We should invade Amerika and oust the oppressive Boosh regime. I vote that we carpet bomb DC and send in troops until we find that murdering prezidential criminal.

hehe. Well they are the most likely to use WMD & and have a penchant for creating a dangerous world in their battle for world supremacy (re: cold war & present day). :D

Battle for world Supremacy? That ended a hundred years ago.

Is this another "3000 people killed in North Korean train wreck" kneejerk?

or

the tip of the iceberg?

Rumor has it that it was the shipment from Syria that blew the train up? I dont know enough about it to comment on the validity of that being some WMD'S that have been argued to have been shiped to them. Wouldnt it be funny if there was WMD's from Iraq via Syria heading to North Korea. All of the people saying NK is a hotter spot than Iraq might have to learn some new lyrics.

"Wouldnt it be funny if there was WMD's from Iraq via Syria heading to North Korea."

Is there a train route from Syria that doesn't go through either or both Iraq and Afghanistan? It would be pretty embarrassing if our troops let a bunch of bombs pass through an occupied country.

But it troubles me not that North Korea has a nasty mess to clean up. On the threat scale, those guys are a howitzer next to Saddam's pea shooter.

We started a war. We have caused the deaths of more than 10,000 Iraqis to date. We did so on the basis of 2 glaring lies: That Iraq represented a credible WMD threat, and that Iraq harboured terrorist groups notably AlQaeda. Neither of these things are true. So on what basis are those 10,000 deaths justified?

Ask this Marine what he thinks about "invasion".

http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/9316830p-10241546c.html

stuart 87 carrera (free to good home)
964 c4

Stuart: good for you. I meant to post that link this morning.

I think you will need to have a real marine do the article next time. a real person from the military would know that an ICBM is a Intercontenetal Balistic Missle. Not a cluster bomb. Better luck next time.

"Q: Cluster bombs are also controversial. U.N. commissions have called for a ban. Were you acquainted with cluster bombs?

A: I had one of my Marines in my battalion who lost his leg from an ICBM.

Q: What's an ICBM?

A: A multi-purpose cluster bomb."

"I can honestly say now that I'm proud to be an Iraqi. Because of what has happened, because there is freedom here like I have not known before. Now I can talk-to you, to people I could never talk to before. I am a simple man. I am just a worker. But even these simple things-talking-give me hope."
Khalid Nemah, an Iraqi taxi driver, Chicago Tribune, 8/05/03

"Iraqis are very thirsty to learn what is happening outside of Iraq."
Abbas Darwish, owner of a Baghdad shop that sells newspapers, The New York Times, 8/05/03

"You never knew who was sitting next to you. In the past no one would dare to just speak out. Now everybody is talking. About federalism, about a monarchy. ... I think our aims are just one, to eliminate persecution for anyone ever again."
Jafar Adel Amr, a tool salesman in Iraq, Chicago Tribune, 8/05/03

"Freedom is much sweeter. I can get up in the morning and decide whether I want to shave or not; if someone in my family is sick, I can stay home with them. I don't need to ask permission."
Salim Kasim, one of Uday's chief mechanics, Los Angeles Times, 8/02/03

"We didn't believe these things, but we had to say them. Saddam was there in all the books, even the math books."
Ghada Jassen, a fifth grade teacher in Iraq, Chicago Tribune, 7/31/03

"We don't want patriotic education anymore. Nothing about war. We want flowers and springtime in the texts, not rifles and tanks."
Dunia Nabel, a teacher in Baghdad, Chicago Tribune, 7/31/03

"We have full freedom to print anything we want. The coalition doesn't interfere in our work but, of course, we have our own red lines."
Ishtar el Yassiri, editor of the new satirical Iraqi newspaper Habez Bouz, Financial Times (London), 7/31/03

"It is like the soul coming back to the body."
Ibrahim Abdullah, a refugee returning to Iraq, The Times (London), 7/31/03

"The tension is reducing every day. We are seeing a change. People are starting to realize that the soldiers are not here to occupy Fallujah forever-they're here to help us rebuild."
Taha Bedawi, mayor of Fallujah, The Washington Post, 7/29/03

