronally vouch for the accuracy of most of the quotes but I have seen some of them repeated in video clips on the news.

 

Dean, I have no idea if the quotes are valid or not, but I notice that many of them are around six years old. My assumption that these quotes are indeed valid begs the question of why the sudden urgency to invade Iraq now, especially in light of the fact that we were already engaged in Afghanistan. In everything that I've read on the subject, I have seen absolutely no evidence that Hussein presented an immediate threat. The issue of who is responsible for gravely flawed intelligence aside, I believe that the subsequent actions of the Bush administration provides ample evidence that there was a predisposition for invasion. To be fair, I believe that the invasion was an honest mistake up until the Bush admin. began shifting the "reason" for invasion on nearly a weekly basis once the intel was found to be faulty. However, in Bush's defense (and this is about the only point that I can defend him on), he's in an extremely difficult position. For better or worse, he is the current Commander in Chief.
When all is said and done, it will be the future historians that have the final say on Bush's presidency, and I doubt that they will be kind.

Dean