Kerry
Attacks President On Threat Posed By Iraq, Does He Not Believe His Own Words?
___________________________________________________________________
SINCE
1990, KERRY HAS TOLD AMERICA
OF SADDAM’S WMD THREAT
Editor’s
note:
This
constitutes part 3 in what has developed into a series on John Kerry. The man
constitutes a bigger threat than Bill Clinton. If
this man gets ahold of America, turn out the lights, America is over.It’s that
dire a situation. I cannot over-state this point.
Normally,
I’d not take a whole collection of quotes someone else already has posted.
However, I think this message needs to go out by every avenue possible. And in
this case, I doubt they’ll mind. This is data from an RNC research briefing.
June
2003
Kerry
Said “It Would Be Irresponsible … To Draw Conclusions” That Suggest
President Misled On WMD. ABC’S
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: “I know you said you’re agnostic about whether
or not he misled the public on weapons of mass destruction. But do you have a
hunch on whether you think they hyped the intelligence?” KERRY:
“George, again, I think it would be irresponsible of me at this point to draw
conclusions prior to all the evidence being on the table.”
(ABC’s “This Week,” 6/15/03)
March
2003
As
War Began, Kerry Said Saddam Chose “To Make Military Force The Ultimate
Weapons Inspections Enforcement Mechanism.” “Senator
John F. Kerry … had lambasted Bush’s diplomatic efforts, despite
voting last fall in support of a congressional resolution authorizing military
action to disarm Iraq of any weapons of mass destruction. ‘It appears
that with the deadline for exile come and gone, Saddam Hussein has chosen to
make military force the ultimate weapons inspections enforcement mechanism,’
Kerry said.” (Glen Johnson,
“Critics Of Bush Voice Support For The Troops,” The Boston Globe,
3/20/03)
Kerry
Said Saddam Hussein’s WMD “Are A Threat.” “I
think Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction are a threat, and that’s
why I voted to hold him accountable and to make certain that we disarm him.
I think we need to …” (NPR’s
“All Things Considered,” 3/19/03)
February
2003
Kerry
Said Leaving Saddam Hussein “Unfettered With Nuclear Weapons Or Weapons Of
Mass Destruction Is Unacceptable.”
(Jill Lawrence, “War Issue Challenges
Democratic Candidates,” USA Today, 2/12/03)
Kerry
Described Secretary Of State Colin Powell’s Evidence Of WMD In Iraq As “Real
And Compelling.” “[Kerry]
said the Bush administration has taken too long to make its case for military
action, ‘but nonetheless I am glad we’ve reached this moment in our
diplomacy.’ Kerry added: ‘Convincing evidence of Saddam Hussein’s
possession of weapons of mass destruction should trigger, I believe, a final
ultimatum from the United Nations for a full, complete, immediate disarmament of
those weapons by Iraq. Over the next hours, I will work with my colleagues
in the Senate to fully examine the evidence offered by the secretary for a
complete and close reading. But, on its face, the evidence against Saddam
Hussein appears real and compelling.'” (Wayne
Washington, “Kennedy, Others Question Timing Of Attack But Presidential
Hopefuls Back War With Iraq,” The Boston Globe, 2/6/03)
January
2003
Kerry
Said, “If You Don’t Believe Saddam Hussein Is A Threat With Nuclear Weapons,
Then You Shouldn’t Vote For Me.”
(Ronald Brownstein, “On Iraq, Kerry
Appears Either Torn Or Shrewd,” Los Angeles Times, 1/31/03)
Kerry
Described Threat Of Saddam Hussein With WMD As Real, But Not New.
“[W]e need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator,
leading an oppressive regime. We all know the litany of his offenses. He
presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to
miscalculation. He miscalculated an eight-year war with Iran. He miscalculated
the invasion of Kuwait. He miscalculated America’s response to that act of
naked aggression. He miscalculated the result of setting oil rigs on fire. He
miscalculated the impact of sending scuds into Israel and trying to assassinate
an American President. He miscalculated his own military strength. He
miscalculated the Arab world’s response to his misconduct. And now he is
miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent
grasp for weapons of mass destruction. That is why the world, through the United
Nations Security Council, has spoken with one voice, demanding that Iraq
disclose its weapons programs and disarm.” (Sen.
John Kerry, Remarks At Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1/23/03)
October
2002
“Mr.
Kerry … Said Iraq’s Weapons Of Mass Destruction Posed ‘A Real And Grave
Threat‘ To The United States.”
(Dave Boyer, “Key Senators Of Both Parties
Back Bush On Iraq War,” The Washington Times, 10/10/02)
Kerry
Questioned Saddam’s Actions With Respect To His WMD Capability.
“Why is Saddam Hussein pursuing weapons that most nations have agreed to limit
or give up? Why is Saddam Hussein guilty of breaking his own cease-fire
agreement with the international community? Why is Saddam Hussein attempting to
develop nuclear weapons when most nations don’t even try, and responsible
nations that have them attempt to limit their potential for disaster? Why did
Saddam Hussein threaten and provoke? Why does he develop missiles that exceed
allowable limits? Why did Saddam Hussein lie and deceive the inspection teams
previously? Why did Saddam Hussein not account for all of the weapons of mass
destruction which UNSCOM identified? Why is he seeking to develop unmanned
airborne vehicles for delivery of biological agents? Does he do all of these
things because he wants to live by international standards of behavior? Because
he respects international law? Because he is a nice guy underneath it all and
the world should trust him?” (Sen.
John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/9/02, p. S10171)
Kerry
Called It “Naive To The Point Of Grave Danger” To Leave Saddam “To His Own
Devices.” “It would be naive
to the point of grave danger not to believe that, left to his own devices,
Saddam Hussein will provoke, misjudge, or stumble into a future, more dangerous
confrontation with the civilized world.” (Sen.