"It's a chance to defend our country for our people. It's good to work with the American soldiers. They give us new training and a mutual respect."
Omar Abdullah, a recruit for Mosul's newly formed joint security group, Associated Press, 7/29/03

"We're happy, we're rid of Saddam Hussein; the torture and executions of 35 years are over. We should wait to see what the Americans will do."
Ahmed Abdel-Sahib, in Najaf, The Washington Post, 7/28/03

"There is a certain harmony. But you can not rebuild a city or country-a country destroyed by war-in one month."
Mohammed Tahar al-Abid Rabu, a member of the Mosul city council, Agence France Presse, 7/28/03

"For the first time I feel really free."
Latif Yahia, Uday's former double, after hearing of Uday's death, Agence France Presse, 7/26/03

"The Iraqi people have got rid of two of the biggest criminals in history. Their victims and the sons of their victims, who lived for 35 years under oppression, are feeling proud and happy."
Muwaffak al-Rubaiei, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, Agence France Presse and Reuters, 7/25/03

"We are more free nowadays. My father gave me the full freedom to marry whom I choose."
Raina Nuri, a woman in Baghdad, Christian Science Monitor, 7/25/03

"We felt better after the regime fell, now we are really happy-we have been freed from our nightmare."
Alaa' Kathem, an Iraqi soccer player who had been punished for losing games, Financial Times (London), 7/24/03

"Iraq is now free from torture. Free from Uday."
Amu Baba, a legendary soccer star in Iraq, Los Angeles Times, 7/24/03

"We feel safer now because we used to hear lots of stories about girls. We were so afraid to go out in case Uday saw us."
Farrah, a 15-year-old Iraqi girl, Newsday (New York), 7/24/03

"My father died because of Saddam. I don't want to speak about the reasons. But I was so happy. I was at home when I saw it on the TV. I woke up my aunts and told them the good news. I used to hate those guys so much and so I felt so at ease in my heart."
Osama Zaid, a distant cousin of Uday, after learning of Uday's death, Newsday (New York), 7/24/03

"Even the blind can see what Saddam Hussein did, taking Iraq into so many wars and doing little even for this town, no sports club, no decent hotels."
Wail al-Ali, Tikrit's new mayor, The Guardian, 7/22/03

"We are flying with happiness since Saddam is gone."
Zahar Hassan, in Iraq, Agence France Presse, 7/21/03

"There's more opportunity, more chances to earn money."
Um Khalid, on life in post-Saddam Baghdad, The Christian Science Monitor, 7/21/03

"[Uday] was a bad man, and he used to beat the soccer players if they lost a game. I think he used to treat the lions better than the people."
Mussab Ismas, a 13-year old boy, viewing Uday's lions at the Baghdad zoo, The Washington Post, 7/21/03

"Let the Americans stay, they protect us. I don't see them hurting anyone."
A mother living in Baghdad, The Christian Science Monitor, 7/21/03

"He [Uday] was a sick man, and he kept lions and tigers just to show his manhood, to show everyone that he cared more about animals than people. But he amputated their claws, and he took away their freedom, just like the people."
Alaa Karim, a Baghdad zoo employee, The Washington Post, 7/21/03

"I can see that the American soldiers are free. In our old army, we were always under pressure and strict military orders. There was tough punishment."
Raad Mamoud, a former Iraqi soldier, USA Today, 7/21/03

"I hope Iraq comes back strong. I am in favor of the new government."
Uday Kadhu, a Baghdad car salesman on the Iraqi archery team, Agence France Presse, 7/16/03

"In our opinion, the most significant thing about the formation of the transitional Governing Council is that it includes important personalities that are known to the masses and that represent the different political, national, democratic and progressive forces, as well as independent political organizations and religious denominations."
Iraqi newspaper Al-Manar, 7/15/03

"I felt that we had gone back to the year 1930. I feel that Iraq has started back from zero. We have wasted 75 years waiting to taste freedom."
Hadid al-Gailani, after the Governing Council announced the abolition of Baathist holidays, The Boston Globe, 7/14/03

