Iraq and a Hard Place: Lies and Impeachment

For those with short memories, it is good to go back in the recent past and reexamine how we came about our present state of affairs. One case in point, a pivotal issue in global terms, is the U.S. occupation of Iraq. We were told by the Vice President we'd be greeted as liberators. A new book by Iraqi government insider, Ali Allawi, decires U.S. bungling of his country and exposes the Bush policy folly there. But, it's not just the bungling that's at issue here, it's the lies that brought us.

Of course, there are many cases for impeachment that could be brought by a tepid congress. Iraq is only one of many
reasons for impeachment. For an expanded list of 25 reasons for impeaching Bush, please consider these issues.

As part of the National Boycott to Impeach Committeee, let me share with you an abbreviated list of the Bush administration's OFFICIAL LIES...and this is just about Iraq. For more details on how to join this week long shopping boycott for impeachment between April 15th and the 22nd, please support the We Are Not Buying It campaign and do what you can before it's too late!

And now, our leaders...trust them.

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction."

- Dick Cheney, August 26 2002

"Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons."

- George W. Bush, September 12 2002

"If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world."

- Ari Fleischer, December 2 2002

"We know for a fact that there are weapons there."

- Ari Fleischer, January 9 2003

"Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent."

- George W. Bush, State of the Union address, January 28 2003

"We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more."

- Colin Powell, February 5 2003

"We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons."

- George Bush, February 8 2003

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."

- George Bush, March 17 2003

"Well, there is no question that we have evidence and information that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical particularly . . . all this will be made clear in the course of the operation, for whatever duration it takes."

- Ari Fleischer, March 21 2003

"There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. As this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them."

- Gen. Tommy Franks, March 22 2003

"We know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."

- Donald Rumsfeld, March 30 2003.

"Iraq has trained Al Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases."

- Bush in October 2002.

"Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."

- Bush in January 2003 State of the Union address.

"Iraq has also provided Al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training."

- Bush in February 2003.

"… sinister nexus between Iraq and the Al-Qaeda terrorist network."

Powell in his U.N. speech prior to the Iraq War.

"We have removed an ally of Al Qaeda."

Bush in May 2003.

Stated that the Iraqis were "providing bomb-making expertise and advice to the Al Qaeda organization."

- Cheney in September 2003.

"Saddam had an established relationship with Al Qaeda, providing training to Al Qaeda members in the areas of poisons, gases, making conventional weapons."

- Cheney in October 2003.

Cheney said Saddam "had long established ties with Al Qaeda."

- June 14, 2004.

Bush said, "The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and Al Qaeda, because there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda."

- June 17, 2004