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The
War Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings & Torture |
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The Second Gulf War/Iraq Invasion II -
Allegations & Justifications Before & During The War |
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“In the months leading up to the war, Bush warned repeatedly
that unless the United States invaded Iraq and ‘disarmed Saddam Hussein,’ the
Iraqi leader would supply terrorists with chemical, biological and even
nuclear weapons to use against the American people. He cited this allegedly
imminent threat as the reason for rejecting international law and unleashing
the US war machine against a half-starved, impoverished country that has been
under economic blockade for more than a decade. […] “Democratic
and Republican congressmen and media commentators have described the Bush
administration’s actions as exaggeration, hype or embellishment, or at most
undue pressure on the CIA and other intelligence agencies to produce a
compelling ‘case’ against Iraq. |
Bush and his cabinet on March 20th,
2003 |
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“All such descriptions are an evasion of the real
issue: the Bush administration deliberately lied to the American people and
to the world, concocting reasons for war in order to justify aggression
against a sovereign state. Not since Hitler and the Nazis dressed up storm
troopers as Polish soldiers and staged ‘attacks’ on German positions in 1939
has there been such a flagrant and cynical effort to manufacture a casus
belli. […] “The claims of ‘weapons of mass destruction’ and ‘war for
democracy’ will come back to haunt the Bush administration and the entire US
political establishment that embraced the war. |
“The political impact is already being seen among
the troops on the ground in Iraq, who have begun to express disillusionment
with the invasion and opposition to continued occupation of a country whose
people clearly want them to leave. All of the institutions of the American ruling
elite are implicated in crimes of staggering dimensions - the White House,
the Congress, the judiciary, the military, the media, the corporate
aristocracy. Any significant movement from below will produce a crisis not
only of a president or administration, but of an entire social order.” Excerpt of an article By WSWS from June
21st, 2003. |
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July 9th, 2009 - More Than $600 Billion And
Counting: Iraq War Lies Revisited 1 feature article
from the Public Record May 12th, 2009 - Report: Al-Qaida Militant
Dies in Libyan Prison 2 news
articles from the Associated Press & Newsweek August 8th, 2008 - CIA Official Confesses
Iraq-9/11 Letter Came on White House Stationery 1 news article by
Raw Story July 25th, 2008 - Bush Critics get an
Unimpeachable Forum 1 news article by
the Associated Press June 17th, 2008 - ‘Curveball’ Speaks, and a
Reputation as Disinformation Agent Remains Intact 1 news article by
the Los Angeles Times June 5th, 2008 - Senate Panel Rebukes Bush,
Cheney on Prewar Iraq Claims 1 news article by
Los Angeles Times May 27th, 2008 - How Bush Sold the War 1 opinion by the
Wall Street Journal March 20th, 2008 - Bush Defends Iraq War in
Speech 1 news
article by the New York Times February 4th, 2008 - The CIA Operation that Should
Have Prevented the Iraq War 1 news
article by Agence France Presse January 23rd, 2008 - False Pretenses 1
report by the Center for Public Integrity November 1st, 2007 - U.S. Program Unveils Man
Behind Iraq Weapons Story 1 news article by
Reuters April 6th, 2007 - Hussein-Qaeda Link
‘Inappropriate,’ Report Says 1 news article by
Bloomberg News November 20th, 2005 - How U.S. Fell Under the Spell
of ‘Curveball’ 1 news
article by the Los Angeles Times April 2nd, 2004 - Germans Accuse US Over Iraq
Weapons Claim 1 news
article by the Guardian January 26th, 2004 - The Lie Factory 1 news
article by Mother Jones June 21st, 2003 - Bush’s “Big Lie” and the
Crisis of American Imperialism Column
by the World Socialist Web Site |
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December 18th, 2008 - Re: The President's Claim
that Iraq Sought Uranium from Niger Report by the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives June 9th, 2008 - Articles of Impeachment
of President George W. Bush Proposed
Resolution by the United States House of Representatives June 5th, 2008 - Report on Public
Statements Regarding Iraq By U.S. Government Officials Report by U.S.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence February 9th, 2007 - Review of Pre-War
Activities of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Report
by the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense (5,5 MB) February 13th, 2004 - FBI Interview with Saddam
Hussein on WMDs Interview
transcript by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation “[…] The Iraqi government wrote letters to the UN
affirming compliance with UNR 687. Iraq did not agree with the resolution but
agreed to implement it so that ‘people would not get hurt.’ “In Hussein’s view, UN inspectors wanted all
expenses, including their accommodations, travel, and other costs paid for by
Iraq. Instead of waiting for the inspectors and bearing these expenses, Iraq
commenced destruction of the weapons. Iraq did not hide these weapons. UN
inspectors later requested documentation of the destruction of the weapons
and visited various places taking samples for review. Hussein stated, ‘If it
is presumed that we were mistaken in the percentage of weapons that we say we
destroyed, then how many mistakes were made by the United States according to
UNR 687.’ These ‘mistakes’ include occupying Iraq, implementation of the ‘No
Fly Zones’ over northern and southern Iraq, and the bombing of Iraq which
took place from the first Gulf War to the most recent one. Hussein questioned
why the UN implemented UNR 687 in such a harsh manner against Iraq, while
other UN resolutions, including those against Israel, were not enforced.
