Waxman's Iraq On The Record Database: Pre-War Bush Administration Statements
PR
On March 16th, 2004 The Commitee on Government Reform published a database called "Iraq On The Record," which featured 237 pre-war and post-war statements on Iraq from the five top members of the Bush Administration. Henry Waxman requested the report, and it was introduced on the website by saying:
many doubts have been raised regarding the Administration’s assertions about the threat posed by Iraq. Prior to the war in Iraq, the President and his advisors repeatedly claimed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction that jeopardized the security of the United States. The failure to discover these weapons after the war has led to questions about whether the President and his advisors were candid in describing Iraq’s threat.
Interestingly, this database was eventually taken offline, but it is still available here from the Internet Archive. (UPDATE: The database moved, and is actually still online here.)
I also reformated and archived all of the data into my 18,000-line timeline, and so I figured that I'd republish it here to have all of the statements in one location.
The footnotes explaining why each statement is misleading are linked at the bottom.
| Date | Name | Type | Quote | Footnote |
| 3/17/02 | Cheney | Chem/Bio | We know they have biological and chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 3/19/02 | Cheney | Chem/Bio | We know that they have chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 3/19/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | [W]e know they are pursuing nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 3/21/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | And [Arab nations] are as concerned as we are when they see . . . his pursuit of nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 3/24/02 | Cheney | Chem/Bio | [T]he notion of a Saddam Hussein with his great oil wealth, with his inventory that he already has of biological and chemical weapons . . . is, I think, a frightening proposition for anybody who thinks about it. | 1 |
| 3/24/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | The issue is that he's pursuing nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 3/24/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | This is a man of great evil, as the President said. And he is actively pursuing nuclear weapons at this time. | 3 |
| 4/3/02 | Powell | Nuclear | What we have said to our Arab friends is you may not see Saddam Hussein the same way we do, but you ought to, because those weapons of mass destruction that he is developing -- chemical, biological, nuclear -- they're more likely than not directed at one of you than us. | 8 |
| 5/19/02 | Cheney | Chem/Bio | We know he's got chemicals and biological [weapons] . . . | 1 |
| 5/19/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | [W]e know he's working on nuclear. | 3 |
| 5/22/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | [M]ost of them or some of them have very aggressive programs to develop nuclear weapons; certainly Iran does, certainly Iraq does, and there are others including North Korea. | 3 |
| 6/6/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | In Afghanistan we found confirmation that bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network were seriously interested in nuclear and radiological weapons, and in biological and chemical agents. We are especially concerned about any possible linkup between terrorists and regimes that have or seek weapons of mass destruction. In the case of Saddam Hussein, we have a dictator who is clearly pursuing these deadly capabilities. | 8 |
| 6/10/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | [T]hey have weaponized chemical weapons, we know that. | 1 |
| 6/13/02 | Powell | Nuclear | People should be nervous about the fact that there is a country such as Iraq with all that wealth available to it through oil, that is using that wealth to develop chemical, biological and even nuclear weapons, if they could get their hands on them, in order to threaten innocent people throughout the Persian Gulf region, and in due course perhaps even threaten us here, this far away. | 8 |
| 7/19/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | We have already found confirmation that the al-Qaeda terrorists are seriously interested in nuclear and radiological weapons, and in biological and chemical agents. At the same time, there is a danger of terror groups joining together with regimes that have or are seeking to build weapons of mass destruction. In the case of Saddam Hussein, we have a dictator who is clearly pursuing these capabilities -- and has used them, both in his war against Iran and against his own people. | 8 |
| 8/7/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | What we know now, from various sources, is that he has continued to improve the, if you can put it in those terms, the capabilities of his nuclear . . . and he continues to pursue a nuclear weapon. | 3 |
| 8/26/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | But we now know that Saddam has resumed his efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 8/26/02 | Cheney | Urgent | Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us. | 5 |
| 8/26/02 | Cheney | Al Qaeda | As former Secretary of State Kissinger recently stated: The imminence of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the huge dangers it involves, the rejection of a viable inspection system, and the demonstrated hostility of Saddam Hussein combine to produce an imperative for preemptive action." If the United States could have preempted 9/11, we would have, no question. Should we be able to prevent another, much more devastating attack, we will, no question. This nation will not live at the mercy of terrorists or terror regimes." | 32 |
| 8/29/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | On the nuclear question, many of us are convinced that Saddam will acquire such weapons fairly soon. | 3 |
| 8/29/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | [T]hey continue to pursue an aggressive nuclear weapons program. | 3 |
| 9/8/02 | Powell | Chem/Bio | There is no doubt that he has chemical weapons stocks. | 1 |
| 9/8/02 | Powell | Chem/Bio | We destroyed some after the Gulf War with the inspection regime, but there is no doubt in our mind that he still has chemical weapons stocks and he has the capacity to produce more chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 9/8/02 | Powell | Chem/Bio | QUESTION: I want to get to all that, but still a couple more questions on his capabilities. If he were able to deploy right now his chemical and biological stocks, how many people could he kill? SECRETARY POWELL: I don't know. It depends on how he deployed them, where he deployed them. Chemical weapons are different from biological weapons. And let's just recognize the fact that he has them, he has used them before, and he has killed thousands of people in their use. | 1 |
