DEMOCRATS HELPED BUSH LIE ABOUT IRAQ'S "WMD"
CAPABILITIES
By Duane J. Roberts
6/25/03
Recently, articles have been popping up in various
newspapers across the country alleging that President
George W. Bush basically lied about Saddam Hussein's
possession of "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD) to
justify the use of military force against Iraq.
Although I don't disagree with this premise, most of
the articles I've read so far have curiously omitted
one key fact: that prominent members of the Democratic
Party joined along with the Bush to help him
perpetrate this horrendous fraud against the American
people.
Without offering any proof whatsoever, many key
Democrats eagerly jumped aboard the bandwagon and made
statements which implied they too had intimate and
detailed knowledge of Saddam's "vast arsenal" of
chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. (see the
brief list I compiled below)
Before the war, some of them spent a considerable
amount of time running around Washington, D.C.
screaming at the top of their lungs claiming that the
United States needed to take "immediate action"
against Iraq before we all suffer from another tragedy
like "9-11."
For the most part, the "WMD" argument is nothing more
than crude propaganda that was created for the purpose
of scaring the public into blindly supporting military
action around the world that serves the interests of
U.S. imperialism.
In the case of Iraq, both Democrats and Republicans
have spent the past decade whipping up phony
allegations of its "WMD" capabilities to justify
imposing harsh economic sanctions against it and to
maintain a heavy U.S. military presence in the Middle
East.
When it finally became feasible for United States to
take possession of Iraq outright, the "WMD" lie became
a useful tool in mobilizing public opinion to support
outright aggression against it under the pretext that
the "Butcher of Baghdad" was plotting to attack us
first.
The United States doesn't want "third world" nations
to develop or possess any kind of "WMD's" because it
would prevent it from having unfettered access of
their raw materials and markets -- in the situation of
Iraq, we're talking about control of over more than
110 billion barrels of crude oil.
In the contemporary era, it appears that the only way
a smaller nation can prevent itself from being
swallowed up by a "great power" like the United States
is to create a small arsenal of "WMD's" it can use to
discourage any would-be future aggressor.
Had Iraq had any "WMD's" in its possession, its highly
doubtful that the Bush administration would have
actually risked an invasion for fear that any U.S.
army division racing up the road toward Baghdad might
have been vaporized in a ball of fire.
Given the bi-partisan nature of the lies that have
been spread about Iraq's "WMD's", I don't really
expect much of anything to come out of any
Congressional inquiries that might held into this
matter, as both the Democrats and Republicans will
work very hard to cover-up each others role in
perpetuating this fraud.
As an example of this, I point out that Congressman
Dennis Kucinich, while being one of the first
politicians to publicly blast President Bush for lying
to the American people about Iraq, has failed to
criticize any of his fellow Democrats for doing the
exact same thing.
As long as the foxes are delegated with the task of
guarding the hen house, don't ever expect the chickens
to be safe.
duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com
STATEMENTS AND QUOTES
"I share the [Bush] administration's goals in dealing
with Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction."
-- Congressman Dick Gephardt (D-Iowa)
September 19, 2002
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/09/19/bush.congress.iraq/
"As we survey the landscape of threats to our security
in the years ahead, the greatest are terrorists like
Al Qaeda and rogue regimes like Saddam Hussein's.
Saddam hates America and Americans and is working
furiously to accumulate deadly weapons of mass
destruction, and the missiles, planes, and unmanned
aerial vehicles to use in attacking distant targets
.... The essential facts are known. We know of the
weapons in Saddam's possession: chemical, biological,
and nuclear in time. We know of his unequaled
willingness to use them. We know his history. His
invasions of his neighbors. His dreams of achieving
hegemonic control over the Arab world. His record of
anti-American rage. His willingness to terrorize, to
slaughter, to suppress his own people and others. We
need not stretch to imagine nightmare scenarios in
which Saddam makes common cause with the terrorists
who want to kill us Americans and destroy our way of
life."
-- Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut)
September 13, 2002
http://www.senate.gov/~lieberman/speeches/02/09/2002913614.html
"While the distance between the United States and Iraq
is great, Saddam Hussein's ability to use his chemical
and biological weapons against us is not constrained
by geography - it can be accomplished in a number of
different ways - which is what makes this threat so
real and persuasive."
-- Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California)
October 10, 2002
http://www.senate.gov/~feinstein/Releases02/r-iraq10.htm
"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."
-- Congressman Henry A. Waxman (D-California)
October 10, 2002
http://www.waxman.house.gov/news_files/news_statements_res_iraq_10_10_02.htm
"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. Now this
much is undisputed."
-- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York)
October 10, 2002
http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html
"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."
-- Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan)
September 19, 2002
http://levin.senate.gov/floor/091902cs1.htm
"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."
-- Senator John Edwards (D-North Carolina)
October 10, 2002
http://edwards.senate.gov/statements/20021010_iraq.html
"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.
At what point we do what President Kennedy did in
1962, which is to make that information available to
the American people and to the international community
as a predicate for whatever use of force will follow,
is going to be an important strategic decision for
this administration."
-- Senator Bob Graham (D-Florida)
Quoted from "Meet the Press"
December 8, 2002
http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/transcripts/2002/dec/021208.ohara.html
"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."
-- Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-West Virginia)
October 10, 2002
http://rockefeller.senate.gov/2002/flrstmt0102002.html
"Make no mistake: Saddam Hussein is a ruthless tyrant,
and he must give up his weapons of mass destruction.
We support the President in the course he has followed
so far -- working with Congress, working with the
United Nations, insisting on strong and unfettered
inspections. We need allies today in 2003, just as
much as we needed them in Desert Storm and just as we
needed them on D-Day in 1944, when American soldiers
-- including my father -- fought to vanquish the Nazi
threat. We must convince the world that Saddam Hussein
is not America's problem alone -- he's the world's
problem. And we urge President Bush to stay this
course for we are far stronger when we stand with
other nations than when we stand alone."
-- Governor Gary Locke (D-Washington)
Democratic Response to President Bush's
"State of the Union" address
January 28, 2003
http://usembassy-australia.state.gov/hyper/2003/0129/epf303.htm
"[W]ithout question, we 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.
He miscalculated an eight-year war with Iran. He
miscalculated the invasion of Kuwait. He miscalculated
America's response to that act of naked aggression. He
miscalculated the result of setting oil rigs on fire.
He miscalculated the impact of sending scuds into
Israel and trying to assassinate an American
President. He miscalculated his own military strength.
He miscalculated the Arab world's response to his
misconduct. 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 ..."
-- Senator John Kerry (D-Massachussetts)
January 23, 2003
http://www.johnkerry.com/site/PageServer?pagename=spc_2003_0123
