Can anyone help me reply to this barrage of quotes?

[Dem2theMax]

I know I'm new here. No one knows me. But I'm asking for help. If anyone has the info to shut these people up, it's the good folks at DU. A family member keeps sending me this crap, even though I repeatedly have asked her not to do so. So I decided to start sending her anything I can find to discredit the garbage she sends me. On this latest email, I have no clue as to where to find what I need. If anyone can help, I will so very much appreciate it.
Thanks in advance! :)

I'm only giving you a few of the quotes. The email is full of them, but you get the drift. The last entry is 'their' reason for the email.

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."
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

Iraq is a long way from , 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."
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten time since 1983."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb,18,1998

"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."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom
Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry( D - MA), and others Oct. 9, 1998

"There is no doubt that .. Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons
programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue at apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of an illicit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies."
Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and
others, Dec . 5, 2001

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein i! s seekin g and
developing weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27,2002

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons 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."
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10,2002

"Without 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 continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real"
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA),Jan.23. 2003

SO NOW THESE SAME DEMOCRATS SAY PRESIDENT BUSH LIED--
THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION--
AND HE TOOK US TO WAR UNNECESSARILY!

Then it says 'send this to every democrat you know. Us repubs already know the 'facts'. GAG.

HELP! :crazy:

[Bluebear]

1. To all those quotes: No WMD's found. Bush mislead us.

The buck stops with him, he is President.

[Cocoa]

2. we did this exercise about 16 months ago

when it started looking like there were no WMD, the warmongers compiled this list and sent it around to all their media whores, and some new DUers started posting it here at DU. A lot.

[silverweb]

3. This has been debunked nicely by Snopes.

I've also debunked it a bit further myself. If the following helps you, please feel free to use it:

= = = = =
This particular list of quotes is not new, but has been making the rounds for some months now and I've seen it several times in the course of my routine debunking efforts. It is immediately suspect in that it bears the defining characteristics of RW spam:

(1) Unsupported statements (or accusations/allegations), without documentation. (In this case, no verification given for any "quotes.")

(2) Incomplete, out-of-context, or false information given. (In this case, quotes are "cherry picked," with glaring omissions.)

(3) Final exhortation/instruction given to "pass this on to as many as you can," thus propagating the lies and/or misinformation.

The fact that names and dates are attached to the quotes means nothing, since no sourcing or verification is offered. For all I know, they could have been made up just for this email. However, I'm inclined to accept that that they are at least semi-legitimate, although perhaps taken out of context. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what happened, according to Snopes. The article (with references) at Snopes is quite lengthy, so you'll have to go read it if you're at all interested in the truth:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/wmdquotes.asp

My own observation, even before reading the Snopes research, was that the time line for these quotes was suspect. The first group ends in November 2000 -- after which there is a long, obvious gap -- with the next batch dated December 2001 through January 2003. In other words, the quotes provided were either too old to be relevant (1998-1999) or were preceded by months of Bush propaganda and fabricated "evidence" post 9/11.

Very conspicuously missing in this lineup (besides context and verification, of course) are the documented comments by Bush's National Security Advisor, Condi Rice, and Secretary of State, Colin Powell, that Iraq had "a decimated military, no significant capabilities regarding WMD, and was so feeble that it couldn't even threaten the countries around it with conventional military power." See the following for documentation and even video clips:

http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/powell-no-wmd.htm
http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/powell-no-wmd-original.htm
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aes.ACYn7NfQ&refer=top_world_news

So, now we know why the list of quotes has that oh-so-huge gap between 1999 and late 2001. The GOP, liars and master manipulators that they are, left that gap deliberately in just another attempt to foist their twisted version of events on us as truth.

Don't accept any emailed information as fact on face value and don't forward it without verifying it first. Dumb suckers and idealogues do that.

Edited for emphasis.

[NMDemDist2]

4. it's probably true all those quotes but....

you can google them all. Just know that's not the point!

The point is Bush took us to war, removing valuable special ops from the hunt for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan when there was no immediate pressing need to do so. Nothing had changed radically since the quotes started in 1998 to incite us to an immediate need to drop the hunt for ObL and leave Afghanistan to be retaken (in part) by the warlords and Taliban

don't let them get you sidetracked on what the real issue is. If Bush had let the UN inspectors finish their jobs and built a real coalition most of us wouldn't be so pissed. But the fact we have spent over $200 Billion and almost 1000 dead GI's for a situation that was basically stable for the last 10 years is the crime!

edit for spelling :argh:

[zbird]

5. Snopes, as (almost) always.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/wmdquotes.asp

[ClintonTyree]

6. Relying.................

on the information our Great pResident gave us, I'm sure these statements were made. Of course if the information he gave them was truthful I'm sure many, if not all, would have never been uttered.

[JohnLocke]

7. There were weapons inspectors in the country. Iraq was cooperating.

Quotes from five or more years ago aren't relevant.

[kikiek]

8. They are totally missing the point. If anything it strengthens the argumen

the war was unnecessary. Saddam allowed the inspectors in for the first time in years. Inspectors were telling us there wasn't anything there to support the worries of previous administrations. Even the inspector (Kay) that Bush sent himself said there wasn't any WMD's or programs. He chose to discredit all information that didn't support his desire to attack Iraq. The earlier administration didn't have the reports Bush did that totally discredited the claims of WMD's or programs to make them. No one ever before suggested we do a pre-emptive and unilateral attack on Iraq with the information they had. It is just another example of this administrations inability to take responsibility for their actions. Bush is unable to think critically or admit that he has made any error in judgments. He is the most dangerous man we could have in office.

[JPJones]

9. Kerry said there were WMD because B* said:

25,000 liters of anthrax

38,000 liters of botulinum toxin

500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent

30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents

several mobile biological weapons labs

The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa



Here's what Kerry said:
Let me be clear, the vote I will give to the President is for one reason and one reason only: To disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, if we cannot accomplish that objective through new, tough weapons inspections in joint concert with our allies.

In giving the President this authority, I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days--to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out tough and immediate inspection requirements, and to act with our allies at our side if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force. If he fails to do so, I will be among the first to speak out.

[never cry wolf]

10. The anti-terror president

Send em this:

HOW MANY TERRORIST ATTACKS CLINTON STOPPED.

Just for the record, under Richard Clarke's leadership as Czar of Counterterrorism:

CLINTON Developed the nation's first anti-terrorism policy, and appointed first national coordinator of anti-terrorist efforts.

CLINTON Stopped cold the Al Qaeda millennium hijacking and bombing plots.

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to kill the Pope

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up 12 U.S. jetliners simultaneously

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up UN Headquarters

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up FBI Headquarters

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Washington

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up Boston airport

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up Lincoln and Holland Tunnels in NY

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the George Washington Bridge

CLINTON Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the US Embassy in Albania

-- Tried to kill Osama bin Laden and disrupt Al Qaeda through preemptive strikes (efforts denounced by the G.O.P.).

-- Brought perpetrators of first World Trade Center bombing and CIA killings to justice.

-- Did not blame Bush I administration for first World Trade Center bombing even though it occurred 38 days after Bush left office. Instead, worked hard, even obsessively -- and successfully -- to stop future terrorist attacks.

--Named the Hart-Rudman commission to report on nature of terrorist threats and major steps to be taken to combat terrorism.

-Clinton sent legislation to Congress to TIGHTEN AIRPORT SECURITY. (Remember, this is before 911) The legislation was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the airlines.

-Clinton sent legislation to Congress to allow for BETTER TRACKING OF TERRORIST FUNDING. It was defeated by Republicans in the Senate because of opposition from banking interests.

-Clinton sent legislation to Congress to add tagents to explosives, to allow for BETTER TRACKING OF EXPLOSIVES USED BY TERRORISTS. It was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the NRA.

-Clinton increased the military budget by an average of 14 per cent, reversing the trend under Bush I.

-Clinton tripled the budget of the FBI for counterterrorism and doubled overall funding for counterterrorism

-Clinton detected and destroyed cells of Al Qaeda in over 20 countries

-Clinton created national stockpile of drugs and vaccines including 40 million doses of smallpox vaccine.

-Of Clinton's efforts says Robert Oakley, Reagan Ambassador for Counterterrorism: "Overall, I give them very high marks" and "The only major criticism I have is the obsession with Osama"

-Paul Bremer, current Civilian Administrator of Iraq disagrees slightly with Robert Oakley as he believed the Clinton Administration had "correctly focused on bin Laden.

-Barton Gellman in the Washington Post put it best, "By any measure available, Clinton left office having given greater priority to terrorism than any president before him" and was the "first administration to undertake a systematic anti-terrorist effort"

[jdj]

11. to this I would say, "so what!"

these people quoted are not in power,some aren't even in office anymore. Sen's Clinton, Kennedy, Daschle, Kerry, although in office, are in a puke controlled congress, and we learned during the medicare vote what that entails.

I would send a thank you note for the following:

"SO NOW THESE SAME DEMOCRATS SAY PRESIDENT BUSH LIED--
THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION--
AND HE TOOK US TO WAR UNNECESSARILY!"

You could write,

dear friend,

thank you for finally admitting there are no WMD's and that Bush lied and that this war was unnecessary. I know it must have been painful for you to lose faith in your president and have to eat crow like this, and that is why we democrats have been especially compassionate toward those of you in the wrong, notice we have not gloated or said I told you so, mainly due to the fact that over 900 soldiers and at least 15,000 to 20,000
iraqi civilians have died thanks to your president's mistake. We are still in the process of mourning our fallen soldiers, and will be for a while, as it seems that the violence in Iraq has only escalated since the so-called handover of power. We hope you have learned your lesson, and next time feel free to contact me or any other democrat when you want insight on matters like this, so that we don't run headlong into another bloodbath sanctioned by your party.

Sincerely,

a proud and vindicated democrat.

[carpetbagger]

12. The solution is to send in inspectors to see if you're right.

As you will need a credible threat of force, get yourself a Senate and UN resolution.

There you have it.

[Dem2theMax]

13. WOW! Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart.

I knew there were good people here, but this - WOW!
I knew I signed on to the right board. Should that be 'left' board? :)

Thank you everyone so very much. I know that I've got a lot to learn and that this is the place to do it. (that and a lot of research)
I appreciate this more than you can know. :) :) :)

You don't just educate the people who come here. Because what you teach goes out to so many more people. THANKS!

[Old and In the Way]

14. Why do Republicans always point to statements from Democrats

to justify thir screw-ups? Why can't they just admit that they totally misread the situation, thus proving their incompetence to be trusted in managing the affairs of state?

[Dem2theMax]

16. God forbid they pay any real attention to what the repubs are doing.

I swear - heck, everyone here knows this - it's like talking to a dead horse. They must hand out blinders, rose colored glasses and ear plugs when people register to be republicans.
Has anyone written a 'Dummies for Repubs' book? If not, they need one!
The stuff this woman sends to me - I practically need blood pressure meds after reading it. I used to just delete it. But I thought trying to educate her would be worth the time. hahaha?
She probably has hundreds in her email address book. So I figure if I can get her to stop with all the garbage....I'm probably dreaming, but I'll keep trying. Nothing like hitting my head against a brick wall on a daily basis. lol?

[LiberalTechie1337]

15. The difference is...

that none of these Democrats took us to war, or they were talking under the theoretical assumption that Saddam did have weapons. Period. War requires a higher standard of evidence than simple rhetoric

[elvisbear]

17. This site has a report of Bush's misleading statements on the Iraq war.

The Bush administration's public statements on Iraq. This was a report created for Rep. Henry Waxman. Check out the "Misleading statements by leading individuals" section.

click on the link "Iraq on the record report". It's in pdf format.

http://www.house.gov/reform/min/features/iraq_on_the_record/