"I helped deliver thousands of Iraqi babies, and now I am taking part in the birth of a new country and a new rule based on women's rights, humanity, unity and freedom."
Raja Habib al-Khaza'i, the director of an Iraqi maternity hospital and a member of the Governing Council, Associated Press, 7/13/03

"The formation of this council which represents all sectors of Iraqi society is the birth of democracy in the country. It is better than Saddam's government of destruction and dictatorship."
Razzak Abdul-Zahra, a 35-year-old engineer in Baghad, Associated Press, 7/13/03

"The establishment of this council represents the Iraqi national will after the collapse of the dictatorial regime."
Muhammad Bahr al-Ulum, a Shiite cleric on the Governing Council, Associated Press, 7/13/03

"It's a hard situation. But now that Saddam has fallen, it's OK. We can wait for the future now."
Muhammed Abdul al Sudani, the night watchman at a school in Baghdad, Baltimore Sun, 7/13/03

"Iraqis are looking forward to this day. They have been dreaming for so many years to have a government run by not only one man."
Sherwan Dizayee, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Los Angeles Times, 7/13/03

"He [Saddam] occupied Iraq for 25 years. It's not important that the Americans are here. What is important is that they got rid of Saddam Hussein. Now I feel free."
Fadil Emara, a shopkeeper in Baghdad, Agence France Presse, 7/12/03

"I want to help my country to make a new life, to get human rights, and also to get modern life, especially because we are a rich country."
An Iraqi translator for the Allied forces, The New York Times, 7/08/03

"We can't train staff fast enough. People are desperate here for a neutral free press after 30 years of a totalitarian state."
Saad al-Bazzaz, editor of the Azzaman Daily in Baghdad, The Independent (London), 7/08/03

"The Americans did a very good thing when they crushed Saddam for the Iraqis."
Khither Jaafar, a member of a Shiite party outlawed by Saddam, Los Angeles Times, 7/08/03

"U.S.-U.K., Liberators of Iraq from Saddam's Terror."
A banner hanging outside the entrance to central Suleimaniyah in Iraq, Chicago Tribune, 7/05/03

"We as a council were chosen by the people. God willing we will work to achieve the hopes and wishes of the people."
Mohammed al-Assadi, a representative on the new Najaf City Council, Associated Press, 7/07/03

"We were like a tightly covered pot which no one knew what it contained. Now that the cover has been removed, you can't imagine what you will discover."
Majed al-Ghazali, who now dreams of setting up a children's music school in Iraq, Associated Press, 7/07/03

"We feel liberated. We're very very happy."
Dana Mohammed, manager of a fast food restaurant in Suleimaniyah, Chicago Tribune, 7/05/03

"I can feel it inside. All Iraqis are feeling freedom. This is a good start of a new Iraq."
Saniya al-Raheem, a 56-year-old housewife in Baghdad, Agence France Presse, 7/03/03

"It was a cruel system. We were living under terror and we all suffered from it. It was for our own survival not to talk about politics. We could not even discuss our personal problems openly."
Balkis Al-Shamary, a clerk in an Iraqi shop, Agence France Presse, 7/03/03

