What of this Republican talking point that states that Bill Clinton

[Fountain79]

believed that Saddamm Hussein had WMD's? I keep hearing this drumbeat argument and I am curious what people know about.

[JohMunich99]

1. Clinton did believe that Iraq had WMDs

In 1991...

[Fountain79]

2. This is the quote...

"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."
- President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

[LSK]

3. thats right about when he bombed Iraq isnt it

So basically he did something about it without killing tons of people and bankrupting our treasury.

[JohMunich99]

4. Hmmmm...

Yeah I've got nothing to say then. I was just kind of adding random info. I'm totally ignorant on this issue then.

[Birthmark]

5. There are a few differences

First, as has already been said, Clinton didn't start a war.

Second, Clinton didn't lie about it. That was the info he had at the time. (And the intel was probably wrong then, too.)

Third, there is no evidence that Clinton attempted to manipulated the intel the way the Bush Admin <cough, cough, CHENEY) did.

Fourth, 2003 is five years after 1998, and there was ZERO evidence that Saddam was producing more WMD. Colin Powell said exactly that in 2001.

Fifth, Clinton didn't claim that Saddam had ties to Al-Queda.

Sixth, Clinton didn't get thousands of Americans killed and wounded or kill tens of thousands of Iraqis over WMD, real or imagined.

[norml]

7. Yeah, I've got a "weapons of mass destruction program" too.

I'm sure I've got a chemistry, and or a physics book around here somewhere.

:eyes:

Also the Big Dog made that vague claim in order to apply pressure and mollify PNAC, not to justify invasion and occupation with specific claims of actual weapons, not weapons "programs".

[Marr]

6. I believe the Republican response was "wag the dog!".

I mean, if we're going to talk about consistency, they're the ones with the problem here.

Clinton didn't invade. He didn't lie the country into military action, or cook up alot of bullshit propaganda- he was acting on actual intel at the time. If I'm not mistaken, UN inspection teams had been kept out of a certain location, and our government suspected they had proscribed materials there.

As to the "wag the dog" accusations... I have no idea how they explain that.

[WinkyDink]

8. Can we say "more than 6 years ago"? At a MINIMUM?

Here's your reply:
"Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside the United States".

[sandnsea]

9. Yeah, he bombed the place in 1998

And inspectors hadn't been back since. Unfortunately, they weren't smart enough to claim that clearly in 2002 since Hillary had to be "tough on defense" if she ever expected to be President. Still, that is why most Democrats backed continued inspections in 2003, because they knew they really didn't know exactly what was in Iraq after the 1998 bombing.

[Cobalt-60]

10. Bill didn't falsify the State of the Union

Address to trick the country into war.
The Chimp lied during the State of the Union address to trick the country into war.