Reminders now that the search for WMD is over

[Tempest]

But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them.
George W. Bush, President
Interview with TVP Poland
5/30/2003

We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud
Condoleeza Rice, US National Security Advisor
CNN Late Edition
9/8/2002

How the United States should react if Iraq acquired WMD. "The first line of defense...should be a clear and classical statement of deterrence--if they do acquire WMD, their weapons will be unusable because any attempt to use them will bring national obliteration."
Condoleeza Rice, US National Security Advisor
January/February 2000 issue of Foreign Affairs
2/1/2000

We are greatly concerned about any possible linkup between terrorists and regimes that have or seek weapons of mass destruction...In the case of Saddam Hussein, we've got a dictator who is clearly pursuing and already possesses some of these weapons.. A regime that hates America and everything we stand for must never be permitted to threaten America with weapons of mass destruction.
Dick Cheney, Vice President
Detroit, Fund-Raiser
6/20/2002

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.
Dick Cheney, Vice President
Speech to VFW National Convention
8/26/2002

There is already a mountain of evidence that Saddam Hussein is gathering weapons for the purpose of using them. And adding additional information is like adding a foot to Mount Everest.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Response to Question From Press
9/6/2002

Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.
George W. Bush, President
Speech to UN General Assembly
9/12/2002

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, President
Radio Address
10/5/2002

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.
George W. Bush, President
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
10/7/2002

And surveillance photos reveal that the regime is rebuilding facilities that it had used to produce chemical and biological weapons.
George W. Bush, President
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
10/7/2002

After eleven years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more. And he is moving ever closer to developing a nuclear weapon.
George W. Bush, President
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
10/7/2002

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
George W. Bush, President
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
10/7/2002

Iraq, despite UN sanctions, maintains an aggressive program to rebuild the infrastructure for its nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile programs. In each instance, Iraq's procurement agents are actively working to obtain both weapons-specific and dual-use materials and technologies critical to their rebuilding and expansion efforts, using front companies and whatever illicit means are at hand.
John Bolton, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control
Speech to the Hudson Institute
11/1/2002

We estimate that once Iraq acquires fissile material -- whether from a foreign source or by securing the materials to build an indigenous fissile material capability -- it could fabricate a nuclear weapon within one year. It has rebuilt its civilian chemical infrastructure and renewed production of chemical warfare agents, probably including mustard, sarin, and VX. It actively maintains all key aspects of its offensive BW program.
John Bolton, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control
Speech to the Hudson Institute
11/1/2002

Iraq could decide on any given day to provide biological or chemical weapons to a terrorist group or to individual terrorists,...The war on terror will not be won until Iraq is completely and verifiably deprived of weapons of mass destruction.
Dick Cheney, Vice President
Denver, Address To Air National Guard
12/1/2002

If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Press Briefing
12/2/2002

The president of the United States and the secretary of defense would not assert as plainly and bluntly as they have that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction if it was not true, and if they did not have a solid basis for saying it
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Response to Question From Press
12/4/2002

We know for a fact that there are weapons there.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Press Briefing
1/9/2003

I am absolutely convinced, based on the information that's been given to me, that the weapon of mass destruction which can kill more people than an atomic bomb -- that is, biological weapons -- is in the hands of the leadership of Iraq.
Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader
MSNBC Interview
1/10/2003

What is unique about Iraq compared to, I would argue, any other country in the world, in this juncture, is the exhaustion of diplomacy thus far, and, No. 2, this intersection of weapons of mass destruction.
Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader
NewsHour Interview
1/22/2003

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, President
State of the Union Address
1/28/2003

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, President
State of the Union Address
1/28/2003

We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more.
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
Remarks to UN Security Council
2/5/2003

There can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more. And he has the ability to dispense these lethal poisons and diseases in ways that can cause massive death and destruction. If biological weapons seem too terrible to contemplate, chemical weapons are equally chilling
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
Addresses the U.N. Security Council
2/5/2003

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, President
Radio Address
2/8/2003

In Iraq, a dictator is building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilized world -- and we will not allow it.
George W. Bush, President
Speech to the American Enterprise Institute
2/26/2003

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, Secretary of State
Interview with Radio France International
2/28/2003

I am not eager to send young Americans into harm's way in Iraq, or to see innocent people killed or hurt in military operations. Given all of the facts and circumstances known to us, however, I am convinced that if we wait, a threat will continue to materialize in Iraq that could cause incalculable damage to world peace in general, and to the United States in particular.
Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader
Letter to Future of Freedom Foundation
3/1/2003

