TWO-FACED WAR LIES
The New York Post
THE EDITORS
DEMOCRATS are on the attack over the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. They’re now claiming that Saddam Hussein was not a serious threat to America — and that President Bush intentionally misled the nation in making his case for war.
Yet, before the invasion, many of these critics warned of the dangers Saddam posed. Many backed the Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998, which set regime-change in Iraq as official U.S. policy. And they called for forceful action to stem the threat, even voting to authorize Bush to topple Saddam by force.
Below are comparisons of what the critics said before the invasion, and after. — THE EDITORS
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (W. Va.)
Ranking Member,
Intelligence Committee
Before: “There was unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years. We also should remember that we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction . . .
“Saddam’s existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America now . . . 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.” (Oct. 10, 2002)
After: Investigators should compare all intelligence agency statements with what President Bush said about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction to see “whether intelligence analysis was manipulated, shaped or exaggerated . . . We owe the American people a full and honest accountability of the intelligence that was used to make the case.” (Nov. 4, 2005)
“You know, it was not the Congress that sent 135,000 or 150,000 troops to Iraq.” (Nov. 13, 2005)
Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.)
Minority Leader
Before: “Saddam Hussein is an evil dictator who presents a serious threat to international peace and security. Under Saddam’s rule, Iraq has engaged in far-reaching human-rights abuses, been a state sponsor of terrorism and had has long sought to obtain and develop weapons of mass destruction.” (Oct. 2, 2002)
After: “The administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq, and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions.” (Nov. 1, 2005)
Bill Clinton
Former President
Before: “Earlier today, I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq . . . Their mission is to attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors . . . If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow.” (Dec. 17, 1998)
After: The Iraq war “was a big mistake. The American government made several errors . . . one of which is how easy it would be to get rid of Saddam and how hard it would be to unite the country.” (Nov. 15, 2005)
Howard Dean
Chairman, Democratic
National Committee
Before: “There’s no question Saddam Hussein is a threat to the United States and to our allies.” (Sept. 29, 2002)
After: “Iraq was not a threat to us. As frightful and dreadful as Saddam Hussein is, or was, it was not OK for the United States to attack a country that was not a threat to us . . . We’ve taken our eye off the ball because of the president’s obsession with Iraq.” (May 22, 2003)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.)
House Minority Leader
Before: “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 . . . 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.” (Dec. 16, 1998)
“Yes, he has chemical weapons. Yes, he has biological weapons. He is trying to get nuclear weapons.” (Oct. 10, 2002)
After: “This war has been a grotesque mistake that has diminished our reputation in the world and has not made America safer.” (Sept. 25, 2004)
“Speaking specifically to Iraq, we have a situation where — without adequate evidence — we put our young people in harm’s way.” (May 20, 2004)
Sen. Joe Biden (Del.)
Ranking Member,
Foreign Relations Committee
Before: “It is clear that he has a residual of chemical weapons and biological weapons . . . We know he continues to attempt to gain access to additional capability, including nuclear capability . . . I think he has anthrax . . . He does have the capacity, as all terrorist-related operations do, of smuggling stuff into the United States and doing something terrible. This is a guy who is an extreme danger to the world, and this is a guy who is in every way possible seeking weapons of mass destruction.” (Aug. 4, 2002)
After: “The vice president, I believe, flat lied. The president didn’t lie, he misled . . . Eighty percent of the intelligence community said no, 20 percent said yes . . . [The president] led you to believe and everyone else to believe that the entire [intelligence] community agreed on that. He led you to believe . . . and the American people to believe there was a consensus. There was no consensus.” (Nov. 16, 2005)
Sen. Ted Kennedy (Mass.)
Before: “We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction . . . There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein’s regime is a serious danger, that he is a tyrant and that his pursuit of lethal weapons of mass destruction cannot be tolerated. He must be disarmed.” (Sept. 27, 2002)
After: “War in Iraq was a war of choice, not a war of necessity. It was a product they [members of the Bush administration] were methodically rolling out. There was no imminent threat, no immediate national security imperative and no compelling reason for war.” (Jan. 14, 2004)
Sen. John Kerry (Mass.)
“I will be voting to give the president of the United States 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.” (Oct. 9, 2002)
“Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator leading an impressive regime. He presents a particularly grievous threat, because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. And now he’s miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction.” (Jan. 23, 2003)
“If you don’t believe . . . Saddam Hussein is a threat with nuclear weapons, then you shouldn’t vote for me.” (Jan. 31, 2003)
After: “It’s the wrong war, in the wrong place at the wrong time.” (Sept. 6, 2004)
“The country and the Congress were misled into war. It is deeply troubling that the Republicans in Washington are so afraid to share the truth with the American people. Clearly it will require an independent, outside investigation to get to the bottom of this.” (Nov. 1, 2005)
Al Gore
Former Vice President
Before: “If you allow someone like Saddam Hussein to get nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, chemical weapons, biological weapons, how many people is he going to kill with such weapons? He has already demonstrated a willingness to use such weapons . . . 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.” (Dec. 16, 1998)
“We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country . . . 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.” (Sept. 23, 2002)
After: “Too many of our soldiers are paying the highest price for the strategic miscalculations, serious misjudgments and historic mistakes that have put them and our nation in harm’s way . . . On the nuclear issue, of course, it turned out that those documents were actually forged by somebody. As for the cheering Iraqi crowds we anticipated, unfortunately, that didn’t pan out either, so now our troops are in an ugly and dangerous situation . . . In other words, when you put it all together, it was just one mistaken impression after another. Lots of them.” (Aug. 7, 2003)
Sen. Robert Byrd (W. Va.)
Before: “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.” (Oct. 3, 2002)
After: “Before they [U.S. troops] could realize their dreams, they were called into battle by their commander in chief, a battle that we now know was predicated on faulty intelligence and wildly exaggerated claims of looming danger.” (April 7, 2004 )