Hussein ended this portion of the discussion saying, ‘If we were to bring a
professor from a college in the United States to Iraq, he would agree with my
observations regarding UNR 687, with the exception of the issue of the
sovereignty of another country (Kuwait).’ “During a lengthy dialogue with the interviewer
regarding UNR 687, Hussein made several statements. He acknowledged UNR 687
passed and Iraq agreed ‘to deal with it.’ Regarding destruction of weapons,
Hussein stated, ‘We destroyed them. We told you, with documents. That’s it.’
When questioned about Iraqi restrictions placed on locations visited by UN
inspectors, Hussein replied, ‘What places?’ The interviewer told Hussein
numerous locations including the Ministry of Agriculture, to which Hussein
replied, ‘By God, if I had such weapons, I would have used them in the fight
against the United States.’ The interviewer pointed out that most accused
persons who are innocent agree to a full and complete examination of the
details of the accusation. Once cleared, the accused party would then provide
evidence of any mistreatment during the investigation. Hussein stated, ‘This
is not a question, it is a dialogue. Good.’ […] “[…] Hussein commented that in the most recent war
with Iraq, the United States only ally was Britain. All other major
countries, including France, China, Russia, and Germany, were against the
war. The United States was ‘looking for a reason to do something.’ Now, the
United States is here and did not find any weapons of mass destruction.
Hussein pointed out to the interviewer that decisions were made by the Iraqi
leadership and not just by Hussein. Iraqi leaders made decisions which gave
the United States an ‘opening’ and the reasons for the most recent war. […]” |
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Individual Presentations and Allegations
by the Bush Administration before and during the War in Iraq Chart of false allegations (Source: Center for Public
Integrity) January 29th, 2002 - “Axis of Evil” - The State
of the Union Address 2002 2002 - 2003 - The Activities of Douglas
Feith August 26th, 2002 - “There is no doubt” -
Richard Cheney’s Veterans Speech February 5th, 2003 -“What you will see is
an accumulation of facts …” - Colin Powell at the U.N. January 23rd, 2007 - “A new strategy in
Iraq” - The State of the Union Address 2007 March 19th, 2008 - “New chapters of
American military heroism” - The 5th Anniversary Speech |
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January 29th, 2002: The “Axis of Evil”
Speech “[…] Our second goal is to prevent regimes that
sponsor terror from threatening America or our friends and allies with
weapons of mass destruction. Some of these regimes have been pretty quiet
since September the 11th. But we know their true nature. North Korea is a regime arming with
missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while starving its citizens. “Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports
terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom. “Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward
America and to support terror. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop
anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over a decade. |
Bush during his “State of the Union”
address in 2002 |
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“This is a regime that has already used poison gas
to murder thousands of its own citizens - leaving the bodies of mothers
huddled over their dead children. This is a regime that agreed to
international inspections - then kicked out the inspectors. This is a regime
that has something to hide from the civilized world. “States like these, and their terrorist allies,
constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By
seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing
danger. “They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving
them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt
to blackmail the United States. In any of these cases, the price of