Iraq is a grave threat to this nation. It desires to acquire and use weapons of mass terror and is run by a despot with a proven record of willingness to use them. Iraq has had 12 years to comply with UN requirements for disarmament and has failed to do so. The president is right to say it's time has run out.
Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader
Senate Speech
3/7/2003

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, Secretary of State
Remarks to UN Security Council
3/7/2003

Getting rid of Saddam Hussein's regime is our best inoculation. Destroying once and for all his weapons of disease and death is a vaccination for the world.
Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader
Washington Post op-ed
3/16/2003

Let's talk about the nuclear proposition for a minute. We know that based on intelligence, that has been very, very good at hiding these kinds of efforts. He's had years to get good at it and we know he has been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons. And we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.
Dick Cheney, Vice President
Meet The Press
3/16/2003

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, President
Address to the Nation
3/17/2003

The United States . . . is now at war "so we will not ever see" what terrorists could do "if supplied with weapons of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein."
Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader
Senate Debate
3/20/2003

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 Fleischer, Press Secretary
Press Briefing
3/21/2003

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.
General Tommy Franks, Commander in Chief Central Command
Press Conference
3/22/2003

One of our top objectives is to find and destroy the WMD. There are a number of sites.
Victoria Clark, Pentagon Spokeswoman
Press Briefing
3/22/2003

I have no doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction.
Kenneth Adelman, Defense Policy Board member
Washington Post, p. A27
3/23/2003

We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
ABC Interview
3/30/2003

We simply cannot live in fear of a ruthless dictator, aggressor and terrorist such as Saddam Hussein, who possesses the world's most deadly weapons.
Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader
Speech to American Israel Political Action Committee
3/31/2003

We still need to find and secure Iraq's weapons of mass destruction facilities and secure Iraq's borders so we can prevent the flow of weapons of mass destruction materials and senior regime officials out of the country.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Press Conference
4/9/2003

You bet we're concerned about it. And one of the reasons it's important is because the nexus between terrorist states with weapons of mass destruction ... and terrorist groups -- networks -- is a critical link. And the thought that ... some of those materials could leave the country and in the hands of terrorist networks would be a very unhappy prospect. So it is important to us to see that that doesn't happen.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Press Conference
4/9/2003

Obviously the administration intends to publicize all the weapons of mass destruction U.S. forces find -- and there will be plenty.
Robert Kagan, Neocon scholar
Washington Post op-ed
4/9/2003

I think you have always heard, and you continue to hear from officials, a measure of high confidence that, indeed, the weapons of mass destruction will be found.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Press Briefing
4/10/2003

But make no mistake -- as I said earlier -- we have high confidence that they have weapons of mass destruction. That is what this war was about and it is about. And we have high confidence it will be found.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Press Briefing
4/10/2003

Were not going to find anything until we find people who tell us where the things are. And we have that very high on our priority list, to find the people who know. And when we do, then well learn precisely where things were and what was done.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Meet the Press
4/13/2003

I have absolute confidence that there are weapons of mass destruction inside this country. Whether we will turn out, at the end of the day, to find them in one of the 2,000 or 3,000 sites we already know about or whether contact with one of these officials who we may come in contact with will tell us, ``Oh, well, there's actually another site,'' and we'll find it there, I'm
not sure.
General Tommy Franks, Commander in Chief Central Command
Fox New
4/13/2003

We are learning more as we interrogate or have discussions with Iraqi scientists and people within the Iraqi structure, that perhaps he destroyed some, perhaps he dispersed some. And so we will find them.
George W. Bush, President
NBC Interview
4/24/2003

There are people who in large measure have information that we need . . . so that we can track down the weapons of mass destruction in that country.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Press Briefing
4/25/2003

We'll find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so.
George W. Bush, President
Remarks to Reporters
5/3/2003

I'm absolutely sure that there are weapons of mass destruction there and the evidence will be forthcoming. We're just getting it just now.
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
Remarks to Reporters
5/4/2003

We never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Fox News Interview
5/4/2003

I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam Hussein -- because he had a weapons program.
George W. Bush, President
Remarks to Reporters
5/6/2003

U.S. officials never expected that "we were going to open garages and find" weapons of mass destruction.
Condoleeza Rice, US National Security Advisor
Reuters Interview
5/12/2003

I just don't know whether it was all destroyed years ago -- I mean, there's no question that there were chemical weapons years ago -- whether they were destroyed right before the war, (or) whether they're still hidden.
Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, Commander 101st Airborne
Press Briefing
5/13/2003

We said all along that we will never get to the bottom of the Iraqi WMD program simply by going and searching specific sites, that you'd have to be able to get people who know about the programs to talk to you.
Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Interview with Australian Broadcasting
5/13/2003

Before the war, there's no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical. I expected them to be found. I still expect them to be found.
Gen. Michael Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps
Interview with Reporters
5/21/2003

It's going to take time to find them, but we know he had them. And whether he destroyed them, moved them or hid them, we're going to find out the truth. One thing is for certain: Saddam Hussein no longer threatens America with weapons of mass destruction.
George W. Bush, President
Speech at a weapons factory in Ohio
5/25/2003

Given time, given the number of prisoners now that we're interrogating, I'm confident that we're going to find weapons of mass destruction.
Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
NBC Today Show interview
5/26/2003

They may have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Remarks to Council on Foreign Relations
5/27/2003

For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction (as justification for invading Iraq) because it was the one reason everyone could agree on.
Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Vanity Fair interview
5/28/2003

The President is indeed satisfied with the intelligence that he received. And I think that's borne out by the fact that, just as Secretary Powell described at the United Nations, we have found the bio trucks that can be used only for the purpose of producing biological weapons. That's proof-perfect that the intelligence in that regard was right on target.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Press Briefing
5/29/2003

We have teams of people that are out looking. They've investigated a number of sites. And within the last week or two, they have in fact captured and have in custody two of the mobile trailers that Secretary Powell talked about at the United Nations as being biological weapons laboratories.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Infinity Radio Interview
5/30/2003

You remember when Colin Powell stood up in front of the world, and he said Iraq has got laboratories, mobile labs to build biological weapons ...They're illegal. They're against the United Nations resolutions, and we've so far discovered two...And we'll find more weapons as time goes on.
George W. Bush, President
Press Briefing
5/30/2003

It was a surprise to me then -- it remains a surprise to me now -- that we have not uncovered weapons, as you say, in some of the forward dispersal sites. Believe me, it's not for lack of trying. We've been to virtually every ammunition supply point between the Kuwaiti border and Baghdad, but they're simply not there.
Lt. Gen. James Conway, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force
Press Interview
5/30/2003

Do I think we're going to find something? Yeah, I kind of do, because I think there's a lot of information out there.
Maj. Gen. Keith Dayton, Defense Intelligence Agency
Press Conference
5/30/2003

Q: The fact that there hasn't been substantial cache of weapons of mass destruction -- is that an embarrassment?
Wolfowitz: No. Is it an embarrassment to people on the other side that we've discovered these biological production vans, which the defector told us about?
Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense
CNN Interview
5/31/2003

This wasn't material I was making up, it came from the intelligence community
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
Press Briefing
6/2/2003

We know that some of them, especially the biological weapons, were being destroyed," Hastert said, adding that it would "take a little while to find weapons of mass destruction... and we're going to continue to do it.
Dennis Hastert, House Speaker R-IL
Press Briefing
6/4/2003

We recently found two mobile biological weapons facilities which were capable of producing biological agents. This is the man who spent decades hiding tools of mass murder. He knew the inspectors were looking for them. You know better than me he's got a big country in which to hide them. We're on the look. We'll reveal the truth
George W. Bush, President
CAMP SAYLIYA, Qatar
6/5/2003

I would put before you Exhibit A, the mobile biological labs that we have found. People are saying, "Well, are they truly mobile biological labs?" Yes, they are. And the DCI, George Tenet, Director of Central Intelligence, stands behind that assessment.
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
Fox News Interview
6/8/2003

No one ever said that we knew precisely where all of these agents were, where they were stored
Condoleeza Rice, US National Security Advisor
Meet the Press
6/8/2003
What the president has said is because it's been the long-standing view of numerous people, not only in this country, not only in this administration, but around the world, including at the United Nations, who came to those conclusions...And the president is not going to engage in the rewriting of history that others may be trying to engage in.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Response to Question From Press
6/9/2003

