As the debate continues about the right thing to do in Iraq at this point, it seems a good chance to revisit some of the more memorable lines we were adamently sold by the Conservative Echo Chamber (dutifully selling the NeoCon Party Line of that Moment) in the not-too-distant past. Ah…the memories…
“Iraq is a grave and growing danger to the United States because they posess WMD’s!”
“Don’t worry! We’ll receive the support of the Arab World once they see we’re serious this time. They only respect and understand military might! Not political rhetoric, which they perceive as weakness!”
“Don’t worry! Once it’s clear we’re really going to go in, all of our Allies in the UN will line up to join us! They know otherwise they’ll be completely shut out from the spoils of war!”
“Don’t worry! We’ll be greed as Liberators! They’ll be dancing in the streets welcoming us! You’ll see!”
[After the “liberation” of Baghdad] “Don’t worry, we’ll find the WMD’s! Iraq is a country the size of California! These things require patience!”
“Don’t worry! After Sadaam is caught, the violence will end and people will start talking about where those WMD’s are. They’re just too frightened to do so until they know for sure that Sadaam isn’t coming back!”
“Don’t worry! We’ve got plenty of troops in Iraq!”
“Don’t worry! It’s just pockets of resistance, this is most definitely not guerrila warfare!”
Ah…those were the days….
And now we’re supposed to rely on the same folks who sold us the above bill of goods to determine where we should go from here? Surely you’re kidding…right?
> "Don’t worry! We’ll be greed as Liberators! They’ll be dancing in the streets welcoming us! You’ll see!"
They did!
> "Iraq is a grave and growing danger to the United States because they posess WMD’s!"
One more time for the slow learners –
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
He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." – Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
"[W]e 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
"Hussein has … chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." – Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
"There is no doubt that .. Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. I addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." – Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." – Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
"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
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. 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…" – Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 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
"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 … We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." – Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
"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" – Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 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, 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
"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." – Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 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
ok…
-ask those 4 people burnt to a crisp how they were greeted? You think they’d say as liberators? Hmmm?
-You are soooooo unoriginal Paul. I mean you don’t have the intellectual capacity to make an argument with YOU OWN research. Seen these same quotes on Rush, Hannity, Al Rantel, Joe Scarborough, etc. etc. etc. I get it. Your cut and past works. But If you paid attention to what OTHER people were saying (scott Ritter, Hans Blix) you’d know the WMD’s were likely DESTROYED in 1998 after the PINPOINT bombings. DESTROYED. Say it with me. DESTOYED.
The whole world cried BULLSHIT when colin Powell showed grainy satellite photos, pretty drawings of germ labs and an empty vial of air to the UN.
You remember Hans Blix BEGGED and PLEADED with the US to show the UN where these weapons were…after all…
"We know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."
-Donald Rumsfeld
But it seems like they were not in Tikrit and Baghdad east or west or north somewhat. Guess we’ll have to scour that Turkey farms bush was talking about…you know those turkey farms in the middle of the desert.
"There is no question but that they would be welcomed. Go back to Afghanistan, the people were in the streets playing music, cheering, flying kites, and doing all the things that the Taliban and the al-Qaeda would not let them do."
Rumsfeld February 20th 2003
Never said that. Never did. You may remember it well, but you’re thinking of somebody else. You can’t find, anywhere, me saying anything like either of those two things you just said I said."
Rumsfeld September 25 2003
Down the memory hole…
Thankfully Jaime was on the job while I was out hating freedom in the desert. As usual, he’s nailed it vis a vis Paul’s cut-n-paste job (can’t count how many times I’ve gotten the post in my Email box).
But just to entertain him, since one of us is certainly a "slow learner"…His first cut and paste quote said:
"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
…And imagine that. President Clinton was able to do exactly that. As the David Kay report (commissioned by George W. Bush) pointed out, the last remnants of Saddam’s WMD program was destroyed by Clinton in ’98. And – a bonus that matters to just a few of us, I guess – without a single American Serviceman killed or injured in the process!
(In case Paul’s memory is fuzzy, that was the attack you Fake Conservatives called "Wag the Dog". You remember that, right?)
Simply because I may agree with you that are Drug Dealers on the street where I live, doesn’t mean I’d agree to the idea of nuking my block.
Find some new – operable – logic, Paul. Your cut ‘n’ paste dog don’t hunt.