Posted on 02/15/2016 1:35:17 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
[Huge SNIP]
Thus, by 2003, President George W. Bush had correctly calculated that Saddam's WMD arsenal, after at least five years of no inspections, was an intolerable, unacceptable risk in the wake of 9/11.
This was a fully legitimate fear, with Bush's suspicion of Saddam's stockpiles first informed not by his advisers but, instead, by the media that informed all of us in the 1990s, years before Bush became president.
In short, all of that very recent history was forgotten by an emotional, angry, childish political left after our troops didn't find the WMD stockpiles we all expected.
Of course, we did discover some WMDs in Iraq after 2003 (everyone forgets this), and chief inspector David Kay found both Iraqi infrastructure and intent to ramp up WMD production once Saddam later figured he was in the clear. We did not, however, find the WMD stockpiles we expected.
That said, the argument that George W. Bush deliberately lied about WMDs is not only extraordinarily unfair but stunningly misinformed and nonsensical.
Sure, Donald Trump can generally argue that going into Iraq was ill-advised, and that "we destabilized" the larger Middle East region. "George Bush made a mistake," said Trump in the South Carolina debate. "We should have never been in Iraq."
That's a legitimate point of contention. Fair enough - though Trump better not exclude Obama's prematurely pulling troops from Iraq from that equation. That, more than anything else, enabled the rise of ISIS.
But Trump charging that Bush lied on WMDs is outrageous. He should clarify it, apologize for it, or admit that he did not speak as precisely as he should have.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
well then Bush was a liar and or an idiot.. thanks for at least agreeing to that
I will not stick up for GWB. He had his good moments, but he really made a terrible mess out of things.
What was worse is that he didn’t bother to stick up for himself and has sat silent as Obama has been finishing off what is left.
Iraq was a total disaster. He had me convinced at first, but the nagging doubts of his folly started to sink in for me years ago when it was obvious we could never leave that hellhole.
I also do did not appreciate his trying to shove amnesty down our throats and calling us xenophobes.
Lets also not forget his announcement that he had to go the socialism route in 2008 to save the country.
Funny thing is all of this is the big reason people do not want another damn Bush!
You used the “they were old” line, try to be honest about it.
The left uses that line.
He is irrelevant to whether the weapons existed or not.
And his honesty or intellect has no bearing on whether the weapons existed.
Bare facts are, they existed.
Now if everyone would be honest about that, it would be great.
Code Pink praises Donald Trump after debate
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/269472-code-pink-praises-donald-trump ^
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is being praised by Code Pink, a group that has protested the Iraq War.
Trump garnered support from Code Pink during the GOP debate Saturday night when he called the Iraq War a mistake and accused the George W. Bush administration of lying before the invasion.
.........................................................
I dont vote with Code Pink.
I am being honest about it. The intelligence used to push the US into war with Iraq was unreliable... agents who gathered it knew it was unreliable... The war happened, and the allegations made to push the US into war were not found to be substantiated. These are facts, just because they don’t jive with a particular dogma does not mean they are not true.
You and others here seem to think the argument, it was the best decision at the time, and it was still the right move is where reality is... and its not. Not for the electorate and not history. No evidence has ever been found that Iraq was manufacturing or creating WMD’s at the time prior to or during the Iraq War.
The truth is, the decision to go in may have been the best one at the time, but in retrospect it was a complete failure and not worth it. That’s the reality, and that’s where most American’s are today, because 15 years later and nearly 2 Trillion dollars and thousands of lives, Iraq is virtually a failed state. There is no argument that one can make today that says the war was worth it.
You need to stop drinking Kool Aid and wake up. Did Barry help the situation? Nope, but Bush administration and the Neocons made bad move after bad move in Iraq long before Barry was around. The Iraq War is a big reason we got Barry in the first place.
Smart people learn from their mistakes, and most Americans, who did support the war initially have learned that it was a mistake, not because some democrat has a talking point, but because the factual undeniable outcomes are laid bare to see. Thousands dead, trillions burned, a nation in ruins 15 years later, and none of the allegations made by Powell in his speech to the UN to justify the action have been found.
But I know, it just some grand conspiracy to keep it all quiet.... The bush administration would just cover up what they found and never take it to the public if they could back up their claims. Sigh.
“I am being honest about it.”
No you aren’t.
Did the weapons exist, yes or no.
Age does not matter, just ask the farmers working former WWI battlefields how safe old gas munitions are.
The rest of the world said Iraq had WMD’s as did Bill Clinton.
FANTASTIC find in Post #5!
Do you want another liar-in-chief folks?
I’m getting so sick of Trump calling others what he HIMSELF is! It’s what liberals do. In fact, it’s what communists do!
Rush did an analysis. ...published here last night...that posits Trump touts the liberal line to steal votes from the dark side: an ultimately harmless ploy to lock his nomination in the next couple primaries. This is the first thing Trump has done that makes me reconsider supporting him; but, I’ll give him a pass on it: strategerizing that may save our nation, ultimately.
Everyone also coveniently ignores/forgets about the convoys of trucks identified by one UN agency that was transporting materials out of Iraq to Syria during the run-up to the war.
Trump is doing it to help his viability because Cruz is on the march.
Many on the Left see a kindred spirit in Trump.
As did Hillary Clinton.
“Trump is doing it to help his viability because “Cruz is on the march.
Many on the Left see a kindred spirit in Trump.”
That may be; but I don’t care about that now: Trump can deliver economic prosperity by means of vision, experience, and T. Roosevelt ‘Bully’.
I like Cruz, but he’s a detail-ish wonk, and too nice for the work that must be done. MHO
That’s the standard leftwing answer.
“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, 1998
“[W]e 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 State, Nov. 10, 1999.
“There is no doubt that . Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated 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, Dec, 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 mandate 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. 23, 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 seeing and developing weapons of mass destruction.” Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.
“The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October1998. 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 s underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.” Sen. Jay Rockerfeller (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. “[W]ithout 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 has 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, M
It was still executed for aims that were more opportunistic than essential for American security.
That’s what the lefty. Code Pinko line has been for years.
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