Transcript Going to War with Iraq 1998

Going to War with Iraq
1998
Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes
official U.S. policy
January 2001
Saddam’s removal becomes top priority of Bush’s national security team.
August 2001
Bush received a briefing with the title: “Bin Laden determined to strike in
the U.S.”.
September 11, 2001
Al Quaeda attacks the United States.- Within hours Donald Rumsfeld asks
his aides to see whether or not the evidence is good enough to hit
Saddam Hussein at the same time as Osama Bin Laden.
July 2002
Scott Ritter, former UN Chief Weapons Inspector, stated that “while we
were never able to provide 100% certainty regarding the disposition of
Iraq’s proscribed weaponry, we did ascertain a 90-95% level of verified
disarmament.” Later he added that “the CIA knew this … and they
definitely knew that Iraq represented a threat to no one when it came
to weapons of mass destruction.” Still, the current government tried to
sell the war to the American people.
September 2002
Condoleezza Rice makes her infamous statement that “we don't want
the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud" based on an alleged Iraqi
purchase of uranium from Niger. Documents supporting this claim are
later identified as forgeries.
November 2002
The UN Security Council passes UN Resolution 1441 designed to
force Iraq to give up all weapons of mass destruction. In the
following months weapons inspectors search throughout Iraq.
January 2003
Hans Blix states that weapons inspectors had not “found any
smoking guns”. President Bush repeats the false claim that Iraq tried
to purchase uranium from Niger to develop nuclear bombs.
February 2003
Colin Powell presents the government’s case for war at the UN and
says that ”what we are giving you are facts and conclusions based
on solid intelligence”.
March 17, 2003
George W. Bush states that “intelligence gathered by this
government leaves no doubt that the Iraqi regime continues to
possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever
devised.” The UN weapons inspectors’ request that said intelligence
be made available for verification went unanswered. Not able to
persuade the Security Council that Iraq poses a threat, the US and
the UK withdraw plans for a new UN resolution that would back
military action.
March 20, 2003
The United States and the United Kingdom attack Iraq in what will be
known as “Operation Iraqi Freedom” (although it was almost called
“Operation Iraqi Liberation” based on the act of 1998. Why the change?
No weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) were ever found, but hundreds of
thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed.
Questions
Who declared in 1992 that it was wise not to invade Baghdad and
“get bogged down in the problems of trying to take over and govern Iraq”?
Dick Cheney
Who said in 2000 that “if we are an arrogant nation, they will resent us.
If we are a humble nation, but strong, they will welcome us”?
George W. Bush
How many U.S. soldiers have died in the Iraq war thus far?
About 4,500 as of January , 2012
How many U.S. soldiers have been maimed for the rest of their life?
Perhaps up to 100,000?
How much money has the war in Iraq cost us thus far?
$ 802 billion and counting
Last but not least, how many Iraqis have been killed in Gulf War I and II?
We may never know, but estimates range from a minimum of 115,000 up to 750,000
So, why exactly DO we fight?
Is this the “New American Century”
American citizens can identify with?
The Ground Truth?
Wedding portrait of a Marine who had been
burned severely over much of his body during
his service in Iraq.
The costs of geopolitics , lies, and the silence
of nations of “patriotic” sheep …
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana