They Used to Oppose Saddam's Regime [Dem quotes]

Human Events ^ | Sept. 26, 2003 | Chris Field

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

First Look   They Used to Oppose Saddam's Regime by Chris Field Posted Sep 26, 2003 The Left continues to impugn the motives of President Bush's decision to go to war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. I've grown sick of it. As most people likely are aware, when President Clinton was in the White House, leading Democrats told the American people that addressing the threat that Saddam posed was necessary. Maybe everyone has seen or heard the following statements by a few well known liberals, maybe few have. Either way, here are some words that leading Democrats had for the justification for confronting the Hussein regime back in 1998. If these statements were true back then, wasn't Bush justified in his case against Iraq? Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (S.D.), Congressional Record, February 12, 1998: "Iraq's actions pose a serious and continued threat to international peace and security. It is a threat we must address. Saddam is a proven aggressor who has time and again turned his wrath on his neighbors and on his own people. Iraq is not the only nation in the world to possess weapons of mass destruction, but it is the only nation with a leader who has used them against his own people. . . . The United States continues to exhaust all diplomatic efforts to reverse the Iraqi threat. But absent immediate Iraqi compliance with Resolution 687, the security threat doesn't simply persist - it worsens. Saddam Hussein must understand that the United States has the resolve to reverse that threat by force, if force is required. And, I must say, it has the will." Sen. Kerry (Mass.), Congressional Record, March 13, 1998: "Mr. President, we have every reason to believe that Saddam Hussein will continue to do everything in his power to further develop weapons of mass destruction and the ability to deliver those weapons, and that he will use those weapons without concern or pangs of conscience if ever and whenever his own calculations persuade him it is in his interests to do so. . . . I have spoken before this chamber on several occasions to state my belief that the United States must take every feasible step to lead the world to remove this unacceptable threat. He must be deprived of the ability to injure his own citizens without regard to internationally-recognized standards of behavior and law. He must be deprived of his ability to invade neighboring nations. He must be deprived of his ability to visit destruction on other nations in the Middle East region or beyond. If he does not live up fully to the new commitments that U.N. Secretary-General Annan recently obtained in order to end the weapons inspection standoff - and I will say clearly that I cannot conceive that he will not violate those commitments at some point - we must act decisively to end the threats that Saddam Hussein poses." Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.), Congressional Record, February 12, 1998: "An asymmetric capability of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons gives an otherwise weak country the power to intimidate and blackmail. We risk sending a dangerous signal to other would-be proliferators if we do not respond decisively to Iraq's transgressions. Conversely, a firm response would enhance deterrence and go a long way toward protecting our citizens from the pernicious threat of proliferation. . . . Fateful decisions will be made in the days and weeks ahead. At issue is nothing less than the fundamental question of whether or not we can keep the most lethal weapons known to mankind out of the hands of an unreconstructed tyrant and aggressor who is in the same league as the most brutal dictators of this century." Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Conn.), Congressional Record, February 12, 1998: "Today, the threat may not be as clear to other nations of the world, but its consequences are even more devastating potentially than the real threat, than the realized pain of the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, because the damage that can be inflicted by Saddam Hussein and Iraq, under his leadership, with weapons of mass destruction is incalculable; it is enormous. . . . Mr. President, if this were a domestic situation, a political situation, and we were talking about criminal law in this country, we have something in our law called 'three strikes and you are out,' three crimes and you get locked up for good because we have given up on you. I think Saddam Hussein has had more than three strikes in the international, diplomatic, strategic and military community. So I have grave doubts that a diplomatic solution is possible here. . . . What I and some of the Members of the Senate hope for is a longer-term policy based on the probability that an acceptable diplomatic solution is not possible, which acknowledges as the central goal the changing of the regime in Iraq to bring to power a regime with which we and the rest of the world can have trustworthy relationships." Sen. Levin (Mich.), Congressional Record, February 12, 1998: "Mr. President, this crisis is due entirely to the actions of Saddam Hussein. He alone is responsible. We all wish that diplomacy will cause him to back down but history does not give me cause for optimism that Saddam Hussein will finally get it. . . . Mr. President, Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction programs and the means to deliver them are a menace to international peace and security. They pose a threat to Iraq's neighbors, to U.S. forces in the Gulf region, to the world's energy supplies, and to the integrity and credibility of the United Nations Security Council. . . . Mr. President, the use of military force is a measure of last resort. The best choice of avoiding it will be if Saddam Hussein understands he has no choice except to open up to UNSCOM inspections and destroy his weapons of mass destruction. The use of military force may not result in that desired result but it will serve to degrade Saddam Hussein's ability to develop weapons of mass destruction and to threaten international peace and security. Although not as useful as inspection and destruction, it is still a worthy goal." Chris Field is Editor of Human Events Online. He can be contacted at Chris.Field@HumanEventsOnline.com

