Revisiting Bush's 2003 SOTU address

[Rex_Goodheart]

Don't know why I suddenly felt the urge to revisit that speech, but as I read through it again I couldn't help but gasp at how brazenly dishonest it was.

How, for example, was Saddam supposed to disprove his possession of WMDs by producing them for visible destruction if he had none to destroy? But that's the logic Bush uses upon the American people to justify an invasion.

The three Iraqi defectors who told the US that Saddam had mobile bioweapons labs? We know now that Bush knew at the time those men were unreliable witnesses.

Those famous 16 words about African uranium? We know now that Joseph Wilson had specifically debunked that accusation, and that the entire accusation had been based on a ridiculous forgery in the first place.

The aluminum tubes? Scientists tell us that the Bush Administration was told they were not likely any part of any nuclear weapons program.

I know, I know. I'm not stating anything you don't already know. I guess I'm just pissed at how seriously this man could lie and still be in office.

Almost three months ago, the United Nations Security Council gave Saddam Hussein his final chance to disarm. He has shown instead utter contempt for the United Nations, and for the opinion of the world. The 108 U.N. inspectors were sent to conduct -- were not sent to conduct a scavenger hunt for hidden materials across a country the size of California. The job of the inspectors is to verify that Iraq's regime is disarming. It is up to Iraq to show exactly where it is hiding its banned weapons, lay those weapons out for the world to see, and destroy them as directed. Nothing like this has happened.

The United Nations concluded in 1999 that Saddam Hussein had biological weapons sufficient to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax -- enough doses to kill several million people. He hasn't accounted for that material. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed it.

The United Nations concluded that Saddam Hussein had materials sufficient to produce more than 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin -- enough to subject millions of people to death by respiratory failure. He hadn't accounted for that material. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed it.

Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent. In such quantities, these chemical agents could also kill untold thousands. He's not accounted for these materials. He has given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

U.S. intelligence indicates that Saddam Hussein had upwards of 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents. Inspectors recently turned up 16 of them -- despite Iraq's recent declaration denying their existence. Saddam Hussein has not accounted for the remaining 29,984 of these prohibited munitions. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

From three Iraqi defectors we know that Iraq, in the late 1990s, had several mobile biological weapons labs. These are designed to produce germ warfare agents, and can be moved from place to a place to evade inspectors. Saddam Hussein has not disclosed these facilities. He's given no evidence that he has destroyed them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in the 1990s that Saddam Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons development program, had a design for a nuclear weapon and was working on five different methods of enriching uranium for a bomb. The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production. Saddam Hussein has not credibly explained these activities. He clearly has much to hide.

The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary; he is deceiving. From intelligence sources we know, for instance, that thousands of Iraqi security personnel are at work hiding documents and materials from the U.N. inspectors, sanitizing inspection sites and monitoring the inspectors themselves. Iraqi officials accompany the inspectors in order to intimidate witnesses.

[derby378]

1. We tried to tell everyone, but NOOOOOOO...

We had to go into Iraq and get bogged down in this stupid quagmire anyway. Lila Lipscomb, Cindy Sheehan, and thousands of other parents had to lose their kids to this senseless war anyway. Der Fuehrer has spoken.

[havocmom]

2. The day after he gave that pack of lies, there was a clear change in mood

of the entire community where I live (majorly red area). People were expecting something good and they were seriously let down. There was a pall hanging over the community that didn't start to shake off until we buried our first victim of bush*s war on sanity.

I wanted to gloat at the locals here, all glum at the revelation that their leader was a bag of hot air and lies, but they were so defeated I couldn't muster a good snicker at them. Down in some deep place, they all knew disaster was the fruit they were about to recieve.

[The Stranger]

3. One of the greatest crimes of all time.

What could rival its scope? The extent of the lies and the vastness of the audience? A massive war launched by the largest military in history based on known lies. A criminal war-mongering cabal that has hijacked a nation of millions.

Blowback is going to be something for the ages. The Chinese curse says, "May you live in interesting times." When and if the pigeons come home to roost, things should become even more interesting.

[electron_blue]

4. and don't forget the IAEA

Bush quoted the 1990's report from them, and not the one handed to him a week before the SOTU speech that showed NO EVIDENCE that Hussein had advanced nuclear weapons or was developing it. The IAEA report of Jan 03 showed that Iraq had complied with all requests about its nuclear program as spelled out by the U.N. sanctions. Bush used the 1990's report (almost 10 yrs earlier) instead. What a bunch of doofs they thought we were. (and they were mostly right)

I knew they were lying by the fact he could only quote 1990's reports. Their reports were so OLD. They didn't have anything fresh to report - to give us the American public, to hang our hat on. If you watched the sleight of hand, everything Bush gave us was undocumented. As a scientist, I notice things like that.

[shockingelk]

5. AKA the 2003 STFU Address n/t

[VWolf]

6. That SOTU address was when I finally "woke up"

Until then I had given * the benefit of the doubt with regard to his actions pre and post 9/11. After that address, I knew something was awry.