Iraq had a weapons program...Intelligence throughout the decade showed they had a weapons program. I am absolutely convinced with time we'll find out they did have a weapons program.
George W. Bush, President
Comment to Reporters
6/9/2003

The biological weapons labs that we believe strongly are biological weapons labs, we didn't find any biological weapons with those labs. But should that give us any comfort? Not at all. Those were labs that could produce biological weapons whenever Saddam Hussein might have wanted to have a biological weapons inventory.
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
Associated Press Interview
6/12/2003

Those documents were only one piece of evidence in a larger body of evidence suggesting that Iraq attempted to purchase uranium from Africa ... The issue of Iraq's pursuit of uranium in Africa is supported by multiple sources of intelligence. The other sources of evidence did and do support the president's statement.
Sean McCormack, National Security Council Spokesman
Statement to press
6/13/2003

My personal view is that their intelligence has been, I'm sure, imperfect, but good. In other words, I think the intelligence was correct in general, and that you always will find out precisely what it was once you get on the ground and have a chance to talk to people and explore it, and I think that will happen.
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Press Briefing
6/18/2003

I have reason, every reason, to believe that the intelligence that we were operating off was correct and that we will, in fact, find weapons or evidence of weapons, programs, that are conclusive. But that's just a matter of time...It's now less than eight weeks since the end of major combat in Iraq and I believe that patience will prove to be a virtue
Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Pentagon media briefing.
6/24/2003

MS. BLOCK: There were no toxins found in those trailers. SECRETARY POWELL: Which could mean one of several things: one, they hadn't been used yet to develop toxins; or, secondly, they had been sterilized so thoroughly that there is no residual left. It may well be that they hadn't been used yet.
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
All Things Considered, Interview
6/27/2003

That was the concern we had with Saddam Hussein. Not only did he have weapons -- and we'll uncover not only his weapons but all of his weapons programs -- he never lost the intent to have these kinds of weapons.
Colin Powell, Secretary of State
All Things Considered, Interview
6/27/2003

I think the burden is on those people who think he didn't have weapons of mass destruction to tell the world where they are.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Press Briefing
7/9/2003

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Nominating

------------------------------------------------------
Join the new Boston Tea Party!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/index.htm#shopping

[LisaLynne]

2. It would be comical if ...

so many people hadn't died over it. If you don't mind, I'm taking that list and forwarding it.

[Tempest]

4. Please do

This was actually a group project.

Several Internet friends and I were keeping track of the quotes, put them together, removed duplicates and were waiting for the opportune time to release it.

The time is now.

[LisaLynne]

7. Well, thanks to you and all your friends.

Great job. :)

[johncoby2]

3. We must all help find them.

[idiosyncratic]

5. Great list. Thanks. Here is Ann Telnaes' take on this . . .

[pa28]

6. Thanks for posting.

If you listed the number of times this was repeated by the MSM parrots you could fill an entire book.

[maveric]

8. Wouldnt it be great to get all those who made the statements

together on TV and ask them about their statements, why they said them, and then hold them accountable.
Not in this country, with this regime, with our state-controlled media.

[Stockholm]

9. Awesome work - Tempest! nominating n/t

[franksumatra]

10. These quotes should be used as evidence in war crimes tribunals

I remember hearing almost every one of these quotes and my mind would just go numb, like with hypnosis. Just say the same thing over and over and over again until you sell it. It's just too easy.

Thanks for this great list of lies Tempest. There was one going around the other day with just half a dozen or so, but this list is the definitive one. I've bookmarked it, thanks for your trouble.

[SillyGoose]

11. Great post, Tempest!

You may be interested in this site I found last night. A searchable database regarding Iraq statements prepared by Rep. Henry Waxman.

http://democrats.reform.house.gov/IraqOnTheRecord/
Prepared at the direction of Rep. Henry A. Waxman, the Iraq on the Record Database is a searchable collection of 237 specific misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq made by the five Administration officials most responsible for providing public information and shaping public opinion on Iraq: President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Powell, and National Security Advisor Rice.The Iraq on the Record Report is a comprehensive examination of these statements.

[mistertrickster]

12. Awesome! And don't forget this one from Rumsfilled--

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stated, "There's no debate in the world as to whether they have those weapons....We all know that. A trained ape knows that."

Hey, that was their problem! They didn't have the intelligence of a trained ape! Or perhaps Rummy was working in a Freudian reference to AWOL's uncanny chimpanzee-like expressions.