John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/9/02, p. S10171)
Kerry
Said “Threat Of Saddam Hussein With Weapons Of Mass Destruction Is Real.”
“The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real, but as
I said, it is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and
particularly in the last 4 years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to
force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons. He
has had a free hand for 4 years to reconstitute these weapons, allowing the
world, during the interval, to lose the focus we had on weapons of mass
destruction and the issue of proliferation.” (Sen.
John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/9/02, p. S10171)
Kerry:
“I Am Prepared To Hold Saddam Hussein Accountable And Destroy His Weapons Of
Mass Destruction.” (Ronald
Brownstein, “Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Differ On War In Iraq,” Los
Angeles Times, 10/6/02)
September
2000
Kerry
Said “There Is Nothing More Destabilizing Or Threatening [To The World] Than
Weapons Of Mass Destruction.” “I
think all of us are deeply concerned about the degree to which certain countries
seem to be contributing to the potential of instability in the world. Obviously,
there is nothing more destabilizing or threatening than weapons of mass
destruction. We have spent an enormous amount of time and energy focused on
Iraq, on Iran, on Russia, on loose nukes, on nuclear materials, and of course on
China and on the issue of the transfer of technology to Pakistan.” (Sen.
John Kerry, Congressional Record, 9/11/00, p. S8321)
December
1998
Kerry
Defended Clinton’s 1998 Attacks Because Saddam “Is Pursuing … Weapons Of
Mass Destruction.” “Americans need
to really understand the gravity and legitimacy of what is happening with Saddam
Hussein. He has been given every opportunity in the world to comply. The
president does not control the schedule of UNSCOM. The president did not
withdraw the UNSCOM inspectors. And the president did not, obviously, cut a deal
with Saddam Hussein to do this at this moment. Saddam Hussein has not complied.
Saddam Hussein is pursuing a program to build weapons of mass destruction.”(Sen.
John Kerry, Press Conference, 12/16/98)
September
1998
Kerry
Said, “‘We’re Going To Have To Make Some Fundamental Decisions About
Whether To Follow A Policy Of Containment Or Deprive Iraq Of Its Weapons Of Mass
Destruction.” (Eric Schmitt,
“U.N. Arms Inspector Who Quit Is Told He Can’t Make Policy,” The New
York Times, 9/4/98)
February
1998
Kerry
Said Saddam Had Already Used WMD And Had Intent “To Do So” Again.
“[T]here are set of principles here that are very large, larger in some
measure than I think has been adequately conveyed, both internationally and
certainly to the American people. Saddam Hussein has already used these
weapons and has made it clear that he has the intent to continue to try, by
virtue of his duplicity and secrecy, to continue to do so. That is a
threat to the stability of the Middle East. It is a threat with respect to
the potential of terrorist activities on a global basis. It is a threat
even to regions near but not exactly in the Middle East.” (Sen.
John Kerry, Press Conference, 2/23/98)
Kerry
Said That If Saddam’s Weapon Capability Was Not Eliminated “We Will Be
Called On To Send Our Ships And Our Troops At One Point In The Future Back To
The Middle East.” “Saddam
Hussein has violated … that standard [against using weapons of mass
destruction] on several occasions previously and by most people’s expectation,
no matter what agreement we come up with, may well do so again. The greater
likelihood is that we will be called on to send our ships and our troops at one
point in the future back to the Middle East to stand up to the next crisis.”
(Sen. John Kerry, Press Conference, 2/23/98)
December
1997
Kerry
Urged U.N. To Eliminate Iraq’s “Suspected Infrastructure For Developing And
Manufacturing Weapons Of Mass Destruction.”
“Democratic Senator John Kerry has said: ‘The Security Council should
authorize a strong UN military response that will materially damage, if not
totally destroy, as much as possible of the suspected infrastructure for
developing and manufacturing weapons of mass destruction.’ He added that
‘Saddam Hussein has intentionally or inadvertently set up a test which the
entire world will be watching, and if he gets away with this arrogant ploy, he
will have terminated the most important multilateral effort to defuse a
legitimate threat to global security.'” (“US
Lawmakers Threaten Military Action Against Iraq,” Agence France Presse,
12/12/97)
November
1997
Kerry
Warned U.S. Senate Of Saddam’s WMD Capabilities. “It
is not possible to overstate the ominous implications for the Middle East if
Saddam were to develop and successfully militarize and deploy potent biological
weapons. We can all imagine the consequences. Extremely small quantities of
several known biological weapons have the capability to exterminate the entire
population of cities the size of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. These could be delivered
by ballistic missile, but they also could be delivered by much more pedestrian
means; aerosol applicators on commercial trucks easily could suffice. If
Saddam were to develop and then deploy usable atomic weapons, the same holds
true.” (Sen. John Kerry, Congressional
Record, 11/9/97, pp. S12254 -S12255)
January
1991
Kerry
Acknowledged Saddam Working Toward Development Of WMD “For Years.”
“If we go to war in the next few days, it will not be because our immediate
vital interests are so threatened and we have no other choice. It is not because
of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons when, after all, Saddam Hussein had all
those abilities or was working toward them for years ….”
(Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 1/12/91, p. S369)
October
1990
Kerry
Said “Iraq Has Developed A Chemical Weapons Capability.”
“Today, we are confronted by a regional power, Iraq, which has attacked a
weaker state, Kuwait. … The crisis is even more threatening by virtue of
the fact that Iraq has developed a chemical weapons capability, and is pursuing
a nuclear weapons development program. And Saddam Hussein has demonstrated a
willingness to use such weapons of mass destruction in the past, whether in his
war against Iran or against his own Kurdish population.”
(Sen. John Kerry, Congressional Record, 10/2/90, p. S14330)