Tony Blair Says WMD Not The Only Reason For Iraq War, As Did Bush…..Both Were Right

Flopping Aces ^ | 12-13-09 | Curt

[Starman417]

The title of that article above, from the LA Times, is titled: WMD Not Point Of Iraq War.

Of course it wasn't. It was One of MANY reasons for that war, one of which....and the most important in my opinion...was Saddam's support of terrorists. After 9/11 we could not allow this tyrant to continue to support our enemies while thumbing his nose at the entire world for the previous 13 years. As the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Phase II investigation report on pre-war Iraq Intelligence stated:

Conclusion 10: Statements in the major speeches analyzed, as well additional statements, regarding Iraq’s support for terrorist groups other than al-Qa’ida were substantiated by intelligence information. The intelligence community reported regularly on Iraq’s safe harbor and financial support for Palestinian rejectionist groups, the Abu Nidal Organization, and others. The February 2002 NIE fully supported the claim that Iraq had, and would continue, to support terrorist groups.

Conclusion 11: Statements that Iraq provided safe haven for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and other al-Qa’ida-related terrorist members were substantiated by the intelligence assessments. Intelligence assessments noted Zarqawi’s presence in Iraq and his ability to travel and operate within the country. The intelligence community generally believed that Iraqi intelligence must have known about, and therefore at least tolerated, Zarqawi’s presence in the country.

[snip]

As did the Iraqi Perspectives Project, Saddam and Terrorism: Emerging Insights from Captured Iraqi Documents (pdf):

Saddam's interest in, and support for, non-Iraqi non-state actors was spread across a wide variety of revolutionary, liberation, nationalist, and Islamic terrorist organizations. For years, Saddam maintained training camps for foreign "fighters" drawn from these diverse groups. In some cases, particularly for Palestinians, Saddam was also a strong financial supporter. Saddam supported groups that either associated directly with al Qaeda (such as the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, led at one time by bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri) or that generally shared al Qaeda's stated goals and objectives.Saddam supported groups that either associated directly with al Qaeda (such as the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, led at one time by bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al Zawahiri) or that generally shared al Qaeda's stated goals and objectives.

~~~

Captured Iraqi documents have uncovered evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global terrorism, including a variety of revolutionary, liberation, nationalist and Islamic terrorist organizations. While these documents do not reveal direct coordination and assistance between the Saddam regime and the al Qaeda network, they do indicate that Saddam was willing to use, albeit cautiously, operatives affiliated with al Qaeda as long as Saddam could have these terrorist-operatives monitored closely. Because Saddam's security organizations and Osama bin Laden's terrorist network operated with similar aims (at least in the short term), considerable overlap was inevitable when monitoring, contacting, financing, and training the same outside groups. This created both the appearance of and, in some way, a "de facto" link between the organizations. At times, these organizations would work together in pursuit of shared goals but still maintain their autonomy and independence because of innate caution and mutual distrust. Though the execution of Iraqi terror plots was not always successful, evidence shows that Saddam’s use of terrorist tactics and his support for terrorist groups remained strong up until the collapse of the regime.

Key line:

[what's up]

Shooting at planes in the no fly zone was enough to take him down.

Bush NEVER said ONCE that WMD was the only reason.

[avacado]

On September 12, 2002 President Bush stood befoer the UN General Assembly and stated quite clearly ALL of the reasons for possible war against Iraq.

TRANSCRIPT:

“President Bush’s address to the United Nations”
September 12, 2002

http://transcripts.cnn.com/2002/US/09/12/bush.transcript/

[bigbob]

I’m confident history will record this properly. Taking out of Saddam (you know, the other Hussein) will mark a turning point in Mideast relations.

[Islaminaction]

Meanwhile the region is not even close to being stabilized and Iran is about to have nuclear weapons. Also fighting them over there and letting them setup shop here and in the UK makes no sense at all. Nation building was a huge mistake.

[angcat]

I think it is a losing battle. We should have just bombed the area's and left. Instead we were responsible for cleaning up our mess. That part of the world will never change and we will always be fighting these savages. God bless our military!

[Islaminaction]

Agreed, and that is exactly what the my military friends have told me. Even they are against nation building.

The infidel does not get to dictate to Muslims what Islam is.
This is all just some fantasy.

[JLS]

Nor was WMD the reason the anti-American left opposed the Iraq theatre of the war on terriorist. They opposed it for the same reason they opposed and oppose the Afghan theatre, they are against the US. WMD or lack of them was just an excuse, just as pretending Afghanistan was the good war was just a strategy for them, until Afghanistan became the main theatre of action.

[uncbob]

Anybody have a copy of the speech KERRY made in debating Howard Dean in the democrat primary where he listed all the reasons we invaded Iraq and said referring to John Dean “Anybody that doesn’t think the world is a safer place without Saddam doesn’t have the sense to be president “

[uncbob]

at part of the world will never change and we will always be fighting these savages. God bless our military!

Bush was hoping if we created a democratic Iraq the rest of the muslims s would see the result and want the same thing in their countries

It ain't working

[HardStarboard]

>>>Bush NEVER said ONCE that WMD was the only reason. <<<

Right!! The Bush administration's presentation to Congress under the War Poswers act listed 21 or 22 reasons. WMD programs were only one reason. And the resolution lumped Iran's violation of 6 UN resolution as only one reason.

Here's one link confirming this - to PBS no less.

It's now Obama's to screw up - as is Afghanistan.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec02/joint_resolution_10-11-02.html

[ex-snook]

With a threatening Iran, taking out the Iraq bulwark was a bad idea. Long range it did not make us safer.

[MrEdd]

The reason for the war between the US and Iraq was Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, period.

Anyone who contends otherwise is a drooling idiot.

[MrEdd]

That was my contention in 1990.