Tony Blair served for 10 years as British prime minister, leaving office in June 2007. His new book is a memoir in which over 100 pages are spent talking about the nightmarish decision to invade Iraq.
He asks the reader to take into consideration the time of the decision and the fear people felt after the 9/11 attacks.
Even though the intelligence regarding his possession of WMDs turned out wrong, it is true that Saddam was working to develop such weapons.
"It was an event like no other. It was regarded as such. The British newspapers the next day were typical of those around the globe: 'at war,' they proclaimed. The most common analogy was Pearl Harbor. The notion of a world, not just America, confronted by a deadly evil that had indeed declared war on us all was not then dismissed as the language of the periphery of public sentiment. It was the sentiment. Thousands killed by terror—what else should we call it?"
At the time, we can recall Joe Lieberman saying much the same thing in describing Hussein as a 'ticking time bomb' who represented a serious threat and 'imminent danger' to the United States. Because Hussein refused to comply with the UN resolution to inspect for WMD's, Lieberman reasoned:
You might never know it now, but Lieberman was far from alone in his assessment of Iraq. Consider the following.
•"We can't let an international gangster snub his nose at the United Nations. We now have the opportunity to do what is critically important in building up a majority of the Muslim world who are not fanatical, violent extremists by showing them here in Iraq that the result of what we've done is to create a country where the followers of Islam can live freer lives."
President Clinton:
•"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
•"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
Al Gore:
•"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
•"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." Sept. 23, 2002.
John F. Kerry
•"[W]ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his contin ued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ..." Jan. 23, 2003
•"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." Oct. 9, 2002
Hillary Clinton
•"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weap ons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." Oct. 10, 2002
Ted Kennedy
•"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." Sept. 27, 2002
Madeline Albright
•"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
•"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." Nov. 10, 1999
Nancy Pelosi
•"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser
•"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." (here)
Henry Waxman
•"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" Oct. 10, 2002
Letter to President Clinton, Oct. 9, 1998, signed by:
Carl Levin, Joe Lieberman, Frank R. Lautenberg, Dick Lugar, Kit Bond, Jon Kyl, Chris Dodd, John McCain, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Alfonse D'Amato, Bob Kerrey, Pete V. Domenici, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara A. Mikulski.
Thomas Daschle, John Breaux, Tim Johnson, Daniel K. Inouye, Arlen Specter, James Inhofe, Strom Thurmond, Mary L. Landrieu, Wendell Ford, John F. Kerry, Chuck Grassley, Jesse Helms, Rick Santorum.
•"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
All these pre-war jitters have been neatly swept under the rug as Bush, Blair, and Cheney take the hit for the decision and are constantly colored as betrayers of their countries.
Tony Blair was pelted with eggs and shoes by hateful, ignorant, and ungrateful anti-war protesters this morning in Dublin, where he held a signing event to promote his book in which he defends the decision to help invade Iraq.
There were more citizens lined up to buy his book than there were protesters.
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