Posted on 09/04/2002 6:58:10 PM PDT by kattracks
WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Pressing his case against an assault on Baghdad, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark said on Wednesday the United States had no legitimate reason to attack Iraq and that it would be a grave mistake to do so.
"The claim that Iraq is a threat is a complete fraud. I don't think they believe it for a minute," Clark said, referring to the Bush administration's stated grounds for seeking to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Clark, who served in the Johnson administration at the height of the Vietnam war, said it would be "the gravest mistake" of any president in his lifetime if President George W. Bush launches a war against Iraq.
The U.S. government has accused Iraq of amassing weapons of mass destruction, a charge Baghdad denies.
"What business is it of the United States to engage in regime change?," Clark asked at a news conference called to announce anti-war demonstrations expected to take place on Oct. 26 in Washington, San Francisco, London, Paris, Berlin and Rome.
Bush said on Wednesday that at the appropriate time he would ask Congress to approve any action on Iraq "necessary to deal with the threat."
Clark has been a vocal opponent of U.S. policy on Iraq and the U.N. sanctions imposed on Baghdad for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. In Baghdad last week, he urged the United Nations to act to prevent a U.S. assault on Iraq, saying it would breed more violence.
Other American critics of a possible war against Iraq shared their opinions on Wednesday at a Capitol Hill forum chaired by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat.
Some participants warned that a U.S. strike without legitimate reason, could destabilize the Middle East.
"A U.S. invasion would likely be met with fury across the region" American University professor Edmund Ghareeb said.
"Most Arab states view Iraq as a country on its knees, a victim of trigger-happy U.S. policies. An invasion would only serve to galvanize anti-American feelings, and help fulfill the dreams of extremists," Ghareeb said.
© Reuters Limited.
That's just a public site. I'm sure our military has very elite gear in space.
Just what we need. Another democrat telling us how to conduct a war. We've seen the great job they did in the 90s in the area of counter-terrorism.
It seems that they would've served better to use the White House form more than sex romps and photo ops. What about that Mr. Clark?
Oh jeez...
Speaking for myself only, I thought we should of gone to war with Iraq when we were forced to call back the weapons inspectors in 1998, But unfortunately we had a spinelss worm that was to busy running to the Oval Office sink to bother with a little thing like a ruthless dictator who has been seeking nuclear weapons since the early 70's. and the same fellow who used chemical and biological weapons on Iran and his own poeple. Clinton was a caward and a fraud... Just like most if not ALL LIBERALS. And Ramsey Clark fits the description of a LIBERAL FRAUD
I think Bush #1 got lousy advice and was hamstrung by the UN resolutions limiting the 91 war to evicting Iraq from Kuwait. Stupid stupid stupid. In war more than any other endeavor, finish what you start.
Also, not everyone wants this war. I'd say near half the people I talk to don't want it.
You extrapolate the perceived (only) positions of your personal cirle of pacifists into the pulse of the nation, huh? How profound. You must be a statistician. I didn't say everybody, did I? I used 250 millions on purpose to allow for commies, idiots and their fellow travelers, with whom this great nation is burdened with many, SirAngus. Mooo
RC is a peacenik freak, part of the blame America FIRST crowd.........pay him no mind!
Believe me, I take Serena's views more seriously than Ramsey Clark's.
See Post #89
No, the people to whom I'm refering are actually a very diverse crowd, which includes co-workers, neighbors, and others. Many of these people I'm not friends with, and did not know their political views.
Also, I'm not a pacifist by any means. I just don't perceive Iraq as big a threat as you do at this time.
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