"During the Saddam years, we did not even have hopes. We were living only to survive. Now I have lots of dreams and hopes."
Hansam Hassan, a pediatrician at Baghdad's Al-Alwiya Children's Hospital, Agence France Presse, 7/03/03
"I like free discussions. I talk about these issues with my families and friends. This could never happen during the Saddam years."
Maha Abrahim, owner of a wedding dress shop in Baghdad, Agence France Presse, 7/03/03
"A thousand thanks to Bush!"
Abdel Karim Hassan, in Basra, The New York Times, 6/27/03
"When I see my female students, I see hopes in them. They will have more opportunities to travel and learn and have more control of their lives."
Bushra Jani, a professor at Baghdad's Al-Mustansiriya University, Agence France Presse, 7/03/03
"The Americans liberated the Iraqi people from a despotic regime from which they suffered a lot. The Iraqi people could not change that regime with their own hands or overthrow it with their available means. The Americans came and solved this problem quickly and easily and in a way that gladdened the Iraqis."
Baghdad Al-Balat, an Iraqi newspaper, 6/18/03
"It gives me an immense sense of hope. Being here and seeing so many other people here signifies that, despite everything, life goes on."
Shafeeq al-Mahdi, an Iraqi playwright at a performance at the al-Rashid Theater in Baghdad, Associated Press, 6/25/03
"I will run for mayor. Because we have freedom."
Dhirgham Najem, a 23-year-old busboy in Najaf, The New York Times, 6/22/03
"They're buying them [satellites] like they buy bread. They say they're buying freedom."
Mohammed al-Mulla, a worker at an Iraqi electronics store, Associated Press, 6/25/03
"This is the first time we as Shiites can represent ourselves and talk with a loud voice. They never let us express our feelings."
Akil Dair, a part-time student at Baghdad University, The New York Times, 6/21/03
"Look at Saddam here, they have painted his eyes. Now he cannot see anymore. We also tore all his pictures from our textbooks. I only left one portrait on my math textbook as a souvenir, but I put mascara on his eyes and colored his lips in red."
Salam, a 10-year-old boy pointing to an old mural of Saddam in Baghdad, Agence France Presse, 6/21/03
"Owning or selling such songs was punishable by a one-and-a-half year prison sentence under Saddam. After being oppressed for 35 years, we are now scrambling to grab these songs, to which we listen with impunity."
Ahmad, whose shop in Baghdad is selling large amounts of previously banned Shiite music, Agence France Presse, 6/18/03
"This is the freedom exhibition. I'm flying now."
Mohammed Rasim, a 29-year-old Iraqi artist who was finally able to show his paintings in an exhibit once Saddam fell, Associated Press, 6/18/03
"We are so glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein."
Habid Khanger, who waited to marry until Saddam fell and his policies ended, USA Today, 6/17/03
"Why call us occupied? We are liberated."
Mohammed Hanash Abbas, co-owner of Iqra'a bookstore in Baghdad, Associated Press, 6/17/03
"Saddam would not allow us here; he would slay whoever came here. It's freedom now!"
Salah Maadi Khafaji, an Iraqi swimming in a part of the Tigris that had been off limits to ordinary Iraqis, Los Angeles Times, 6/17/03
"America has shown us compassion we never had from Saddam or fellow Arabs."
Attallah Zeidan, co-owner of a small bookstore in Baghdad, Associated Press, 6/17/03
"I should have freedom to wear or not to wear the veil. I don't want to let these people dictate my thoughts. I am an educated woman. I am a religious woman. I know my duties to God."
Kawkab Jalil, a woman in Baghdad who decided to take off her veil, The Washington Post, 6/17/03
"When I leave my job at night, I am very happy, very proud about myself. We must help the Americans, and show them our traditions."
Suhair Karmasha, the first Iraqi woman to work with the Americans at Baghdad's city hall, The Washington Post, 6/17/03
"We are like newborn children. We are very, very happy."
