Lest We Forget
The Art of Lying
Video
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"
The Art of Lying
Video
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"
A History Of Lies: WMD, Who Said What and When ?
CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN TO ARI FLEISCHER
05/30/03
Intelligence leaves no doubt that Iraq continues to possess and conceal lethal weapons
George Bush, US President 18 March, 2003
Saddam's removal is necessary to eradicate the threat from his weapons of mass destruction
Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary 2 April, 2003
Before people crow about the absence of weapons of mass destruction, I suggest they wait a bit
Tony Blair 28 April, 2003
We are asked to accept Saddam decided to destroy those weapons. I say that such a claim is palpably absurd
Tony Blair, Prime Minister 18 March, 2003
It is possible Iraqi leaders decided they would destroy them prior to the conflict
Donald Rumsfeld, US Defense Secretary 28 May, 2003
Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.
Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.
If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world.
We know for a fact that there are weapons there.
Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.
We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more.
We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have.
So has the strategic decision been made to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction by the leadership in Baghdad? . . . I think our judgment has to be clearly not.
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.
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.
There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. And . . . as this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them.
I have no doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction.
One of our top objectives is to find and destroy the WMD. There are a number of sites.
We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.
Obviously the administration intends to publicize all the weapons of mass destruction U.S. forces find -- and there will be plenty.
I think you have always heard, and you continue to hear from officials, a measure of high confidence that, indeed, the weapons of mass destruction will be found.
We are learning more as we interrogate or have discussions with Iraqi scientists and people within the Iraqi structure, that perhaps he destroyed some, perhaps he dispersed some. And so we will find them.
There are people who in large measure have information that we need . . . so that we can track down the weapons of mass destruction in that country.
We'll find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so.
I'm absolutely sure that there are weapons of mass destruction there and the evidence will be forthcoming. We're just getting it just now.
We never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country.
I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam Hussein -- because he had a weapons program.
U.S. officials never expected that "we were going to open garages and find" weapons of mass destruction.
I just don't know whether it was all destroyed years ago -- I mean, there's no question that there were chemical weapons years ago -- whether they were destroyed right before the war, (or) whether they're still hidden.
Before the war, there's no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical. I expected them to be found. I still expect them to be found.
Given time, given the number of prisoners now that we're interrogating, I'm confident that we're going to find weapons of mass destruction.
They may have had time to destroy them, and I don't know the answer
For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction (as justification for invading Iraq) because it was the one reason everyone could agree on.
It was a surprise to me then — it remains a surprise to me now — that we have not uncovered weapons, as you say, in some of the forward dispersal sites. Believe me, it's not for lack of trying. We've been to virtually every ammunition supply point between the Kuwaiti border and Baghdad, but they're simply not there.
Lt. Gen. James Conway, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force
Press Interview
Press Interview