I'm convinced they wanted to invade even before 9/11

[fujiyama]

9/11 made it easier for them to find the way to market it, but I think they would have anyways.

I watched both the Pres and VP debates from '00 and both mentioned that the "alliance was failing and Saddam has WMD". You could tell watching it now that their intention was pretty clear all along.

Lieberman's intentions of supporting these policies also seemed somewhat clear.

[The Doctor.]

1. look up Paul O'neil.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/main592330.shtml

[fujiyama]

6. I Forgot about him

I never did read the Suskind book. I remember him mentioning how they were completely obsessed with him...and Clarke said similar things.

What amazed me was watching their own words 4 years ago.

[jdj]

2. C-Span just ran the 2000 debate.

watch the way W. says "our enemy Saddam Hussein". Without provocation. Oh, yeah, W. was chomping at the bit,without even taking into account the PNAC.

[WLKjr]

3. I knew this would happen

when W got into office. It wasn't a suprise to me. 9/11 was a suprise, Iraq was not.

[Art_from_Ark]

7. One of the first things junior did after assuming office

was bomb Iraq.

An interesting take on this bombing, from a March 2001 DU article:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/03/010307_oil.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. PNAC site

Rebuilding America's Defenses

Page 49, we need a new Pearl Harbor to bring about these policies

You will find it there... what you seek

Oh and the pre-emtive Wolfowitz plan, was first released in 1992, reported in the NYTs, and forced to take it back by Chenney after they lost the election

You are correct, if you do the gumshoe required

[ogradda]

5. hell yes they were planning to invade

just wanted/needed an excuse.

[DianeG5385]

8. I knew they were going in when Bush was elected

That's the only thing for sure he was going to do. It was all about Daddy's honor. when they started on the road to the "war with Iraq" I knew I was right. Bush had nothing else on his agenda. He lies like a rug when he says this is not the case. We ALL know this is true.

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. Exactly.

The day the SCOTUS Selected him, my husband and I both said "well, now we will attack Iraq. I wonder how long it will take him?" We knew what would happen. This administration is so transparent.

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Watch a video called "Hijacking Catastrophe."

I saw it last week and it taught me far more than "F 9/11." Yes, the neocons wanted to invade Iraq since the "first" Gulf War, despite the fact that the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations supported and sold WMDs to Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. He was then considered an ally and could not have prevailed against a much more powerful and populous enemy, like Iran, without the help of the U.S.

Bush Sr. said, in 1996, on the fifth anniversary of the "first" Gulf War, that he did not take out Saddam since it would have "turned the Arab world against us and destabilized the region." According to this film, the PNAC presented Clinton with a petition for achieving this this, in 1996. Why he wasn't raising hell about this is beyond me. We do know that Wolfowitz spent the Clinton years, plotting and planning how to do this, as a part of the PNAC plan for world domination. They found a better stooge in Bush* Jr. and the neocons managed to hijack this current administration. As he said, they "didn't cut and run," like his father. It's truly frightening, since the PNAC have Imperialist designs on the rest of the world. They need to be voted out, but they have gained such a foothold, can we ever be truly rid of them?
:shrug::scared:

This is not new, but is amusing and illustrates my point:
http://www.markfiore.com/animation/whoops.html

edited for punctuation.

[IkeWarnedUs]

11. More on Hijacking Catastrophe

You can buy the movie for only $19.95.

The DVD has the hour long movie and an abridged 30 minute version as well as extended 30 minute interviews and a discussion of the economics of building an empire.

Substantial film clips are available at the website - as is ordering information.

Buy this movie - watch it - pass it around.

http://www.hijackingcatastrophe.org/

[Rhiannon12866]

21. Thank you!

I've seen the movie, but I was unaware of the website. Thanks! I'll check it out and pass it on!:kick:

[Spider Jerusalem]

10. Since February of 2001, actually.

Iraq was topic #1 at the earliest meetings of Bush's National Security Council. Rumsfeld and Wofowitz were both quite keen on the idea.

[in_cog_ni_to]

12. Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill both said, in their books,

they wanted to invade before 911...they just needed an excuse. Bingo. Along comes 911. How convenient, eh?

[Radical Activist]

13. Well yeah, in other news: the earth is round

I thought I would make an equally obvious statement. :)

[fujiyama]

18. LOL

I'm not sure why I even started the thread. I think everyone here knows it now.

It was interesting to see what the reactions of others would be after watching the 2000 debates 4 years later...

[AntiFascist]

20. This is extremely important stuff....

especially since the major media is not even discussing it. We need to keep these threads circulating so that newcomers to DU, and others who don't know the relevance, can see how it affects our politics.

[Poiuyt]

22. 60 Minutes buried their report on the reasons for going to war

They said that it would be "inappropriate" to run the story so close to the election. I can't think of a MORE appropriate time to run it.

[Doctor_J]

15. this is pretty much of an accepted fact,

though not spoken of in public. And they picked a high-profile, but very weak, target. Just more stagecraft

[Stephanie]

16. Read All About It:

PNAC: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=110&topic_id=80&mesg_id=80&page=

[Astrochimp]

17. Rummy & wolfowitz wrote pres Bill urging war vs Iraq...........

DONALD Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz wrote to President Bill Clinton in 1998 urging war against Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein because he is a 'hazard' to 'a significant portion of the world's supply of oil'.

In the letter, Rumsfeld also calls for America to go to war alone, attacks the United Nations and says the US should not be 'crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council'.


Here's the letter.... http://newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm




Hope the links are still good.

David

[lojasmo]

19. See frontline's "the long road to war" On the PBS website.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/iraq/etc/cron.html">Here's a chronology

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/longroad/">The Long Road to War

[Poiuyt]

23. Bush was looking for an excuse to invade Iraq to maintain power

I remember before 9/11, Bush was talking so tough about Iraq and Saddam Hussein. I couldn't figure out why he was beating the war drums so much. Then on one of the pundit shows, someone said that Bush had seen his father's approval ratings up in the 90% range during the first Gulf War, and then it plummited when the war was over. W, they said, was determined to not make the same mistakes his father did. It became very obvious that W wanted to get into a war just because the American public tends to rally around its leaders during times of war. If he could get into a prolonged, unending war, he would be able to maintan power through two terms, thus showing up his father.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

24. front page above the fold NYTimes today about the "alumium tubes" lie

it proves that in April 2001 "Joe" completed and presented report about the alumium tubesfor centerfuge and gave it to bush*....so if he gave it to bush* in April when and who ordered (the fabrication) of this false report? ...bush lied during the debates