Ali Hashem Jasim, in Iraq, Chicago Tribune, 6/13/03
"We broke the dams when the Iraqi army left. We want to teach our children how to fish, how to move on the water again."
Qasim Shalgan Lafta, a Marsh Arab and former fisherman who helped restore the water to the Iraqi wetlands that Saddam had destroyed, Chicago Tribune, 6/13/03
"Before, we saw Saddam on one channel, then we saw Saddam on another channel. When the signal went off, we'd hear Saddam. Even in our dreams, we heard his voice. It's better than before."
Tahir Sadeq, an Iraqi hotel manager, The Washington Post, 6/13/03
"Before, we couldn't speak. Before, we couldn't live. But life has changed from bad to best in Sulaymaniyah. I hope everyone in Iraq can live like us soon."
Abdul Karim, a 70-year-old Iraqi, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/12/03
"The name of Saddam had a value among us, but now, I do not love Saddam. I feel I have been deceived. I am shocked to hear about his crimes against our people."
Yaaser Akram, an 11th-grade student in Baghdad, Associated Press, 6/12/03
"I want to know the secrets of Saddam. Before, we couldn't even say his name, and now we can know the truth."
Abdul, who bought a copy of one of Saddam's home movies, Associated Press, 6/12/03
"I have no more fear now. From the moment Iraq was liberated I felt as though my two sons had been brought back to me."
A woman whose 17-year-old son, Sardar Osman Faraj, was executed in Iraq in 1985 and another was killed by unknown assassins in 1992. Los Angeles Times, 6/8/03
"It's a big change. We used to get central instructions from the Ministry of Information. Now we no longer do. Azzaman is independent. It lets the readers learn and decide the political currents."
Abdel-Majid, of the Azzaman newspaper in Iraq, Washington Post, 6/8/03
"Things have changed. There's not the same fear. I didn't see my future here before. Now, maybe I do."
Ardelan Karim, who unsuccessfully attempted to flee Iraq four times after escaping Saddam's executioners, The New York Times, 06/05/03
"We are all very happy and comfortable. This is the freedom we want."
Yizmak Askander Abu, a teacher in Rassalin, The Times (London), 06/05/03
"I never allowed myself to live all these years. Every day I thought, now they're going to come and take me. I was always waiting."
Nasir al-Husseini, 22, who survived a mass execution at age 10, The New York Times, 06/01/03
"Freedom means that Saddam is no longer around."
Firas al-Dujaili, an Iraqi doctor, Associated Press, 5/29/03
"This is like a dream for us. The Americans liberated us and gave us our freedom. We hope they stay to protect the minorities like us."
Emir Farooq Saeed Ali Beg, a member of the formerly persecuted Yazidi tribe, The Times (London), 06/05/03
"For the first time in Iraq, democratic processes are put in place to elect government officials. Democratic elections are a new phenomenon in today's Iraq. True democracy appears with the absence of dictatorships and tyranny."
The Iraqi newspaper Al Naba, 06/01/03
"...[T]he Iraqi people are too happy that Saddam is gone. Too happy."
Salim, a citizen of Baghdad, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 06/01/03
"We are so happy, not just for the contract, but to work again in our country with our people and our equipment to help rebuild our country."
Loay Ibrahim Al-Saied, an Iraqi engineer whose company received a contract to construct a highway bypass, PR Newswire European, 5/30/03
"Freedom means to travel, to get the job I want, to study in the college I want."
Ahmed al-Samarai, a citizen of Iraq, Associated Press, 5/29/03
"I couldn't teach the students the truth. I was unable to tell them that we were ruled by a dictator. If I did, my neck would be on the line."
Wijda Khalidi, an Iraqi schoolteacher, Associated Press, 5/29/03
"I cannot describe how I am glad. After so many years of dictatorship, we have chosen our own leader."
Kemal Kerkuki, after participating in the election of Kirkuk's new mayor, The New York Times, 5/29/03

