The Land of the Free - Quotes on Hussein and the second Iraq war of 2003

Quotes on Hussein and the second Iraq war of 2003:

The Land of the Free - A Conservative Politics Web Site

Special Note: These quotes are ALL in context. I have expanded upon what is traditionally quoted for use as many of these quotes to show such context and hold people to what they said concerning the former and brutal dictator of Iraq. For these expanded quotes, the normally quoted text is italicized and bolded.

"Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike?" - President George Bush (January 2003, State of the Union) *The most often misquoted saying about this entire situation. However once we look at the words around the section often quoted we see that President Bush never said that "the threat was imminent".

"The United Nations concluded in 1999 that Saddam Hussein had biological weapons materials sufficient to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax; enough doses to kill several million people. He hasn't accounted for that material. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed it." - President George Bush (January 2003, State of the Union) *Often excluded from this quote is the "The United Nations concluded" qualitfier to make it sound like President Bush made this determination by himself.

"The United Nations concluded that Saddam Hussein had materials sufficient to produce more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin; enough to subject millions of people to death by respiratory failure. He hasn't accounted for that material. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed it."- President George Bush (January 2003, State of the Union) *Often excluded from this quote is the "The United Nations concluded" qualitfier to make it sound like President Bush made this determination by himself.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in the 1990s that Saddam Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons development program, had a design for a nuclear weapon and was working on five different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb."- President George Bush (January 2003, State of the Union) *Often excluded from this quote is the "The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed" qualitfier to make it sound like President Bush made this determination by himself.

"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 Bill Clinton (February 4, 1998)*

"If (Saddam) accepts (the UN Resolutions to disarm), force will not be necessary. If he refuses or continues to evade his obligations through more tactics of delay and deception, he and he alone will be to blame for the consequences." - President Bill Clinton (February 17, 1998)

"Well, he (Saddam) will conclude that the international community has lost its will (if they do not act). He will then conclude that he can go right on and do more to rebuild an arsenal of devastating destruction. And some day, some way, I guarantee you, he'll use the arsenal. And I think every one of you who's really worked on this for any length of time believes that, too." - President Bill Clinton (February 17, 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. We want to seriously reduce his capacity to threaten his neighbors." - President Bill Clinton (February 17, 1998)* *The first part of this quote is often left off to mislead people into thinking that Former President Bill Clinton did not accept the use of force as a viable alternative for Iraq.

"Let's get rid of all the economic (expletive) this country represents! Bring it on, I hope the Muslims win!" - Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders concerning the war on terror *If rooting against your own country isn't un-patriotic I don't know what is.

"Just so you know, we're ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas." - Natalie Maines, the Dixie Chicks (concert in London)

"I fear that our true motivation is about oil and our own flailing economy; about the failure to destroy Al Qaeda and about revenge. This war is wrong and this war is un-American." - Dave Matthews concerning the war on terror

"How will the bombing of Baghdad, a city of five million, accomplish a regime change?" - Susan Sarandon *Well Susan, apparently it works by killing or driving off the brutal dictator that previously resided there. Hey look! It worked! DUH!

"The risks that the leader of a rogue state can use biological or chemical weapons on us or our allies is the greatest security risk we face," - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (February 18, 1998)

"The only answer to aggression and outlaw behaviour is firmness. . . He (Saddam) will rebuild his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and some day, some way, I am certain he will use that arsenal again, as he has 10 times since 1983." - National Security Adviser Sandy Berger (February 18, 1998)* confirmed by snopes.com

"And that is why, along with Senators McCain, Lieberman, and Hutchison, I am circulating among our Senate colleagues a letter to President Clinton, urging him, in consultation with Congress, consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take effective actions, including if appropriate, the use of air strikes, to respond to the Iraqi threat." - Senator Carl Levin of Michigan (October 6, 1998)* confirmed by snopes.com

"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. 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." - Representative Nancy Pelosi CA (December 16, 1998)* (source)

"I believe in negotiated solutions to international conflict. This is, unfortunately, not going to be the case in this situation where Saddam Hussein has been a repeat offender, ignoring the international community's requirement that he come clean with his weapons program. While I support the President, I hope and pray that this conflict can be resolved quickly and that the international community can find a lasting solution through diplomatic means." - Representative Nancy Pelosi CA (December 16, 1998)* *This is a prime example of "double speak". Nancy first says that she knows that negotiated solutions are not going to work but in the very next breath continues to hope (contrary to her own knowledge) that diplomacy can be used. (source)

"There has never been an embargo against food and medicine. It's just that Hussein has just not chosen to spend his money on that. Instead, he has chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction, and palaces for his cronies." - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (November 10, 1999)* (source) confirmed by snopes.com

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the Middle East. 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 (Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee) (September 19, 2002)

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." - Senator Ted Kennedy MA (September 27, 2002) (source) *Years Teddy? YEARS! So you admit that you knew 'years" (i.e. more than one) that this was a threat? What year exactly was that? 2000? 1999? 1998? And WHO was President then? Hmmmmmmm?

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retained 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 capability. Intelligence reports also indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons, but has not yet achieved nuclear capability. It is now October of 2002. " - Senator Robert WV (October 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 and that of our allies in the Persian Gulf region. And I will vote "yes" because on the question of how best to hold Saddam Hussein accountable, the Administration, including the President, recognizes that war must be our last option to address this threat, not the first, and that we should be acting in concert with allies around the globe to make the world's case against Saddam Hussein." - Senator John Kerry MA (October 2002)*Even Senator Kerry agreed that President Bush would not use war except as a last resort although lately he is attempting to pretend that President Bush used war as a first resort. (source)

"If we do wind up going to war with Iraq, it is imperative that we do so with others in the international community, unless there is a showing of a grave, imminent — and I emphasize "imminent" — threat to this country which requires the President to respond in a way that protects our immediate national security needs." - Senator John Kerry (October 2002). *Shown to put in perspective where the term "imminent" came from and how it is now used to attempt to show that the President "lied". Notice Kerry said that we only need to go without "others" if the threat "imminent". We did go with "others" (just not France, Germany and Russia) and the threat was not "imminent" as per President Bush's State of the Union Adress so what the Hell is Kerry moaning about?

"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 (October 2002)

"When Saddam Hussein obtains nuclear capabilities, the constraints he feels will diminish dramatically, and the risk to America's homeland, as well as to America's allies, will increase even more dramatically. Our existing policies to contain or counter Saddam will become irrelevant. Americans will return to a situation like that we faced in the Cold War, waking each morning knowing we are at risk from nuclear blackmail by a dictatorship that has declared itself to be our enemy. Only, back then, our communist foes were a rational and predictable bureaucracy; this time, our nuclear foe would be an unpredictable and often irrational individual, a dictator who has demonstrated that he is prepared to violate international law and initiate unprovoked attacks when he feels it serves his purposes to do so." - Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (October 2002) *Senator Rockefeller here shown making the case that we would be remiss to wait until the threat was "imminent".

"The global community - in the form of the United Nations - has declared repeatedly, through multiple resolutions, that the frightening prospect of a nuclear-armed Saddam cannot come to pass. But the U.N. has been unable to enforce those resolutions. We must eliminate that threat now, before it is too late." - Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (October 2002) *Again, Senator Rockefeller here shown making the case that we would be remiss to wait until the threat was "imminent".

"I am forced to conclude, on all the evidence, that Saddam poses a significant risk." - Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (October 2002)

"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 Waxman CA (October 2002)

"What Saddam has done in the (4 years since UN inspectors left) is not known for certain - but there is every evidence, from the dossier prepared by the Prime Minister of Britain, to President Bush's speech at the United Nations, that Saddam has rebuilt substantial chemical and biological weapons stocks, and that he is determined to obtain the means necessary to produce nuclear weapons." - Congressman Henry Waxman CA (October 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, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001." - Senator Hillary Clinton (October 2002)