Thompson: Iraq Had WMD Before U.S. Invaded

Des Moines Register   |   October 1, 2007 02:51 PM


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Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson said today he was certain former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction prior to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, a point of contention in the 4.5 years since the war began.

"We can't forget the fact that although at a particular point in time we never found any WMD down there, he clearly had had WMD. He clearly had had the beginnings of a nuclear program," the former Tennessee senator told an audience of about 60 at a Newton cafe.

The question of whether Saddam had banned chemical and biological weapons, and plans to acquire nuclear weapons, has been the subject of intense debate in light of inspectors' failure to find such evidence since the war began.

Thompson made the statement while explaining why he felt the war was justified, despite the Bush administration's chief justification for the invasion turning out not to be verifiable.

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- zull2 I'm a Fan of zull2 38 fans permalink
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Wow. The only thing Thompson seems to be good at is tanking his campaign. Apparently, by not being in Iraq, and instead, hanging out in Hollywood, he thinks he knows more than the weapons inspectors that actually went over there.

The bottom line is that the only way a Republican is going to win in this election is if he admits the Iraq War was wrong, makes a big false show of "bringing accountable those who were responsible".

I guess if did, though, anyone could spot them for frauds. Well, unless they're actually a Libertarian running as a Republican in order to improve his chances of winning an election. Still, rock and a hard place, I guess.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:12 PM on 10/01/2007

IDIOT!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:06 PM on 10/01/2007

It is plain, now, why this man is the lazy candidate. He doesn't need policy statements, debate or discourse, because he plans to recycle the neocon lies.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:04 PM on 10/01/2007
- bar1ed I'm a Fan of bar1ed 3 fans permalink

Fred should get a job at FOX news !! this man is living in another world. " i can't remember this, and i don't know about that, they had this, but we didn't find this, this i remember, this and that, and that and this, who am i ???? " but some will vote for him. it's a funny world. Fred just doesn't know how dangerous it is, or maybe he just forgot !!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:02 PM on 10/01/2007

Fred, you've just opened your mouth and proven yourself to be a fool.
Strike 1: The UN weapons search teams found that there were ZERO WMDs, except in Saddam's imagination.
Strike 2: The war was not justified. It is an illegal war of aggression, armed robbery writ large. Those responsible are war criminals, period.
Strike 3: Fred, you want to be President of the USA or of Israel? USA 1st, 2nd and 3rd ONLY applicants need apply. You don't qualify. You're in AIPAC's pocket.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:55 PM on 10/01/2007
- marbiol I'm a Fan of marbiol 6 fans permalink

Are we revising what Congress AUTHORIZED...AND WHAT WAS ACTUALLY UNCOVERED??
Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq:

“Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 authorizes the use of all necessary means to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 660 and subsequent relevant resolutions and to compel Iraq to cease certain activities that threaten international peace and security, including the DEVELOPMENT of weapons of mass destruction and refusal or obstruction of United Nations weapons inspections in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, repression of its civilian population in violation of United Nations"

Duelfer Report "key findings" are CONSISTENT with what Congress sought to Prevent ---DEVELOPMENT of WMDs!!!”
[Husayn] …wanted to end sanctions while preserving the capability to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction when sanctions were lifted. … initiated most of the strategic thinking upon which decisions were made…maintaining WMD as a national strategic goal…; sought to balance the need to cooperate with UN inspections—with his intention to preserve Iraq’s intellectual capital for WMD…The Oil-For-Food program (OFF)… could … provide the means to enhance dual-use infrastructure and potential WMD-related development.

Saddam wanted to recreate Iraq’s WMD capability—which was essentially destroyed in 1991—after sanctions were removed

Ok--so we ONLY found 500 of the missing 600 mustard gas shells UNSCOM was UNABLE to locate with Saddam's "cooperation" and they did have Missile engines that were PROSCRIBED by the UN--they probably dont count. Mabe if we found that 1 gram [the size of a large vitamin capsule] of missing botulinum toxin [which could kill >40,000 people] we could admit he had a STOCKPILE of biological weapons???

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:51 PM on 10/01/2007
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I like it when folks yak up all the little details in defense of the administration when the administration didn't even do it themselves- like when Rick Santorum announced that the WMDs were found in Iraq (those rusty,musty mustard gas shells you refer to). What was the White House's response? They backed away from ol' Ricky like he was radioactive.
Your boy Cheney-as prez of Halliburto­n-advocate­d LIFTING the sanctions.
Both Powell and Rice BOTH said-pre-9/11-that Saddam was contained and was no threat.9/11 didn't change anything as far as Hussein was concerned.
Now go and tell someone who's lost family in Iraq that we stopped Hussein from getting nukes,and then tell them that we found the WMD,and show them a photo of the things you describe,and that's why their loved one is dead.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:25 AM on 10/02/2007
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Even the US-led inspection team that went in after the war started reported NO WMD's. And there hadn't been any for years. Saddam had NO chance of building a nuclear program because he had no access to fissionable materials. Sny program he might have had many years earlier had fallen into complete disuse. People like this dumb shit should not run for any public office, from dogcatcher on up, if they are this out of touch.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:53 PM on 10/01/2007
- Trittydi I'm a Fan of Trittydi 64 fans permalink
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Well Thompson didn't drink the kool-aid - but he's splashed a little on because he likes the smell during his public appearances.
*

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:42 PM on 10/01/2007

Dirty warmongering shavam.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:36 PM on 10/01/2007
- MoNut I'm a Fan of MoNut 9 fans permalink

Damned drunkard must've forgot to make sure he was walking out the door with the right script.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:33 PM on 10/01/2007
- jaschrod I'm a Fan of jaschrod 21 fans permalink

Ron Paul raised 1.2 million in just the last seven days. There seems to be a mini ground swell for him on the internet. He does not show up in the poll numbers because the polls are taken on land lines, and the internet people do not waste their time with land lines.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:29 PM on 10/01/2007
- Lisette I'm a Fan of Lisette 37 fans permalink
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Whaaaht!?