Anyway, I got this from David Corn's <http://www.bushlies.com/>

[Tempest]

17. Damn, we missed that one.

Thanks!

[obiwan]

25. Trained Apes! Awesome idea...

... let's see how long their sanity holds before they "go bananas."

[ucmike]

13. internet repubs say the weapons were there....

but saddam moved them to syria, or iran, or to some blue state. everything, every hint of evidence, even the trash and the paperwork and the people who would've worked on these weapons........and...oh yeah...THIS IS BILL CLINTON'S FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


i assume that saddam will be released now that there is no evidence against him?????????????

[Mr_Scarecrow]

14. The Daily Show said it best

It's actually Saddam Hussein's fault that he didn't have those weapons!

[theorist]

18. Talk about a crazy conspiracy theory!

There's no chance that Hussein could have moved the entire weapons program--that is, all the evidence of weapons manufacturing--then create a huge amount of fake evidence that he had dismantled said programs years ago. (Not to mention sending fake spies to the US to convince them to invade.) None of it adds up.

The craziest part is, is that if they had successfully moved the weapons to Syria, these repubs are admitting that their own govt. is too incompetent to keep an eye on Iraq's borders (with satellites, ground ops, etc.), which I'm sure they were doing. To think that Iran would cover for Hussein is ridiculous. I would probably be impelled to beat the shit out of anyone who told me face-to-face that the weapons are in Iran. It would show a total lack of understanding towards the middle east.

[Petrodollar Warfare]

15. Manifest Subterfuge: A few reminders....

Chapter Four: Manifest Subterfuge: Disguising the Macroeconomic and Geostrategic Rationales for War

“The sanctions exist ... for the purpose of keeping in check Saddam Hussein's ambitions toward developing weapons of mass destruction. ... And frankly they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors."
- Secretary Of State Colin Powell, February 24, 2001


"Many of us are convinced that Saddam will acquire nuclear weapons fairly soon. Just how soon we cannot gauge."
-Vice President Cheney, August 26, 2002


“The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons, but we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."
-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice,
September 8, 2002


“Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof...the smoking gun.... that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud."
- President George W. Bush, October 7, 2002


An Iraqi nuclear weapon might bring "the sight of the first mushroom cloud on one of the major population centers on this planet."
- General Tommy Franks, November 12, 2002


"We know he's been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."
-Vice President Cheney, March 16, 2003


“We are asked… to accept...that Saddam decided unilaterally to destroy those weapons… I say that such a claim is palpably absurd.”
- Prime Minister Tony Blair, March 18, 2003


“I don’t believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.”
- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, May 14, 2003


"Yeah, I did misspeak .... We never had any evidence that he had acquired a nuclear weapon."
-Vice President Cheney, September 14, 2003


Goering: "Why, of course, the people don't want war….That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

Gilbert: "There is one difference. In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."

Goering: "Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

- Gustave Gilbert, a German-speaking intelligence officer and psychologist, who interviewed and recorded the observations of Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichsmarshal and Luftwaffe chief, during the Nuremberg War Criminal trials, April 18, 1946


Build-up to Gulf War II:
Saddam Hussein and Weapons of Mass Destruction

Throughout modern history, the propaganda tactics for promoting war as bluntly revealed by an unrepentant Hermann Goering are just as effective today as they were during the 20th century. When the press becomes subservient to the desires of political leaders, even modern democracies such as the U.S. and U.K. are not immune to the historical effectiveness of leaders who use propaganda to bring a frightful population "to the bidding of the leaders.”

Regarding Iraq, the effective utilization of propaganda techniques by the Bush administration was especially critical given their unique task of justifying the United States first ever “preventative war." The nefarious mechanisms behind these methods will be analyzed in this chapter....

******

FWIW: Information for the Reality-based community

"No proscribed activities, or the result of such activities from the period of 1998-2002 have, so far, been detected through inspections."
-Dr. Hans Blix, testimony to the United Nations Security Council, March 6, 2003 (less than 2 weeks before the war began)


"After three months of intrusive inspections, we have to date found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapons programme in Iraq.”
-Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), testiomy to the United Nations Security Council, March 7, 2003

Of critical note is the fact that, had the UN weapons inspectors been able to complete their prewar inspection, Dr. Blix would have declared Iraq as disarmed and free of Weapons of Mass Destruction. According to Blix, “had we had a few months more (of inspections before the war), we would have been able to tell both the CIA and others that there were no weapons of mass destruction (at) all the sites that they had given us.” Such an event would have ended the 1991 sanctions against Iraq, and allowed Saddam’s contractual agreements with TotalELF, Lukoil, Sin-oil (French, Russian, and Chinese) oil firms to begin oil exploration in Iraq – with an alternative euro-driven oil transaction currency.