"Now that Iraq is free, we are demanding freedom and equal rights that Iraqi women have always been deprived of."
Eman Ahmed, member of the Rising Iraqi Women's Organization, Associated Press, 5/21/03
"I can tell you all these things now because we are free. Before, we lived like exiles in our own country."
Suhaib Abbas Majeed, an Iraqi medical student, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/21/03
"This is the first time in our lives we have experienced democracy. It is a beautiful thing. Everyone is excited. Everyone is here. ...Not complaining. Coming to vote."
Rabaab Mahmoud Kassar, a female attorney in Najaf who participated in the election of the town's new judges, The Washington Post, 5/21/03
"We've been living in jail for three decades. Now, we are free. Help is coming. Day by day, life is for the better."
Saddam Agil, grandfather of five and resident of Basra, USA Today, 5/20/03
"Before we used to commemorate the day hidden at home, we were afraid of Saddam's agents who were everywhere and spied on us. Today I feel happy."
Faithela Asam, an Iraqi Shiite, on publicly celebrating the birthday of Mohamed for the first time in decades, Agence France Presse, 5/19/03
"We are a free voice that does not belong to any party. We wanted this channel to be free and speak in the name of all Iraqi people."
Khalil al-Tayar, director of the new Karbala Television station, Associated Press, 5/19/03
"Most Iraqis did not know what freedom was, but have shown they prefer it after finding it now. Most Iraqis do not know what democracy is, but they will certainly love it once they taste it."
Amir Taheri, Al-Sharq al-Awsat, 5/19/03
"We can say anything we want in public. Now we're free."
Safaz al Hellou, an Iraqi teenager, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/19/03
"This is the first attempt for us to run our town by ourselves. We are ready to rebuild our town, and we are ready to rebuild our country."
Najim Abed Mahdi, a chairman of the Umm Qasr interim town council, The Guardian (London), 5/15/03
"This is the happiest moment we all felt. It's a primordial feeling -- this tyrant coming down."
Yussra Hussen, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/12/03
"I am happy that Saddam is gone. The teachers told me to love Saddam. My parents told me he was a bad man."
Dina, 7, U.S. News & World Report, 5/12/03
"We are not fighting anybody. We will not raise our weapons because freedom is within our sight. We want an Iraqi government that represents all Iraqis. Sunni and Shia Muslims, Kurds, Turcomans and religious minorities -- they will have their rights in this land."
Returned Iraqi exile Ayatollah Hakim, speech to Iraqis in Najaf, London Daily Telegraph, 5/12/03
"(April 9th was) a good day for all Iraqis. The people of Iraq want democracy. They lived without it for 35 years. It was like Russians under Stalin."
Ministry Engineer Ghassan Yassin, 53, Victoria Times-Colonist (Canada), 5/11/03
"Beautiful, beautiful. Not Iraqi TV. Not Saddam Hussein TV. Beautiful."
Akhbal Ibrahim Rashid watching her satellite dish-equipped television, Los Angeles Times, 5/9/03
"All my life I have been escaping. So I have dreamed of freedom, of traveling abroad, of feeling life the way all young people do. Maybe now I will."
Mohammed Khadum, 28, in Baghdad, Washington Post, 5/8/03
"You cannot imagine what it means for us to be here on this national stage, where everything we stand for was forbidden. Now it is ours."
Oday Rashid, an Iraqi musician and documentary filmmaker, Los Angeles Times, 5/5/03
"I saw the world for the first time. I saw where we were. I saw presidents and cities and people from everywhere! The whole world!"
School Principal Bushra Cesar, after buying a satellite TV dish, New York Times, 5/4/03
"We will keep on somehow. Now we have the most important thing that we need. There is no one to stop us from saying anything we want onstage."
Basim Hajar, coauthor and director of a play criticizing Saddam Hussein's regime performed in a building where -- before the war -- only works sanctioned by the government were allowed. Los Angeles Times, 5/5/03
"Before, if I had sold this, they would have cut my head from my body."
Imad Saad, selling a copy of an opposition-run paper, Los Angeles, 5/3/03

