Current Events

From a list compiled and published by Molly Ivins in September, 2003.

"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

"The Iraqi regime possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons." -Bush, October 7,2002

"We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that would be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We're concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using the UAVs for missions targeting the United States." -Bush, October 7, 2002

"The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his 'nuclear mujahideen' -his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past." -Bush, October 7, 2002

"We know for a fact there are weapons there." -Ari Fleischer, January 9, 2003

"Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as five hundred tons of sarin, . mustard, and VX nerve agent." -Bush, 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 autho¬rized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons-the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have." -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." -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." -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." -General Tommy Franks, March 22, 2003

"I have no doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction." -Kenneth Adelman, Defense Policy Board, March 23, 2003

"We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad." -Donald Rumsfeld, March 30, 2003

"We'll find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so." -Bush, May 3, 2003

"I never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country." -Rumsfeld, May 4, 2003

"U.S. officials never expected that we were going to open garages and find weapons of mass destruction." -Condoleezza Rice, May 12, 2003

"They may have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer." -Rumsfeld. May 27, 2003

"We based our decisions on good, sound intelligence, and the-our people are going to find out the truth. And the truth will say that this intelligence was good intelligence. There's no doubt in my mind." -Bush, July 17, 2003

To quote Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, "And I said on my program, if, if the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he had noth¬ing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again." -March 18, 2003

So, when the President says:

THE PRESIDENT: What we do know is that the Quds force was instrumental in providing these deadly IEDs to networks inside of Iraq. We know that. And we also know that the Quds force is a part of the Iranian government. That's a known. What we don't know is whether or not the head leaders of Iran ordered the Quds force to do what they did.

But here's my point: Either they knew or didn't know, and what matters is, is that they're there. What's worse, that the government knew or that the government didn't know?

Well, I still have to say: "Huh?"*


*and you really have to watch the video at that site to appreciate the fully surreal nature of that answer. But not to worry: David Broder assures us this means Bush is making a political comeback.