[Vision2020] 935 False Statements Made Before War

[Andreas Schou]

Glenn--

(1) Whose false statements did Kerry rely on in coming to the
conclusion that Hussein presented a "particularly grievous threat?"

(2) What was the result of Clinton's Iraq policy, including threats of
force? Was it (a) an active WMD program, or (b) an inactive WMD
program?

-- ACS

On Jan 24, 2008 5:48 PM, Glenn Schwaller <vpschwaller at gmail.com> wrote:
> Well I guess it's comforting to know the Bush administration was standing
> alone in their beliefs on stopping Hussein and his WMD program . . .
>
>
>
> "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
>
> "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
>
> "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 Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
>
> "We must stop Saddam from ever again jeopardizing the stability and security
> of his neighbors with weapons of mass destruction."
>    - Madeline Albright, Feb 1, 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.
>           Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, 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
>
> "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 th! e
> 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 seeking and developing
> weapons of mass destruction."
>    - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
>
> "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
>
> "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
>
> "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
>
>
>
> Seeya slipping round town Moscow
>
> GS
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 23, 2008 11:52 AM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:
>
> > >From the Army Times at:
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/36gyfa
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Study: 935 false statements made before war
> >
> > By Douglass K. Daniel - The Associated Press
> > Posted : Wednesday Jan 23, 2008 13:12:55 EST
> >
> > A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President
> Bush
> > and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about
> > the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001
> > terrorist attacks.
> >
> > The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated
> > campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process,
> led
> > the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."
> >
> > The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public
> > Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.
> >
> > White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the
> > study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the
> > world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.
> >
> > "The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of
> > intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.
> >
> > The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found
> that
> > in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and
> administration
> > officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had
> > weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had
> > links to al-Qaida or both.
> >
> > "It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass
> > destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles
> Lewis
> > and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff
> > members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush
> > administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information
> > that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action
> > against Iraq on March 19, 2003."
> >
> > Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the
> administration
> > during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security
> > adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary
> of
> > State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White
> House
> > press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.
> >
> > Bush led with 259 false statements - 231 about weapons of mass destruction
> > in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. Powell was
> > second with 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
> > and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.
> >
> > The center said the study was based on a database created with public
> > statements over the two years beginning Sept. 11, 2001, and information
> from
> > more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.
> >
> > "The cumulative effect of these false statements - amplified by thousands
> of
> > news stories and broadcasts - was massive, with the media coverage
> creating
> > an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to
> > war," the study concluded.
> >
> > "Some journalists - indeed, even some entire news organizations - have
> since
> > acknowledged that their coverage during those pre-war months was far too
> > deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the
> > wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation
> of
> > the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq," it said.
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Seeya round town, Moscow, Idaho
> >
> > Tom Hansen
> > Moscow, Idaho
> >
> > "Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the
> tranquil
> > and steady dedication of a lifetime."
> >
> > --Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.
> >
> >
> >
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