Anything you can quote, I can quote better.

BTW, Cluster bombs are CBU's BLU's or CEM's. Not ICBM's a former DI would know that. Whoever was interviewed in that artical I seriously doubt ever served in the corps.

Yes an ICBM has multiple war heads and that may confuse people but they are nucluar war heads but the effect and dispersion rate is much different between a cluster bomb and a ICBM.

Since we haven't found WMD in Iraq, a lot of the anti-war/anti-Bush crowd is saying that the Bush administration lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Well, if they're going to claim that the Bush administration lied, then there sure are a lot of other people, including quite a few prominent Democrats, who have told the same "lies" since the inspectors pulled out of Iraq in 1998. Here are just a few examples that prove that the Bush administration didn't lie about weapons of mass destruction...

"[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." -- From a letter signed by Joe Lieberman, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara A. Milulski, Tom Daschle, & John Kerry among others on October 9, 1998

"This December will mark three years since United Nations inspectors last visited Iraq. There is no doubt that since that time, 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 refine 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." -- From a December 6, 2001 letter signed by Bob Graham, Joe Lieberman, Harold Ford, & Tom Lantos among others

"Whereas Iraq has consistently breached its cease-fire agreement between Iraq and the United States, entered into on March 3, 1991, by failing to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction program, and refusing to permit monitoring and verification by United Nations inspections; Whereas Iraq has developed weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological capabilities, and has made positive progress toward developing nuclear weapons capabilities" -- From a joint resolution submitted by Tom Harkin and Arlen Specter on July 18, 2002

"Saddam's goal ... is to achieve the lifting of U.N. sanctions while retaining and enhancing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. We cannot, we must not and we will not let him succeed." -- Madeline Albright, 1998

"(Saddam) will rebuild his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and some day, some way, I am certain he will use that arsenal again, as he has 10 times since 1983" -- National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Feb 18, 1998

"Iraq made commitments after the Gulf War to completely dismantle all weapons of mass destruction, and unfortunately, Iraq has not lived up to its agreement." -- Barbara Boxer, November 8, 2002

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retained 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 capability. Intelligence reports also indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons, but has not yet achieved nuclear capability." -- Robert Byrd, October 2002

"There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat... Yes, he has chemical and biological weapons. He's had those for a long time. But the United States right now is on a very much different defensive posture than we were before September 11th of 2001... He is, as far as we know, actively pursuing nuclear capabilities, though he doesn't have nuclear warheads yet. If he were to acquire nuclear weapons, I think our friends in the region would face greatly increased risks as would we." -- Wesley Clark on September 26, 2002

"What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use such weapons in the past. Today, a number of evidences may lead to think that, over the past four years, in the absence of international inspectors, this country has continued armament programs." -- Jacques Chirac, October 16, 2002

"The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow." -- Bill Clinton in 1998

"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. 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. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security." -- Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002

"I am absolutely convinced that there are weapons...I saw evidence back in 1998 when we would see the inspectors being barred from gaining entry into a warehouse for three hours with trucks rolling up and then moving those trucks out." -- Clinton's Secretary of Defense William Cohen in April of 2003

"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." -- Tom Daschle in 1998

"Saddam Hussein's regime represents a grave threat to America and our allies, including our vital ally, Israel. For more than two decades, Saddam Hussein has sought weapons of mass destruction through every available means. We know that he has chemical and biological weapons. He has already used them against his neighbors and his own people, and is trying to build more. We know that he is doing everything he can to build nuclear weapons, and we know that each day he gets closer to achieving that goal." -- John Edwards, Oct 10, 2002

"The debate over Iraq is not about politics. It is about national security. It should be clear that our national security requires Congress to send a clear message to Iraq and the world: America is united in its determination to eliminate forever the threat of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction." -- John Edwards, Oct 10, 2002

"I share the administration's goals in dealing with Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction." -- Dick Gephardt in September of 2002

"Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." -- Al Gore, 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." -- Bob Graham, December 2002

"Saddam Hussein is not the only deranged dictator who is willing to deprive his people in order to acquire weapons of mass destruction." -- Jim Jeffords, October 8, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Ted Kennedy, September 27, 2002

"There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein's regime is a serious danger, that he is a tyrant, and that his pursuit of lethal weapons of mass destruction cannot be tolerated. He must be disarmed." -- Ted Kennedy, Sept 27, 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." -- John F. Kerry, Oct 2002

"The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but as I said, it is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and particularly in the last 4 years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons. He has had a free hand for 4 years to reconstitute these weapons, allowing the world, during the interval, to lose the focus we had on weapons of mass destruction and the issue of proliferation." -- John Kerry, October 9, 2002

"(W)e need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime. We all know the litany of his offenses. 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. That is why the world, through the United Nations Security Council, has spoken with one voice, demanding that Iraq disclose its weapons programs and disarm. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but it is not new. It has been with us since the end of the Persian Gulf War." -- John Kerry, Jan 23, 2003

"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 mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." -- Carl Levin, Sept 19, 2002

"Every day Saddam remains in power with chemical weapons, biological weapons, and the development of nuclear weapons is a day of danger for the United States." -- Joe Lieberman, August, 2002

"Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 - 1994, despite Iraq's denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons.U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq's claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction." -- Patty Murray, October 9, 2002

"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." -- Nancy Pelosi, December 16, 1998

"Even today, Iraq is not nearly disarmed. Based on highly credible intelligence, UNSCOM [the U.N. weapons inspectors] suspects that Iraq still has biological agents like anthrax, botulinum toxin, and clostridium perfringens in sufficient quantity to fill several dozen bombs and ballistic missile warheads, as well as the means to continue manufacturing these deadly agents. Iraq probably retains several tons of the highly toxic VX substance, as well as sarin nerve gas and mustard gas. This agent is stored in artillery shells, bombs, and ballistic missile warheads. And Iraq retains significant dual-use industrial infrastructure that can be used to rapidly reconstitute large-scale chemical weapons production." -- Ex-Un Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter in 1998

"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. And that may happen sooner if he can obtain access to enriched uranium from foreign sources -- something that is not that difficult in the current world. We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." -- John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002

"Saddam’s existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America, now. Saddam has used chemical weapons before, both against Iraq’s enemies and against his own people. He is working to develop delivery systems like missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that could bring these deadly weapons against U.S. forces and U.S. facilities in the Middle East." -- John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002

"Whether one agrees or disagrees with the Administration’s policy towards Iraq, I don’t think there can be any question about Saddam’s conduct. 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. He lies and cheats; he snubs the mandate and authority of international weapons inspectors; and he games the system to keep buying time against enforcement of the just and legitimate demands of the United Nations, the Security Council, the United States and our allies. Those are simply the facts." -- Henry Waxman, Oct 10, 2002

Every time someone posts that, I'm gonna post the snopes link.

Those Democrats may have believed Saddam had WMD (they were presumably exposed to the same crappy intelligence), but when the quotes are in context it is clear they were not in favour of a unilateral war. They're not that stupid.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/wmdquotes.asp

Note, for instance, while Kerry said the bit about:

"Second, without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime."

he also says later:

"In U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441, the United Nations has now affirmed that Saddam Hussein must disarm or face the most serious consequences. Let me make it clear that the burden is resoundingly on Saddam Hussein to live up to the ceasefire agreement he signed and make clear to the world how he disposed of weapons he previously admitted to possessing. But the burden is also clearly on the Bush Administration to do the hard work of building a broad coalition at the U.N. and the necessary work of educating America about the rationale for war. As I have said frequently and repeat here today, the United States should never go to war because it wants to, the United States should go to war because we have to. And we don't have to until we have exhausted the remedies available, built legitimacy and earned the consent of the American people, absent, of course, an imminent threat requiring urgent action."

But the Conservative wrecking machine left that (rather important) bit out...

What a busy Freeper you must be.

On the issue of WMD. Where are the they, then? Where are the capabilities you refer to and the infrastructure required to support and deploy that capabilty? If the appearence of one Sarin artillery shell is cause for such neocon celebration, imagine what will happen when a cache is actually found. Oh, the joy.

The "Liberation of Iraq" defence that miracularlously materialised post invasion. I wont compete with your thousands of prepared and contextually challenged words, I will simply offer this picture of an Iraqi citizen celebrating his liberation with his granddaughter.

A weapon made in Virginia, dropped by a plane made in Seattle flown by a man from Nebraska did to this to a family in a country that posed no threat to us whatsoever.

You might be comfortable with it, Im not.

stuart


http://www.robert-fisk.com/bloodied_child_2.jpg

this war has killed thousands of innocent Iraqi people and hundreds of american soldiers.....and what for? for WMDS? yeah, right. those of you that truly believe that have your heads so far up your asses, your brain cells are hardly getting enough oxygen to function....and why is there no sense of accountability from the CIA and from those at the top. If I fuvk up as badly as these people have fuvked up, i would lose my job in an instant.

the world has become a much more dangerous place, i'm afraid.

Ya know Stuart, when people like you don't have a valid point to argue, you just turn up the volume.

You might want to watch out for those black helicopters. Their prolly circling your double wide right now.