indifference would be catastrophic. “We will
work closely with our coalition to deny terrorists and their state sponsors
the materials, technology, and expertise to make and deliver weapons of mass
destruction. |
“We will develop and deploy effective missile
defenses to protect America and our allies from sudden attack. And all
nations should know: America will do what is necessary to ensure our nation's
security. “We’ll be deliberate, yet time is not on our side. I
will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril
draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the
world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most
destructive weapons. Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun. “This campaign may not be finished on our watch -
yet it must be and it will be waged on our watch. We can’t stop short. If we
stop now - leaving terror camps intact and terror states unchecked - our
sense of security would be false and temporary. History has called America
and our allies to action, and it is both our responsibility and our privilege
to fight freedom's fight. […]” Link to the complete
transcript of the speech. |
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2002 - 2003 - The Activities of Douglas Feith “[…] Until now, the story of how the Bush
administration produced its wildly exaggerated estimates of the threat posed
by Iraq has never been revealed in full. But, for the first time, a detailed
investigation by Mother Jones, based on dozens of interviews-some on the
record, some with officials who insisted on anonymity-exposes the workings of
a secret Pentagon intelligence unit and of the Defense Department's war-planning
task force, the Office of Special Plans. “It’s the story of a close-knit team of ideologues
who spent a decade or more hammering out plans for an attack on Iraq and who
used the events of September 11, 2001, to set it into motion. Six months
after the end of major combat in Iraq, the United States had spent $ 300
million trying to find banned weapons in Iraq, and President Bush was seeking
$ 600 million more to extend the search. |
Douglas Feith in 2004 |
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“Not found were Iraq’s Scuds and other long-range
missiles, thousands of barrels and tons of anthrax and botulism stock, sarin
and VX nerve agents, mustard gas, biological and chemical munitions, mobile
labs for producing biological weapons, and any and all evidence of a
reconstituted nuclear-arms program, all of which had been repeatedly cited as
justification for the war. Also missing was evidence of Iraqi collaboration
with Al Qaeda. The reports, virtually all false, of Iraqi weapons and
terrorism ties emanated from an apparatus that began to gestate almost as
soon as the Bush administration took power. […] “The purpose of the unnamed intelligence unit, often
described as a Pentagon ‘cell,’ was to scour reports from the CIA, the
Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and other agencies
to find nuggets of information linking Iraq, Al Qaeda, terrorism, and the existence
of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD). In a controversial press briefing
in October 2002, a year after Wurmser’s unit was established, Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged that a primary purpose of the unit was
to cull factoids, which were then used to disparage, undermine, and
contradict the CIA's reporting, which was far more cautious and nuanced than
Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and Feith wanted. […]” Excerpt
of a Mother Jones article
from January 26th, 2004. |
“[…] A Pentagon investigation into the handling of
prewar intelligence has criticized civilian Pentagon officials for conducting
their own intelligence analysis to find links between Saddam Hussein and Al
Qaeda, but said the officials did not violate any laws or mislead Congress,
according to Congressional officials who have read the report. The
long-awaited report by the Pentagon’s acting inspector general, Thomas F.