| 9/8/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | [H]e is, in fact, actively and aggressively seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 9/8/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | But we do know, with absolute certainty, that he is using his procurement system to acquire the equipment he needs in order to enrich uranium to build a nuclear weapon. | 3 |
| 9/8/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | QUESTION: So Saddam's more dangerous than North Korea or Iran? VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: I think so because of his past practice and because we believe that he is a danger, a fundamental danger, not only for the region but potentially the United States, as well. And I say, a lot of that is based on the evidence that's now available, that he is working actively to improve his . . . nuclear weapons program. | 3 |
| 9/8/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | Now, the more recent developments have to do with our now being able to conclude, based on intelligence that's becoming available . . . that he has reconstituted his nuclear program to develop a nuclear weapon, that there are efforts under way inside Iraq to significantly expand his capability. | 3 |
| 9/8/02 | Powell | Nuclear | With respect to nuclear weapons, we are quite confident that he continues to try to pursue the technology that would allow him to develop a nuclear weapon. | 3 |
| 9/8/02 | Rice | Nuclear | We do know that he is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. | 3 |
| 9/8/02 | Rice | Nuclear | We know that he has the infrastructure, nuclear scientists to make a nuclear weapon. | 3 |
| 9/8/02 | Cheney | Al Qaeda | VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Well, I want to be very careful about how I say this. I'm not here today to make a specific allegation that Iraq was somehow responsible for 9/11. I can't say that. On the other hand, . . . new information has come to light. And we spent time looking at that relationship between Iraq, on the one hand, and the al-Qaeda organization on the other. And there has been reporting that suggests that there have been a number of contacts over the years. . . . There is -- again, I want to separate out 9/11, from the other relationships between Iraq and the al-Qaeda organization. But there is a pattern of relationships going back many years. And in terms of exchanges and in terms of people, we've had recently since the operations in Afghanistan -- we've seen al-Qaeda members operating physically in Iraq and off the territory of Iraq. . . . QUESTION: But no direct link? VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: I can't -- I'll leave it right where it's at. I don't want to go beyond that. I've tried to be cautious and restrained in my comments. | 4 |
| 9/8/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | I don't want to talk about, obviously, specific intelligence sources, but it's now public that, in fact, he has been seeking to acquire, and we have been able to intercept and prevent him from acquiring through this particular channel, the kinds of tubes that are necessary to build a centrifuge. And the centrifuge is required to take low-grade uranium and enhance it into highly enriched uranium, which is what you have to have in order to build a bomb. | 6 |
| 9/8/02 | Cheney | Nuclear | VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: And what we've seen recently that has raised our level of concern to the current state of unrest, if you will, if I can put it in those terms, is that he now is trying, through his illicit procurement network, to acquire the equipment he needs to be able to enrich uranium to make the bombs. QUESTION: Aluminum tubes. VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Specifically aluminum tubes. | 6 |
| 9/8/02 | Powell | Chem/Bio | SECRETARY POWELL: We know that he has been working hard on developing a means to disseminate those [chemical and biological] weapons. He had artillery, he had rockets, and I'm sure he is looking at other technologies. We have evidence that he has been looking at aerial vehicles. QUESTION: Drones? SECRETARY POWELL: Drones. | 41 |
| 9/8/02 | Rice | Nuclear | We do know that there have been shipments going . . . into Iraq . . . of aluminum tubes that really are only suited to -- high-quality aluminum tools [sic] that are only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs. | 50 |
| 9/8/02 | Rice | Nuclear | The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud. | 54 |
| 9/8/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | The problem with that is the way one gains absolutely certainty as to whether a dicatator like Saddam Hussein has nuclear weapons is if he uses it, and that's a little late. | 60 |
| 9/12/02 | Bush | Urgent | The history, the logic, and the facts lead to one conclusion: Saddam Hussein's regime is a grave and gathering danger. To suggest otherwise is to hope against the evidence. To assume this regime's good faith is to bet the lives of millions and the peace of the world in a reckless gamble. And this is a risk we must not take. | 5 |
| 9/12/02 | Bush | Nuclear | Iraq has made several attempts to buy high-strength aluminum tubes used to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapon. | 6 |
| 9/12/02 | Bush | Nuclear | Should Iraq acquire fissile material, it would be able to build a nuclear weapon within a year. | 10 |
| 9/12/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | With every step the Iraqi regime takes toward gaining and deploying the most terrible weapons, our own options to confront that regime will narrow. And if an emboldened regime were to supply these weapons to terrorist allies, then the attacks of September the 11th would be a prelude to far greater horrors. | 25 |
| 9/12/02 | Bush | Nuclear | The first time we may be completely certain he has a --nuclear weapon is when, God forbids, he uses one. | 28 |
