Bush was required to link Saddam to 9-11 to get his war

[donkeyotay]

During the Q&A after the Cleveland speech, the president was asked about the reasons for going to war in Iraq and answered:


THE PRESIDENT: That's a great question. (Applause.) First, just if I might correct a misperception. I don't think we ever said -- at least I know I didn't say that there was a direct connection between September the 11th and Saddam Hussein. We did say that he was a state sponsor of terror -- by the way, not declared a state sponsor of terror by me, but declared by other administrations. We also did say that Zarqawi, the man who is now wreaking havoc and killing innocent life, was in Iraq. And so the state sponsor of terror was a declaration by a previous administration. But I don't want to be argumentative, but I was very careful never to say that Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks on America.

Like you, I asked that very same question, where did we go wrong on intelligence. The truth of the matter is the whole world thought that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. It wasn't just my administration, it was the previous administration. It wasn't just the previous administration; you might remember, sir, there was a Security Council vote of 15 to nothing that said to Saddam Hussein, disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. The basic premise was, you've got weapons. That's what we thought.

When he didn't disclose, and when he didn't disarm, and when he deceived inspectors, it sent a very disconcerting message to me, whose job it is to protect the American people and to take threats before they fully materialize. My view is, he was given the choice of whether or not he would face reprisal. It was his decision to make. And so he chose to not disclose, not disarm, as far as everybody was concerned.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060320/dcm067.html?.v=22 (from Bluebear's thread on chimpolini) http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x712584

And from Helen's close encounter with the preznit the next day we have this:

Q I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet -- your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth -- what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil -- quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?

THE PRESIDENT: I think your premise -- in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist -- is that -- I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect --

Q Everything --

THE PRESIDENT: Hold on for a second, please.

Q -- everything I've heard --

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me, excuse me. No President wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We -- when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.

Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq -- hold on for a second --

Q They didn't do anything to you, or to our country.

THE PRESIDENT: Look -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained --

Q I'm talking about Iraq --

THE PRESIDENT: Helen, excuse me. That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.

I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences --

Q -- go to war --

THE PRESIDENT: -- and therefore, we worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060321-4.html

The president has blamed previous administrations, bad intell, the inspectors, the UN, the Security Council, the Taliban and the ever-handy "everything's changed" for going to war in Iraq, but has not yet explained how he met the requirements in the congressional authorization to attack Iraq.

This is from the Oct. 16, 2002 authorization for force against Iraq:

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.
(a) AUTHORIZATION.

The President is authorized to use the
Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary
and appropriate in order to

(1) defend the national security of the United States against
the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and
(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council
resolutions regarding Iraq.

(b) PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION.
In connection with the exercise of the authority granted in subsection (a) to use force
the President shall, prior to such exercise or as soon thereafter as may be feasible, but no later than 48 hours after exercising such authority, make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that

(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic
or other peaceful means alone either (A) will not adequately
protect the national security of the United States against the
continuing threat posed by Iraq or (B) is not likely to lead
to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council
resolutions regarding Iraq; and
(2) acting pursuant to this joint resolution is consistent
with the United States and other countries continuing to take
the necessary actions against international terrorist and ter-rorist
organizations, including those nations, organizations, or
persons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the ter-rorist
attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

http://www.c-span.org/resources/pdf/hjres114.pdf

How did Iraq meet the "planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001?" requirement? The need to cover this was why the administration went to so much trouble to make the links. Yet now, the president tells us that "he was careful" NOT to say that.

[rodeodance]

1. yeah, and he again avoided responsibility by saying next pres. will have

to decide what to do with irag!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[peacebird]

2. unfortunately a lot of Americans appear more interested in him being

"decisive" and "taking action" than worrying about whether his action OUGHT to have been taken.

[donkeyotay]

3. True, and detailing another lie seems pointless, but this was a biggie

The congressional authorization he loves to tout REQUIRED that he show Iraq was connected to the Sept. 11th attacks. Yet, now he claims that he never made the connection. So which is it? Is he lying now or did he lie to the congress?

[donkeyotay]

4. The point is that bush admitted in public that he lied for this war

He was required to link Iraq to the terror attacks of Sept. 11th. He used some pretty tortured evidence to "make the case for war." Now he's out in public admitting that he never had a case for war. In fact, he's making it sound like he's the only person who didn't think there was a case... he just went along with everyone else who thought they saw something there. Innocent bystander again, just like on 9-11, just like for Katrina, and just like he is to the civil war in Iraq.