So, Saddam hid the WMDs by giving them to friendly countries

[zbdent]

(and giving/selling them to the terrorists).

So, why are the "terrorists" in Iraq limited to RPGs and improvised roadside bombs? Why haven't they used the chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons on our troops like the Right Wingers said that they would do if we "lefties" delayed the war to disarm Iraq?

[rockymountaindem]

1. I know wing-nuts who think that the "he moved them" excuse exonerates Bush

"Oh, well, you liberals never stop to think that perhaps he moved them! Ha! Well if Saddam moved them, then Bush* wasn't wrong now, was he?"

First of all, if they did move the weapons, then why aren't our ace intelligence agencies (which were so good at figuring out that the weapons were there in the first place) tracking them down? Secondly, suggesting that Saddam got rid of the weapons doesn't make Bush look any better. If you go on their assumption that Saddam had the weapons to begin with, then the fact that we have no idea where they are now means we're actually *less* safe. At least before we could supposedly keep tabs on them. Now we can't? Great....

Just another one of the many reasons I opposed this war from the start.

[Homer12]

2. Wing-nuts don't need evidence or proof

All they need is faith.

[Zan_of_Texas]

3. Exactly.

In his prime time press conference, Dubya mentioned the phantom WMDs three times at least, and said that they could still be found.

Let's remember one little bitty detail. Iraq has been under attack for 14 months. Weapons are not something to bury in a vault, like money, and hope it grows interest. You don't save it for a rainy day when you are under attack by the most powerful military in the history of the world.

If you have weapons and you're being invaded, YOU USE THEM!


If Dubya pulls those weapons out of a hat, will people believe Saddam was "saving them"? For what exactly?

This is not an Easter egg hunt. If they had 'em, they would've used 'em.

Sure, Iraq's a big country. But, at this point, it's not the searching that proves they don't have WMDs. It's the fact that after being under attack for 14 months, they haven't used any.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Someone else collected these and posted them. I take no credit for them.

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of
mass destruction.
Dick Cheney
August 26, 2002

Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used
for the production of biological weapons.
George W. Bush
September 12, 2002

If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is
once again misleading the world.
Ari Fleischer
December 2, 2002

We know for a fact that there are weapons there.
Ari Fleischer
January 9, 2003

Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the
materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve
agent.
George W. Bush
January 28, 2003

We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass
destruction, is determined to make more.
Colin Powell
February 5, 2003

We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized
Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the
dictator tells us he does not have.
George Bush
February 8, 2003

So has the strategic decision been made to disarm Iraq of its weapons
of mass destruction by the leadership in Baghdad? I think our judgment
has to be clearly not.
Colin Powell
March 8, 2003

Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt
that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most
lethal weapons ever devised.
George Bush
March 17, 2003

Well, there is no question that we have evidence and information that
Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical
particularly . . . all this will be made clear in the course of the
operation, for whatever duration it takes.
Ari Fleisher
March 21, 2003

There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons
of mass destruction. As this operation continues, those weapons will be
identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who
guard them.
Gen. Tommy Franks
March 22, 2003

I have no doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass
destruction.
Defense Policy Board member Kenneth Adelman
March 23, 2003

One of our top objectives is to find and destroy the WMD. There are a
number of sites.
Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clark
March 22, 2003

We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.
Donald Rumsfeld
March 30, 2003

Obviously the administration intends to publicize all the weapons of
mass destruction U.S. forces find -- and there will be plenty.
Neocon scholar Robert Kagan
April 9, 2003

I think you have always heard, and you continue to hear from officials,
a measure of high confidence that, indeed, the weapons of mass
destruction will be found.
Ari Fleischer
April 10, 2003

We are learning more as we interrogate or have discussions with Iraqi
scientists and people within the Iraqi structure, that perhaps he
destroyed some, perhaps he dispersed some. And so we will find them.
George Bush
April 24, 2003

There are people who in large measure have information that we need . .
. so that we can track down the weapons of mass destruction in that
country.
Donald Rumsfeld
April 25, 2003

We'll find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so.
George Bush
May 3, 2003

I am confident that we will find evidence that makes it clear he had
weapons of mass destruction.
Colin Powell
May 4, 2003

I never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction
in that country.
Donald Rumsfeld
May 4, 2003

I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam
Hussein -- because he had a weapons program.
George W. Bush
May 6, 2003

U.S. officials never expected that "we were going to open garages and
find" weapons of mass destruction.
Condoleeza Rice
May 12, 2003

I just don't know whether it was all destroyed years ago -- I mean,
there's no question that there were chemical weapons years ago --
whether they were destroyed right before the war, (or) whether they're
still hidden.
Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, Commander 101st Airborne
May 13, 2003

Before the war, there's no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein had
weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical. I expected them
to be found. I still expect them to be found.
Gen. Michael Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps
May 21, 2003

Given time, given the number of prisoners now that we're interrogating,
I'm confident that we're going to find weapons of mass destruction.
Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
May 26, 2003

They may have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer.
Donald Rumsfeld
May 27, 2003

For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass
destruction (as justification for invading Iraq) because it was the one
reason everyone could agree on.
Paul Wolfowitz
May 28, 2003


Quotes from
http://billmon.org.v.sabren.com/archives/000172.html

[zbdent]

5. I forget which media type it was that said:

"If Saddam Hussein HAD WMDs, then he would win the Nobel Peace prize for not using them while his country was attacked!"

Geez, you'd think that a guy who "had such little regard for human life that he gassed his own people" would not have a problem with using them on ENEMIES OF HIS COUNTRY that were attacking him.

[damnraddem]

4. They're withholding them to confuse us -- it's all part of the massive ...

liberal/commie/Islamic world conspiracy.

Ain't they sneaky?