#####

References:

U.S. Department of State, Press Remarks of Secretary Colin L. Powell with Foreign Minister of Egypt Amre Moussa, Cairo, Egypt (Ittihadiya Palace), February 24, 2001

Remarks by the Vice President to the Veterans of Foreign Wars 103rd National Convention, August 26, 2002 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/08/20020826.html

In quotes: Blair and Iraq weapons, BBC News, Quote from Prime Minister Tony Blair to House of Commons, March 18, 2003: "We are asked now seriously to accept that in the last few years-contrary to all history, contrary to all intelligence-Saddam decided unilaterally to destroy those weapons. I say that such a claim is palpably absurd." http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_3054000/3054991.stm

Quotes as recorded by military intelligence officer/psychologist Gustave Gilbert during a private interview with Hermann Goering, at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, April 18, 1946 Source: Gilbert, G.M., Nurenberg Diary, New York: Signet, 1947.

Glen Rangwala, `Claims and evaluations of Iraq’s proscribed weapons,’ Middle East Reference, February 25, 2003 http://middleeastreference.org.uk/iraqweapons.html#start

UNMOVIC Working Document, Unresolved Disarmament Issues: Iraq’s Proscribed Weapons Programmes. March 6, 2003: “In general, there is little evidence of change in the chemical and biological disciplines beyond that noted above. No proscribed activities, or the result of such activities from the period of 1998-2002 have, so far, been detected through inspections.” p. 15 http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/documents/6mar.pdf

IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, statement to the Security Council, 7 March 2003: “After three months of intrusive inspections, we have to date found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapons programme in Iraq.” http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/Press/Statements/2003/ebsp2003n006.shtml

Peter Beaumont and Faisal Islam, ‘Carve-up of oil riches begins,’ The (UK ) Observer, November 3, 2002 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,825105,00.html

Tom Raum, ‘Cheney: Weapons Report Justifies Iraq War,’ Associated Press, October 7, 2004 Online: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1004/178314.html

‘In their own words: Iraq’s Imminent Threat,’ Center for American Progress, January 29, 2004 http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=24970

[bpcmxr]

16. Thank you Tempest!

Brilliant! I'm forwarding this to my newslist.

[manly]

19. wmd

I, too, compiled a similar list but it was nowhere near as extensive as this one. Terrific job!
But it makes me crazy with frustration that sixty million morons couldn't understand why you just don't vote for a liar like Bush to be the president of the United States. He didn't just lie once. He (and his collection of trolls) lied over and over, with straight faces, to the entire country and the world. There aren't words strong enough to condemn these scoundrels! These lies got us into an unjustified war, caused thousands of deaths and maimings, and all for the glory of that asshole Bush. He should not be allowed to go blameless for this. He should be punished.
He should be impeached.

[Kellanved]

20. excellent list,

http://www.the365project.org/day.php?year=2003&month=2&day=8

:kick:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

21. Excellent post!

A real keeper. Thanks for putting it together.

You had several listed that I had forgotten about.

We need to all memorize these words and drive them home at every chance we get.

[4dsc]

22. Bookmarked and referenced

They all died for a LIE and the lies are printed here.. I will remind rightie and other war supporters on a daily basis, of these lies, until all our men and women are home safe again..

[OneTwentyoNine]

23. Keep this bumped .......nt

[obiwan]

24. Let's turn DC into a lake of glass...

... and start over. Use the new bunker-buster on Cheney.

[dutchdoctor]

26. Awesome!

It must have been so much work compiling this.. it's just astonishing to see how often they actually lied about WMD
The list is so long, however, that the effect of all those lies is lost a little..

I was thinking it might be useful to change the format, maybe someone with a little java script experience could change this into a "Bush-bot weapon of mass deception". I'm thinking of an application where you only see one quote a time, and you click a button named something like "see next lie", and you get to see the next quote..
Or a quiz where you see the quote and you have to guess who said it when?
It would look great on DU's front page..

Anyone thinks this is a good idea?
I'll see if I can make something but I'm not very good at HTML..