by Bill Levinson

Senator James Webb (D-VA) said this in his rebuttal to George Bush’s State of the Union address:

The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable ­ and predicted ­ disarray that has followed.

Since he (inadvertantly of course) left out some other people who “took us into this war recklessly,” we will help him out by reminding him and the American public of what his friends John Kerry, Hillary “I Want a Third Term in 2008″ Clinton, Thomas Daschle, Albert “The World is Melting” Gore, and William “I did not have sex with that woman, depending on what you mean by sex” Jefferson Clinton said about Iraq.

# John Kerry, 23 February 1998: “Saddam Hussein has already used these weapons and has made it clear that he has the intent to continue to try, by virtue of his duplicity and secrecy, to continue to do so. That is a threat to the stability of the Middle East. It is a threat with respect to the potential of terrorist activities on a global basis. It is a threat even to regions near but not exactly in the Middle East.”

# Thomas Daschle, 1998: a 1998 use-of-force resolution would “send as clear a message as possible that we are going to force, one way or another, diplomatically or militarily, Iraq to comply with international law.” “We have exhausted virtually our diplomatic effort to get the Iraqis to comply with their own agreements and with international law. Given that, what other option is there but to force them to do so?”

# Albert Gore, 16 December 1998: “If you allow someone like Saddam Hussein to get nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, chemical weapons, biological weapons, how many people is he going to kill with such weapons? He’s already demonstrated a willingness to use these weapons. He poison-gassed his own people. He used poison gas and other weapons of mass destruction against his neighbors. This man has no compunction about killing lots and lots of people.”

# Saddam Abused His Last Chance, Clinton Says By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service [As a publication of the United States Government, this is believed to be in the public domain]
WASHINGTON — A month ago, the United States called off its war planes to give Saddam Hussein one last chance to cooperate. When he failed to do so, the United States took action.
President Clinton ordered air strikes Dec. 16 against Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. Warships and combat aircraft began bombarding the defiant Gulf state at 5 p.m. EST — 1 a.m. in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
…“Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons,” Clinton said. The Iraqi dictator has used these weapons against his neighbors and his own people, he said, and “left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again.”
…Butler’s conclusions, Clinton said, proved to be “stark, sobering and profoundly disturbing.” Instead of living up to its agreement, he said, “Iraq has abused its final chance.”
He said Iraq had placed new restrictions on the inspectors, further obstructed inspections and failed to turn over all requested documents. In one instance, the Iraqis removed all documents, furniture and equipment from a building prior to a U.N. inspection.
Butler’s report concluded Iraq has ensured U.N. inspectors could make no progress toward disarmament. Even if the inspectors could stay in Iraq, Clinton said, their work would be a sham.
“Saddam’s deception has defeated their effectiveness,” he said. “Instead of the inspectors disarming Saddam, the Iraqi dictator has disarmed the inspectors.”
Clinton said he and his national security advisers agreed that Hussein presented a clear and present danger to the stability of the Persian Gulf and the safety of people everywhere. He said he deemed military action necessary to prove the international community, led by the United States, had not lost its will. Failure to act, Clinton said, would have “fatally undercut the fear of force that stops Saddam from acting to gain domination in the region.”

# “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 http://www.glennbeck.com/news/01302004.shtml

# Hillary Rodham Clinton, Floor Speech of 10 October 2002 (from her own Senate Web site): “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, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001.” http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html [Remember that Bush’s detractors are squealing about how Saddam had no links to Al Qaida terrorists.]

http://www.house.gov/pelosi/priraq1.htm
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi

Statement on U.S. Led Military Strike Against Iraq
December 16, 1998

As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. 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.

The responsibility of the United States in this conflict is to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, to minimize the danger to our troops and to diminish the suffering of the Iraqi people. The citizens of Iraq have suffered the most for Saddam Hussein’s activities; sadly, those same citizens now stand to suffer more. I have supported efforts to ease the humanitarian situation in Iraq and my thoughts and prayers are with the innocent Iraqi civilians, as well as with the families of U.S. troops participating in the current action.

I believe in negotiated solutions to international conflict. This is, unfortunately, not going to be the case in this situation where Saddam Hussein has been a repeat offender, ignoring the international community’s requirement that he come clean with his weapons program. While I support the President, I hope and pray that this conflict can be resolved quickly and that the international community can find a lasting solution through diplomatic means.

http://www.iraqwatch.org/government/US/Letters,%20reports%20and%20statements/levin-10-9-98.html
CONCERN OVER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ
(Senate - October 09, 1998)

HON. CARL LEVIN

in the Senate

October 9, 1998

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today, along with Senators McCain, Lieberman, Hutchison and twenty-three other Senators, I am sending a letter to the President to express our concern over Iraq’s actions and urging the President `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.’

At the outset, I believe it would be useful to review the events that led up to the requirement for the destruction of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs. At the time that Iraq unlawfully invaded and occupied its neighbor Kuwait, the UN Security Council imposed economic and weapons sanctions on Iraq .

After Iraqi forces had been ousted from Kuwait by the U.S.-led coalition and active hostilities had ended, but while coalition forces were still occupying Iraqi territory, the UN Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, conducted a review of Iraq’s history with weapons of mass destruction and made a number of decisions in April 1991 to achieve its goals, including a formal cease fire.

With respect to Iraq’s history, the Security Council noted Iraq’s threat during the Gulf War to use chemical weapons in violation of its treaty obligations, Iraq’s prior use of chemical weapons, Iraq’s use of ballistic missiles in unprovoked attacks, and reports that Iraq attempted to acquire materials for a nuclear weapons program contrary to its treaty obligations.

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Related: United States, Iraq

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