G
gilliam
Guest
Two years ago this week, the American invasion of Iraq was underway. Why had we gone to war? In the months leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom, President Bush repeatedly gave his reasons.
Saddam Hussein, he said on Oct. 7, 2002, “has tried to dominate the Middle East, has invaded and brutally occupied a small neighbor, has struck other nations without warning, and holds an unrelenting hostility toward the United States.”
The President added: “Some al-Qaeda leaders who fled Afghanistan went to Iraq. These include one very senior al-Qaeda leader who received medical treatment in Baghdad this year…” He was talking about the now infamous Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who to this day commands suicide bombers and cuts throats for video releases.
The president had also made the case for taking action before the UN General Assembly on Sept. 12, 2002. “If we meet our responsibilities,” he said, “the people of Iraq can shake off their captivity. They can one day join a democratic Afghanistan and a democratic Palestine, inspiring reforms throughout the Muslim world. These nations can show by their example that honest government, and respect for women, and the great Islamic tradition of learning can triumph in the Middle East and beyond.”
Similarly, Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense and a the chief architect of the administration’s policy, said on Oct. 16, 2002: “Iraq is part of the global war on terrorism because Iraq represents one of the first and best opportunities to begin building what President Bush has referred to as a better world beyond the war on terrorism. -snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at defenddemocracy.org …
Saddam Hussein, he said on Oct. 7, 2002, “has tried to dominate the Middle East, has invaded and brutally occupied a small neighbor, has struck other nations without warning, and holds an unrelenting hostility toward the United States.”
The President added: “Some al-Qaeda leaders who fled Afghanistan went to Iraq. These include one very senior al-Qaeda leader who received medical treatment in Baghdad this year…” He was talking about the now infamous Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who to this day commands suicide bombers and cuts throats for video releases.
The president had also made the case for taking action before the UN General Assembly on Sept. 12, 2002. “If we meet our responsibilities,” he said, “the people of Iraq can shake off their captivity. They can one day join a democratic Afghanistan and a democratic Palestine, inspiring reforms throughout the Muslim world. These nations can show by their example that honest government, and respect for women, and the great Islamic tradition of learning can triumph in the Middle East and beyond.”
Similarly, Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense and a the chief architect of the administration’s policy, said on Oct. 16, 2002: “Iraq is part of the global war on terrorism because Iraq represents one of the first and best opportunities to begin building what President Bush has referred to as a better world beyond the war on terrorism. -snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at defenddemocracy.org …