Gimble, was sent to Congress on Thursday. It is the first major review to
rebuke senior officials working for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for
the way intelligence was used before the invasion of Iraq early in 2003. […]” Excerpt of a New York Times article from February 9th,
2007. “[…] The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
for Policy developed, produced, and then disseminated alternative
intelligence assessments on tlie Iraq and al-Qaida relationship, which
included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the
Intelligence Community, to senior decision-makers. While such actions were
not illegal or unauthroized the actions were, in our opinion, inappropriate
given that the intelligence assessments were intelligence products and did
not clearly show the variance with the consensus of the Intelligence
Community. […]” Excerpt of a report by the U.S. IG
DoD from February 9th, 2007. |
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August 26th, 2002: Richard Cheney’s
Veterans speech “[…]
The case of Saddam Hussein, a sworn enemy of our country, requires a candid
appraisal of the facts. […] But we now know that Saddam has resumed his
efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Among other sources, we've gotten this
from the firsthand testimony of defectors - including Saddam's own
son-in-law, who was subsequently murdered at Saddam's direction. Many of us
are convinced that Saddam will acquire nuclear weapons fairly soon. [… T]here
is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is
no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies,
and against us. And there is no doubt that his aggressive regional ambitions
will lead him into future confrontations with his neighbors - confrontations
that will involve both the weapons he has today, and the ones he will
continue to develop with his oil wealth. […] |
Richard Cheney meets his audience |
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“I am familiar with the arguments against taking
action in the case of Saddam Hussein. Some concede that Saddam is evil, power-hungry,
and a menace - but that, until he crosses the threshold of actually
possessing nuclear weapons, we should rule out any preemptive action. That
logic seems to me to be deeply flawed. The argument comes down to this: yes,
Saddam is as dangerous as we say he is, we just need to let him get stronger
before we do anything about it. “Yet if we did wait until that moment, Saddam would
simply be emboldened, and it would become even harder for us to gather
friends and allies to oppose him. As one of those who worked to assemble the
Gulf War coalition, I can tell you that our job then would have been
infinitely more difficult in the face of a nuclear-armed Saddam Hussein. And
many of those who now argue that we should act only if he gets a nuclear weapon,
would then turn around and say that we cannot act because he has a nuclear
weapon. At bottom, that argument counsels a course of inaction that itself
could have devastating consequences for many countries, including our own. “Another
argument holds that opposing Saddam Hussein would cause even greater troubles
in that part of the world, and interfere with the larger war against terror.
I believe the opposite is true. Regime change in Iraq would bring about a
number of benefits to the region. |
“When the gravest of threats are eliminated, the
freedom-loving peoples of the region will have a chance to promote the values
that can bring lasting peace. As for the reaction of the Arab ‘street,’ the
Middle East expert Professor Fouad Ajami predicts that after liberation, the
streets in Basra and Baghdad are ‘sure to erupt in joy in the same way the
throngs in Kabul greeted the Americans.’ Extremists in the region would have
to rethink their strategy of Jihad. Moderates throughout the region would
take heart. And our ability to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process
would be enhanced, just as it was following the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. “We would act in that same spirit after a regime
change in Iraq. With our help, a liberated Iraq can be a great nation once
again. Iraq is rich in natural resources and human talent, and has unlimited
potential for a peaceful, prosperous future. Our goal would be an Iraq that
has territorial integrity, a government that is democratic and pluralistic, a
nation where the human rights of every ethnic and religious group are
recognized and protected. In that troubled land all who seek justice, and
dignity, and the chance to live their own lives, can know they have a friend
and ally in the United States of America. […]” Link to the complete
transcript of the speech. |
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February
5th, 2003 - Powell’s Speech before the U.N. “[…]
This is important day for us all as we review the situation with respect to
Iraq and its disarmament obligations under U.N. Security Council Resolution
1441. […] I asked for this session today for two purposes: First, to support
the core assessments made by Dr. Blix and Dr. ElBaradei. […] My second
purpose today is to provide you with additional information, to share with
you what the United States knows about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction as
well as Iraq's involvement in terrorism, which is also the subject of
Resolution 1441 and other earlier resolutions. […] The material I will
present to you comes from a variety of sources. Some are U.S. sources. And
some are those of other countries. Some of the sources are technical, such as
intercepted […] conversations and photos taken by satellites. Other sources
are people who have risked their lives to let the world know what Saddam
Hussein is really up to. […] |
Colin Powell in good company |
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“[…] One of the most worrisome things that emerges
from the thick intelligence file we have on Iraq's biological weapons is the
existence of mobile production facilities used to make biological agents. “Let me take you inside that intelligence file and
share with you what we know from eye witness accounts. We have firsthand
descriptions of biological weapons factories on wheels and on rails. The