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

 Thanks, Tonkin!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

As most people likely are aware, when President Clinton was in the White House, leading Democrats told the American people that addressing the threat that Saddam posed was necessary.

Letting Dems know we know, ping!

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[Diogenesis]

Dead children, previously playing in Halabja
Victims of Saddams' WMD in March 1988.
Democrats and other American Baathists now claim the dead are "conservative Republicans" and "deserved it".

---

Chemical warhead at an Iraqi air base, marked with a green band,
the symbol for chemical weaponry. Trace amounts of a nerve agent were found
on two spots on the ~meter long warhead, possibly consistent with
leakage from a chemically armed weapon. A 13-foot missile was found next
to it.
Democrats and other American Baathists now claim this warhead actually held vitamins for little babies.

[wgeorge2001]

These politicians count on the political ignorance of the many American voters who truly believe that the elected congress really represents their views and agenda,many of these people are educated in the government funded school system.Todays education is generally left wing liberal agenda oriented and no longer teaches youth the necessary historical truths that are the basis of our nations character and strengths,rather they teach revisionist history and political lies. The fact that these elitist congressmen speak with "forked tongues" is not even known by so many people today. This country is being led into a U.N. serfdom that will destroy the lives of so many of the people who support it.
It is a sad day for America and the worst may yet be ahead.

[Jacquerie]

The quotes were pulled from February 1998. Didn't the Lewinsky scandal blow up just prior?

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

I hope you make a few Democrats cry with that post, Dio. Bless you.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

January 17, 1998

Lewinsky Scandal Breaks on Internet

Clinton is questioned by Jones' attorneys for six hours and denies having
``sexual relations'' with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. - AP

 

January 21, 1998

Monica Lewinsky story breaks in the media

The Washington Post identifies Monica Lewinsky as a former White House
intern implicated in a sexual relationship with the President.
 

January 26, 1998

Clinton Denies ever having any relationship with that woman, Monica Lewinsky.

 

[not_apathetic_anymore]

Bump for later

[blackie]

Letting Dems know we know ~ Bump!

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[VOA]

I hope you make a few Democrats cry with that post, Dio. Bless you.

Actually, you've stumbled onto a Real Democrat (liberal/lefty) acid test.

The REAL Democrat would look at post #3 and immediately launch into a frothing diatribe
about how the Republicans of the USA armed Saddam and basically probably pulled
the trigger on the weapons at Halabja.

A rational person who happens to be a registerd Democrat would say "hmmm,
the USA only provided 1% of the arms in Saddam's army, as shown by a study by a Swedish
pacifist group.
Maybe we made a deal with the devil when backing Saddam, but that's hindsight".

[Free Vulcan]

self-ping

[windchime]

Bump!

[yoe]

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." Senator Ted Kennedy, Sept. 27, 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 give 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." Senator Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Reality vs. Hillary, bump!

[PhilDragoo]

Daschle, Kerry, Biden, Lieberman, Levin, Kennedy, Gore, Clinton:

Under President Clinton: Saddam a threat, pursuing WMDs, must be removed.

Under President Bush: Bush an exaggerater, Saddam a pussycat.

I am complaining to the EPA about the bad air quality at the Senate Democrat Caucus.