Who in the hell are the so called experts who tell this lame brain what to say.

Go away Fred you are as useless as t-ts on a bull.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:20 PM on 10/01/2007
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I'm sure Sen. Larry Craig would disagree.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:45 PM on 10/01/2007
- zendem1 I'm a Fan of zendem1 108 fans permalink

FRED STUMP SPEECH SCRIPT.READ NIGHTLY

"Well, now gosh golly dang, sure is good to be here at(insert name of place here)Ya'll like bar-b-q?(wait for applause)
Now, gosh darn it we need to cut taxes and reduce the size of gov'ment.(wait for applause)
And we need to make sure them thar terrorists don't be comin over here, snatchin yer babies. That's why our brave sons and daughters are fightin this crusade(Wait for applause)
Now, I'm not gonna take up no more of your time, cause gosh dang it, we all got work to do, and im a hard workin man who goes to church and likes to hunt,and likes Nascar, and ba'leeve all them criminals ought to be locked up. Thank you and good night"

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:00 PM on 10/01/2007
- greenmonk I'm a Fan of greenmonk 6 fans permalink
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The point that is missed in the "did he have WMD or not" debate, besides the underwhelming evidence that he did, is that even if he DID have a few chemical, biological, weapons left lying around from his glory days of the Iran/Iraq war, the US still did not have to invade!!!! They were contained, and they would have been contained until the weapons inspectors had found them, or found evidence they were properly destroyed.

Doesn't anyone remember that 65% if Americans were against this war BEFORE it started? That we had the largest protest in US history in NYC against the war (ignored by the MSM)

We were not being attacked nor could we be attacked by Iraq.

I fear that if Bush pulls a rabbit out of Iraq's hat and 'finds' the WMDs, all will be forgiven, at least in the MSM. As if that in itself was reason for all the murder and carnage and money, when the whole situation could have been solved at a gradual patient route. (That or pay Saddam 1 billion and kick him out of the country)

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:59 PM on 10/01/2007
- jaschrod I'm a Fan of jaschrod 21 fans permalink

Hans Blix, the UN weapons inspector said over and over that there were no WMDs in Iraq. The bush administration ignored him because they wanted to go into Iraq, plain, and clear. If WMDs are found now, they will have been planted by the bush administration.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:24 PM on 10/01/2007

Anyone STILL holding this BS line should have ALL voting Rights revoked with or without photo ID . . .

After all this time we can't find ANY WMDs, never will - no need to, ON TO IRAN - those dirty bastards are killing the flower of America's youth . . . crap, I hope the don't still an army and navy and missiles and . . .

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:59 PM on 10/01/2007
- nofltwlt I'm a Fan of nofltwlt 4 fans permalink

These guys never learn and now he is duck shit too.

There is no good GOP candidate for 2008 - thank God!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:58 PM on 10/01/2007


OH NO! There is ONE...Rooty Ghouliani. I'm fixing to plaster his stickers all over my truck, and here's why...

Go to HuffPo site about "Fundamentalists Meet to Consider Starting Third Party".
Even the idiot fundis have FINALLY figured out that Bush and Cheney screwed them, too, so now they're going to "mount" their own Turd Party candidate...if they can find one.

How about Jerry Falwell, "Dr." Dobson?
Oh, he's dead? Sooooooowhat?

Down with the Fundis! Vote for Ghouliani!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:49 PM on 10/01/2007

Or, just tell Repugs that Rooty's THE ONE.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:50 PM on 10/01/2007
- Ping I'm a Fan of Ping 63 fans permalink

He's talking to the same people who think that Saddam was responsible for 9-11. The same people who believe in creationism. The same people who think homosexuality can be cured. He's pandering to the extreme right wing of the party.

Personally I think he got in too late. Rudy looks like he has it locked up. Rudy vs Hillary and Rudy wins. Rudy vs Obama and Obama wins.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:56 PM on 10/01/2007
- dcazal01 I'm a Fan of dcazal01 9 fans permalink

Obama loses with either, Republicans are praying for Obama the fear machine will destroy him as soon as he is nominated the republican will swift boat him. Whites and Hispanics at least 3 out of 10 will not vote for a black candidate the republican candidate will appear as a gentelman defending Obama of racist attacks and smiling from inside. The worst candidate is Obama on the other hand Hillary will beat any as she did in republicans districts in NY.

Look at the polls of republicans they favor Obamma 26% and Richardson 22% then Eduards and last Hillary all my republicans friends want Obama to play the race card and it will work as always.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:31 PM on 10/01/2007
- Ping I'm a Fan of Ping 63 fans permalink

Obama is the candidate that most voters would like to have a beer with. Maybe all your friends want to vote for Obama, and they are just leaving you out of the loop.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:50 PM on 10/01/2007
- LIR I'm a Fan of LIR 21 fans permalink

How's that, Fred?
Another delusional neocon...hopeless!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:53 PM on 10/01/2007
- dcazal01 I'm a Fan of dcazal01 9 fans permalink

Fred is going to win the extreme right is against gulliani and this will open a door for Thomson the ultra conservatives are as bad for the republicans as the left is bad for us. The worst candidate for the republicans is Thomson and the worst for us is Obama the elections will be won or lost in the center is just demographics.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:35 PM on 10/01/2007
- Ping I'm a Fan of Ping 63 fans permalink

Look at the polls Thompson is a contender only in his own mind.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:51 PM on 10/01/2007
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