We begin with former President Bill Clinton:
"The hard fact is that so long as Saddam remains in power, he threatens the well-being of his people, the peace of his region, the security of the world. *** The best way to end that threat once and for all is with a new Iraqi government -- a government ready to live in peace with its neighbors, a government that respects the rights of its people." - Oval Office Address to the American People, December 16, 1998
In his State of the Union Address on January 27, 1998, President Bill Clinton:
“America is threatened by an ‘unholy axis’”
"We must exercise responsibility not just at home, but around the world. *** Together, we must confront the new hazards of chemical and biological weapons and the outlaw states, terrorists, and organized criminals seeking to acquire them. *** …Saddam Hussein has spent the better part of this decade and much of his nation's wealth not on providing for the Iraqi people but on developing nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and the missiles to deliver them."
Next we hear from Sandy Berger, document thief and President Clinton's National Security Advisor:
"Imagine the consequences if Saddam fails to comply and we fail to act. Saddam will be emboldened, believing the international community has lost its will. He 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 ten times since 1983." - Town Hall Meeting on Iraq at Ohio State University, February 18, 1998
Madeleine Albright, President Clinton's Secretary of State:
"Iraq is a long way from Ohio, but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." - Town Hall Meeting on Iraq at Ohio State University, February 18, 1998
Next we feature statements by two democrat contenders for the presidency:
"Every nation has to either be with us, or against us. Those who harbor terrorists, or who finance them, are going to pay a price." - Senator Hillary Clinton, During an interview on CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, September 13, 2001
"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. 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, effects American security. *** This is a very difficult vote, this is probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make. Any vote that might lead to war should be hard, but I cast it with conviction." - Senator Hillary Clinton, Addressing the US Senate, October 10, 2002
"My position is very clear: The time has come for decisive action to eliminate the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. I'm a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Resolution that's presently under consideration in the Senate. Saddam Hussein's regime is a grave threat to America and our allies. We know that he has chemical and biological weapons today, that he's used them in the past, and that he's doing everything he can to build more. Every day he gets closer to his long-term goal of nuclear capability. *** Democracy will not spring up by itself overnight in a multi-ethnic, complicated society that's suffered under one repressive regime after another for generations. The Iraqi people deserve and need our help to rebuild their lives and to create a prosperous, thriving, open society. All Iraqis, including Sunnis, Shia and Kurds, deserve to be represented. This is not just a moral imperative. It's a security imperative. It is in America's national interest to help build an Iraq at peace with itself and its neighbors, because a democratic, tolerant and accountable Iraq will be a peaceful regional partner, and such an Iraq could serve as a model for the entire Arab world." - Senator John Edwards, Speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, October 7, 2002
I’ll end with this from our former president:
"In the next century, the community of nations may see more and more 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, drug traffickers or organized criminals who travel the world among us unnoticed. *** If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow by the knowledge that they can act with impunity, even in the face of a clear message from the United Nations Security Council and clear evidence of a weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Address to Joint Chiefs of Staff and Pentagon staff, February 17, 1998
There are MILLIONS of documents in the archives. I wonder how many statements made by democrats in various interviews, meetings, speeches and memos could be found if someone bothered to do a “study”? I’ll bet the number would exceed that provided by the recent study on the Bush administration. The previous “administration” spent a lot of time in front of the camera and loved hearing the sound of their own voices. Still do.
President Bush and his staff have worked tirelesly to realize the "goal" expressed by President Bill Clinton:
The best way to end that threat once and for all is with a new Iraqi government -- a government ready to live in peace with its neighbors, a government that respects the rights of its people.
There is even more if you click here.
3 comments:
Clinton, Albright and Co. may have said many things about Iraqi threats, but they never saw it as a big enough threat to make a pre-emptive strike.
Post Clinton remarks made by Democrats were influnenced by intelligence controlled by Bush and his cronies. They went as far as creating their own intelligence gathering unit in the pentagon and disregarded what didn't suit their needs. See Downing Street Memo:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/12/AR2005051201857.html
Had they listened to all of the CIA intelligence (as Clinton must have, we wouldn't be where we are today).
That being said, I think the country has seen enough of the Bush's and Clinton's. Go Barack!
You are kind of boring me, is this all you have?
12 days of posting and Evansville Jeff must be going back to hibernate some more! See YA in 2009. Oh January 2009, what a glorius time it will be for me!
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