trucks and train cars are easily moved and are designed to evade detection by
inspectors. In a matter of months, they can produce a quantity of biological
poison equal to the entire amount that Iraq claimed to have produced in the
years prior to the Gulf War. Although Iraq's mobile production program began
in the mid-1990s, U.N. inspectors at the time only had vague hints of such
programs. Confirmation came later, in the year 2000. “The source was an eye witness, an Iraqi chemical
engineer who supervised one of these facilities. He actually was present
during biological agent production runs. He was also at the site when an
accident occurred in 1998. Twelve technicians died from exposure to
biological agents. He reported that when UNSCOM was in country and
inspecting, the biological weapons agent production always began on Thursdays
at midnight because Iraq thought UNSCOM would not inspect on the Muslim Holy
Day, Thursday night through Friday. He added that this was important because
the units could not be broken down in the middle of a production run, which
had to be completed by Friday evening before the inspectors might arrive
again. This defector is currently hiding in another country with the certain
knowledge that Saddam Hussein will kill him if he finds him. His eye-witness
account of these mobile production facilities has been corroborated by other
sources. “A
second source, an Iraqi civil engineer in a position to know the details of
the program, confirmed the existence of transportable facilities moving on
trailers. A third source, also in a position to know, reported in summer 2002
that Iraq had manufactured mobile production systems mounted on road trailer
units and on rail cars. |
“Finally, a fourth source, an Iraqi major, who
defected, confirmed that Iraq has mobile biological research laboratories, in
addition to the production facilities I mentioned earlier. “We have diagrammed what our sources reported about
these mobile facilities. Here you see both truck and rail car-mounted mobile
factories. The description our sources gave us of the technical features
required by such facilities are highly detailed and extremely accurate. As
these drawings based on their description show, we know what the fermenters
look like, we know what the tanks, pumps, compressors and other parts look
like. We know how they fit together. We know how they work. And we know a great
deal about the platforms on which they are mounted. “As shown in this diagram, these factories can be
concealed easily, either by moving ordinary-looking trucks and rail cars
along Iraq's thousands of miles of highway or track, or by parking them in a
garage or warehouse or somewhere in Iraq's extensive system of underground
tunnels and bunkers. We know that Iraq has at lest seven of these mobile
biological agent factories. The truck - mounted ones have at least two or
three trucks each. That means that the mobile production facilities are very
few, perhaps 18 trucks that we know of - there may be more - but perhaps 18
that we know of. Just imagine trying to find 18 trucks among the thousands
and thousands of trucks that travel the roads of Iraq every single day. “It took the inspectors four years to find out that
Iraq was making biological agents. How long do you think it will take the
inspectors to find even one of these 18 trucks without Iraq coming forward,
as they are supposed to, with the information about these kinds of
capabilities? “Ladies
and gentlemen, these are sophisticated facilities. For example, they can
produce anthrax and botulinum toxin. In fact, they can produce enough dry
biological agent in a single month to kill thousands upon thousands of
people. And dry agent of this type is the most lethal form for human beings. |
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Slide No. 20 depicting (non-existing)
mobile WMD facilities |
“[…] We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to
keep his weapons of mass destruction; he's determined to make more. Given
Saddam Hussein’s history of aggression, given what we know of his grandiose
plans, given what we know of his terrorist associations and given his
determination to exact revenge on those who oppose him, should we take the
risk that he will not some day use these weapons at a time and the place and
in the manner of his choosing at a time when the world is in a much weaker
position to respond? The United States will not and cannot run that risk to
the American people. Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession of weapons of mass
destruction for a few more months or years is not an option, not in a
post-September 11th world. […] We must not shrink from whatever is ahead of
us. We must not fail in our duty and our responsibility to the citizens of
the countries that are represented by this body. […]” Link
to the complete transcript of the speech. |
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January
23rd, 2007 - The New Strategy Speech “[…] In the last two years, we’ve seen the desire
for liberty in the broader Middle East - and we have been sobered by the
enemy’s fierce reaction. […] in 2005, the Iraqi people held three national
elections, choosing a transitional government, adopting the most progressive,
democratic constitution in the Arab world, and then electing a government
under that constitution. Despite endless threats from the killers in their
midst, nearly 12 million Iraqi citizens came out to vote in a show of hope
and solidarity that we should never forget. “A
thinking enemy watched all of these scenes, adjusted their tactics, and in
2006 they struck back. […] In Iraq, al Qaeda and other Sunni extremists blew
up one of the most sacred places in Shia Islam - the Golden Mosque of
Samarra. This atrocity, directed at a Muslim house of prayer, was designed to
provoke retaliation from Iraqi Shia - and it succeeded. Radical Shia
elements, some of whom receive support from Iran, formed death squads. The
result was a tragic escalation of sectarian rage and reprisal that continues
to this day. This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight
we’re in. |
Bush explaining his new Iraq strategy |
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“Every one of us wishes this war were over and won.
Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends
abandoned, and our own security at risk. Ladies and gentlemen: On this day,
at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this
battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory. We’re
carrying out a new strategy in Iraq - a plan that demands more from Iraq's
elected government, and gives our forces in Iraq the reinforcements they need
to complete their mission. Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the
rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and
is an ally in the war on terror. “In
order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi government must stop the
sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet ready to do
this on their own. So we're deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000
additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq. The vast majority will go to
Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear and secure neighborhoods,
and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army units. With Iraqis in the lead,
our forces will help secure the city by chasing down the terrorists, insurgents,
and the roaming death squads. […] My fellow citizens, our military commanders
and I have carefully weighed the options. We discussed every possible
approach. |
“In the end, I chose this course of action because
it provides the best chance for success. Many in this chamber understand that
America must not fail in Iraq, because you understand that the consequences
of failure would be grievous and far-reaching. “If American forces step back before Baghdad is
secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides. We
could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni
extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of
violence could spill out across the country - and in time, the entire region
could be drawn into the conflict. “For America, this is a nightmare scenario. For the
enemy, this is the objective. Chaos is the greatest ally - their greatest
ally in this struggle. And out of chaos in Iraq would emerge an emboldened
enemy with new safe havens, new recruits, new resources, and an even greater
determination to harm America. To allow this to happen would be to ignore the
lessons of September the 11th and invite tragedy. Ladies and gentlemen, nothing
is more important at this moment in our history than for America to succeed
in the Middle East, to succeed in Iraq and to spare the American people from
this danger. […]” Link
to the complete transcript of the speech. |
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March
19th, 2008 - The 5th Anniversary Speech “On this day in 2003, the United States began
Operation Iraqi Freedom. […] Five years into this battle, there is an
understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the
fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it. The answers are clear to
me: Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision - and this is a
fight America can and must win. The men and women who crossed into Iraq five
years ago removed a tyrant, liberated a country, and rescued millions from
unspeakable horrors. Some of those troops are with us today, and you need to
know that the American people are proud of your accomplishment - and so is
the Commander in Chief. So we're helping the people of Iraq establish a
democracy in the heart of the Middle East. A free Iraq will fight terrorists
instead of harboring them. […] A free Iraq will be an example for others of
the power of liberty to change the societies and to displace despair with
hope. By spreading the hope of liberty in the Middle East, we will help free
societies take root - and when they do, freedom will yield the peace that we
all desire. […]” - Link
to complete speech. |
Bush celebrating the 5th
anniversary of the war |
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Background 1) Caption text by the White House: President George
W. Bush meets with his Cabinet the day after beginning the disarmament of Iraq [emphasis added] in the Cabinet
Room Thursday, March 20, 2003. Pictured with the President are, from left,
State Secretary Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Commerce
Secretary Don Evans and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. White House
photo by Paul Morse; The Allegations 1)
U.S. President George Bush - January 29th, 2002 - White House
photo by Eric Draper; 2)
Vice President Dick Cheney shakes hands with veterans after addressing the
Veterans of Foreign Wars 103rd National Convention in Nashville, Tenn. -
August 26th, 2002 - White House photo; 3)
Former Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith in Beijing. Feith developed
and issued 'dubious' intelligence that was used to bolster the Bush
administration's case for the invasion of Iraq, a Pentagon watchdog agency
said in a report to be released on Friday. - February 11th, 2004 -
Andrew Wong/Reuters; 4) U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell during his
presentation before the U.N. Security Council with George Tenet and John
negroponte in the background listening - February 5th, 2003 -
White House photo; 5) Slide No. 20 as presented by Powell during his
presentation. The caption reads: “The trucks and train cars are easily moved
and are designed to evade detection by inspectors. In a matter of months,
they can produce a quantity of biological poison equal to the entire amount
that Iraq claimed to have produced in the years prior to the Gulf War.” -
February 5th, 2003 - U.S. Department of State; 6) U.S. President George W. Bush emphasizes a point
during the State of the Union address. - January 23rd, 2007 -
White House photo by Paul Morse; 7) U.S. President George W. Bush delivers remarks on
the Global War on Terror during a visit Wednesday to the Pentagon - March 19th, 2008 - White House
photo by Eric Draper; |
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