IJ Reilly
Mar 17, 2006, 06:17 PM
"What I have said is a fact -- that there are al Qaeda in a number of locations in Iraq."
—Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, August 21, 2002
"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction."
—Dick Cheney, Speech to VFW National Convention, August 26, 2002
"Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons."
—George W. Bush, United Nations Address, September 12, 2002
"We know they have weapons of mass destruction. We know they have active programs. There isn't any debate about it."
—Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, September 26, 2002
".. there were in the past and have been contacts between senior Iraqi officials and members of al Qaeda going back for actually quite a long time. We know too that several of the detainees, in particular some high-ranking detainees, have said that Iraq provided some training to al Qaeda in chemical weapons development. So, yes, there are contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda. We know that Saddam Hussein has a long history with terrorism in general. And there are some al Qaeda personnel who found refuge in Baghdad. There clearly are contacts between al Qaeda and Iraq that can be documented... [but] no one is trying to make an argument at this point that Saddam Hussein somehow had operational control of what happened on September 11th, so we don't want to push this too far, but this is a story that is unfolding, and it is getting clear, and we're learning more. ... When the picture is clear, we'll make full disclosure about it."
—National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, September 26, 2002
"I truly believe that now that the war has changed, now -- that we are a battlefield, this man [Saddam] poses a much greater threat than anybody could have possibly imagined... There's no doubt his hatred is mainly directed at us. After all, this is the guy that tried to kill my Dad."
—George W. Bush, Texas Fundraiser, September 28, 2002
"Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons... we have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have."
—George W. Bush, Radio Address, October 5, 2002
"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his 'nuclear mujahideen' - his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons."
—George W. Bush, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 7, 2002
"The Iraqi regime... possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons... We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas... We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We're concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVS for missions targeting the United States."
—George W. Bush, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 7, 2002
"If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world."
—Ari Fleischer, Press Briefing, December 2, 2002
"We know for a fact that there are weapons there."
—Ari Fleischer, Press Briefing, January 9, 2003
Q: Mr. Secretary, on Iraq, how much money do you think the Department of Defense would need to pay for a war with Iraq?
Rumsfeld: Well, the Office of Management and Budget, has come up come up with a number that's something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question. I think the way to put it into perspective is that the estimates as to what September 11th cost the United States of America ranges high up into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Now, another event in the United States that was like September 11th, and which cost thousands of lives, but one that involved a -- for example, a biological weapon, would be -- have a cost in human life, as well as in billions, hundreds of billions of dollars, that would be vastly greater.
—January 19, 2003
"Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent."
—George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003
"Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
—George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003
"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production."
—George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003
"We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more."
—Colin Powell, UN Security Council, February 5, 2003
"We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have."
—George W. Bush, Radio Address, February 8, 2003
"If Iraq had disarmed itself, gotten rid of its weapons of mass destruction over the past 12 years, or over the last several months since (UN Resolution) 1441 was enacted, we would not be facing the crisis that we now have before us . . . But the suggestion that we are doing this because we want to go to every country in the Middle East and rearrange all of its pieces is not correct."
—Colin Powell, Interview with Radio France International, February 28, 2003
"So has the strategic decision been made to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction by the leadership in Baghdad? ... I think our judgment has to be clearly not."
—Colin Powell, Remarks to UN Security Council, March 7, 2003
"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."
—George W. Bush, March 17, 2003
"Well, there is no question that we have evidence and information that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical particularly... all this will be made clear in the course of the operation, for whatever duration it takes."
—Ari Fleisher, Press Briefing, March 21, 2003
"There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. And... as this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them."
—Gen. Tommy Franks, March 22, 2003
"One of our top objectives is to find and destroy the WMD. There are a number of sites."
—Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clark, March 22, 2003
"I have no doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction."
—Defense Policy Board member Kenneth Adelman, March 23, 2003 (Washington Post, p. A27)
Just a few words to ponder, three years on.
—Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, August 21, 2002
"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction."
—Dick Cheney, Speech to VFW National Convention, August 26, 2002
"Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons."
—George W. Bush, United Nations Address, September 12, 2002
"We know they have weapons of mass destruction. We know they have active programs. There isn't any debate about it."
—Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, September 26, 2002
".. there were in the past and have been contacts between senior Iraqi officials and members of al Qaeda going back for actually quite a long time. We know too that several of the detainees, in particular some high-ranking detainees, have said that Iraq provided some training to al Qaeda in chemical weapons development. So, yes, there are contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda. We know that Saddam Hussein has a long history with terrorism in general. And there are some al Qaeda personnel who found refuge in Baghdad. There clearly are contacts between al Qaeda and Iraq that can be documented... [but] no one is trying to make an argument at this point that Saddam Hussein somehow had operational control of what happened on September 11th, so we don't want to push this too far, but this is a story that is unfolding, and it is getting clear, and we're learning more. ... When the picture is clear, we'll make full disclosure about it."
—National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, September 26, 2002
"I truly believe that now that the war has changed, now -- that we are a battlefield, this man [Saddam] poses a much greater threat than anybody could have possibly imagined... There's no doubt his hatred is mainly directed at us. After all, this is the guy that tried to kill my Dad."
—George W. Bush, Texas Fundraiser, September 28, 2002
"Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons... we have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have."
—George W. Bush, Radio Address, October 5, 2002
"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his 'nuclear mujahideen' - his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons."
—George W. Bush, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 7, 2002
"The Iraqi regime... possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons... We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas... We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We're concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVS for missions targeting the United States."
—George W. Bush, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 7, 2002
"If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world."
—Ari Fleischer, Press Briefing, December 2, 2002
"We know for a fact that there are weapons there."
—Ari Fleischer, Press Briefing, January 9, 2003
Q: Mr. Secretary, on Iraq, how much money do you think the Department of Defense would need to pay for a war with Iraq?
Rumsfeld: Well, the Office of Management and Budget, has come up come up with a number that's something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question. I think the way to put it into perspective is that the estimates as to what September 11th cost the United States of America ranges high up into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Now, another event in the United States that was like September 11th, and which cost thousands of lives, but one that involved a -- for example, a biological weapon, would be -- have a cost in human life, as well as in billions, hundreds of billions of dollars, that would be vastly greater.
—January 19, 2003
"Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent."
—George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003
"Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
—George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003
"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production."
—George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003
"We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more."
—Colin Powell, UN Security Council, February 5, 2003
"We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have."
—George W. Bush, Radio Address, February 8, 2003
"If Iraq had disarmed itself, gotten rid of its weapons of mass destruction over the past 12 years, or over the last several months since (UN Resolution) 1441 was enacted, we would not be facing the crisis that we now have before us . . . But the suggestion that we are doing this because we want to go to every country in the Middle East and rearrange all of its pieces is not correct."
—Colin Powell, Interview with Radio France International, February 28, 2003
"So has the strategic decision been made to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction by the leadership in Baghdad? ... I think our judgment has to be clearly not."
—Colin Powell, Remarks to UN Security Council, March 7, 2003
"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."
—George W. Bush, March 17, 2003
"Well, there is no question that we have evidence and information that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical particularly... all this will be made clear in the course of the operation, for whatever duration it takes."
—Ari Fleisher, Press Briefing, March 21, 2003
"There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. And... as this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them."
—Gen. Tommy Franks, March 22, 2003
"One of our top objectives is to find and destroy the WMD. There are a number of sites."
—Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clark, March 22, 2003
"I have no doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction."
—Defense Policy Board member Kenneth Adelman, March 23, 2003 (Washington Post, p. A27)
Just a few words to ponder, three years on.
