Posted on 08/10/2009 1:43:25 PM PDT by james500
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said he should have "howled harder" on Iraq and that the war was the most "dissatisfying moment" of his life.
Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in responding to 10 questions in Time magazine, also said the jury is out on whether Iran was developing nuclear weapons.
One of the main justifications for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the administration of President George W. Bush was the assertion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were found in the years since the war began.
"The most dissatisfying moment of my life, of course, was when the Iraq war was launched. That hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives on the basis of fiction, not facts, makes me shudder," ElBaradei said.
...
"We are not sure that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. The jury is still out," ElBaradei said.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I once heard someone say the primary job of the U.N. is to “referee genocides”.
Thank you. I’ve said that a million times to ignorant fools who just spout that meme. The other I hate is that we “invaded” Iraq. WE WERE ALREADY THERE!
I say they are a money laundering organization. Refereeing genocides is how they generate the cash flow. Budget several hundred million to some genocide. Send a hundred Uruguayan peace-keepers who hide in their camps by night and count the bodies by day. Nobody asks where the rest of the money went.
Otherwise, yes. I agree.
Don’t get me started on the “Oil For Food” program...
Iraq was, for many resons, the easier target also. Attacking Iran would have brought in the Chinese and at that time the whole mideast.
Bush left an Iraq that now could be a strong, democratic ally of the US...other than Israel, ...Iraq, the most powerful ally (size and location) with a secular history.
The tragedy is that NOW Obama is letting that slip away by removing troops, not backing Iraq (”cause it was the wrong war”) and the Baathists, and alQuieda know this and are regrouping, as are syria and even Iran.
I could cry when I think what the idiot in the WH is letting slip away after so much blood and treasure.
When someone says, “the jury is still out on Iran”, what does it mean, actually? Do they need to see Iran showing off a nuclear weapon in a national parade, and go, “Oh yeah, they do have nuclear weapon program...”?
Thank you
too bad the people who need to be reminded of what the Congress authorized refuse to face facts.
——— “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, ‘98
“We 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, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, 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 St ate, Nov. 10, ‘99
“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. In 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 a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandated 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. 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 (Now who is lying???)
“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
‘Clout’ and ‘goodwill’? I thought Zero was going to ‘change’ all that? Looks like he has failed..miserably. Looks like Obama’s world ‘Apology Tour’ failed miserably.
It’s time for you to face reality. It never was about goodwill or clout. Other nations don’t want to ‘help’ because they don’t want to spend the money. Most European socialist countries don’t have decent militaries anymore because they have spent all of their money on ‘FREE Healthcare’ and the other bottomless pits of socialism and marxism.
“And there has not been anything to dispute the claims that weapons may have been smuggled out (to Syria) during the run up to the invasion date.”
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All it would take is 4-5 semi trailers worth of WMD’s to justify the war. Those truck loads left Iraq before the spring of 2003.
Crophale? I think you just invented a new word, and threw a no-hitter against the major search engines...
ElBaradei was upset because it took his title of “the most important person in the world” away. When Iran launches a nuclear attack he will say “we didn’t know”. He wants to keep searching but more so he doesn’t want to find anything. Paging Hans Blix
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