| 9/15/02 | Rice | Al Qaeda | MS. RICE: There is plenty to indict Saddam Hussein without a direct link to 9/11. He clearly has links to terrorism. QUESTION: All right. And links to terrorism would include al Qaeda? I just want to be certain. MS. RICE: Links to terrorism would include al Qaeda, yes. | 51 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | We do know that the Iraqi regime currently has chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. | 1 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | His regime has amassed large clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons, including VX and sarin and mustard gas. | 1 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | But I can say obviously that they have had an enormous appetite for weapons, biological and chemical weapons. They've taken these capabilities and weaponized them. They are continuing to do so today. | 1 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | And he has biological and chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | He has, at this moment, stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. | 1 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | [W]e do know they're currently pursuing nuclear weapons, that they have a proven willingness to use those weapons at their disposal. | 3 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | His regime has an active program to acquire and develop nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | And he is agressively pursuing nuclear weapons. The region knows that. | 3 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Al Qaeda | It is the nexus between an Al-Qaeda type network and other terrorist network and a terrorist state like Saddam Hussein who has that weapons of mass destruction. As we sit here, there are senior Al-Qaeda in Iraq. They are there. | 7 |
| 9/18/02 | Rumsfeld | Al Qaeda | Well, there's no question but that Iraq has relationships with countries that are on the terrorist list. They also have relations with terrorist networks. They also have al Qaeda currently in the country, among other -- Abu Nidal just, they say, committed suicide with four or five slugs to the head; that's a hard thing to do -- but he was in Iraq. So there's no question about those relationships. | 7 |
| 9/19/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | He's amassed large, clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons, including VX, sarin and mustard gas. | 1 |
| 9/19/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | He has stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. | 1 |
| 9/19/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | We do know that the Iraqi regime has chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. | 1 |
| 9/19/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | He . . . is aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 9/19/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | We do know that the Iraqi regime . . . they're pursuing nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 9/19/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | His regime has an active program to aquire nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 9/19/02 | Rumsfeld | Urgent | [N]o terrorist state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people than the regime of Saddam Hussein and Iraq. | 5 |
| 9/19/02 | Rumsfeld | Al Qaeda | Iraq is part of the global war on terror. Stopping terrorist regimes from acquiring weapons of mass destruction is a key objective of that war, and we can fight the various elements of the global war on terror simultaneously, as General Myers will indicate in his remarks. A principle goal in the war on terror is to prevent another September 11th or a weapons of mass destruction attack that could make September 11th seem modest by comparison, and to do it before it happens. | 11 |
| 9/26/02 | Bush | Nuclear | The regime is seeking a nuclear bomb, and with fissile material, could build one within a year. | 10 |
| 9/26/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | The Iraqi regime possesses biological and chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 9/26/02 | Rumsfeld | Al Qaeda | Since we began after September 11th, we do have solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of al Qaeda members, including some that have been in Baghdad. We have what we consider to be very reliable reporting of senior-level contacts going back a decade, and of possible chemical- and biological-agent training. And when I say contacts, I mean between Iraq and al Qaeda. The reports of these contacts have been increasing since 1998. We have what we believe to be credible information that Iraq and al Qaeda have discussed safe haven opportunities in Iraq, reciprocal non-aggression discussions. We have what we consider to be credible evidence that al Qaeda leaders have sought contacts in Iraq who could help them acquire weapon of -- weapons of mass destruction capabilities. We do have -- I believe it's one report indicating that Iraq provided unspecified training relating to chemical and/or biological matters for al Qaeda members. There is, I'm told, also some other information of varying degrees of reliability that supoprts that conclusion of their cooperation. | 57 |
| 9/27/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | They have amassed large clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons including VX and sarin and mustard gas. | 1 |
| 9/27/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | Second, they question . . . what is the proof that Iraq has nuclear weapons? Where's the smoking gun? . . . But if you think about it, the last thing we should want is a smoking gun. A gun doesn't smoke until it has been fired and the goal has to be to stop such an attack before it starts. As the President told the United Nations, 'The first time we may be completely certain that a terrorist has nuclear weapons is when, God forbid,' he said, 'they use one.' | 3 |
| 9/27/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | His regime has an active program to acquire and develop nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 9/28/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | The Iraqi regime possesses biological and chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 9/28/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | The regime has longstanding and continuing ties to terrorist groups, and there are Al Qaida terrorists inside Iraq. | 7 |
| 10/2/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | We know the designs of the Iraqi regime. In defiance of pledges to the U.N., it has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 10/2/02 | Bush | Urgent | On its present course, the Iraqi regime is a threat of unique urgency. . . . it has developed weapons of mass death. | 5 |
| 10/2/02 | Bush | Nuclear | The regime has the scientists and facilities to build nuclear weapons, and is seeking the materials needed to do so. | 3 |
| 10/5/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | In defiance of the United Nations, Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons. | 1 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | And surveillance photos reveal that the regime is rebuilding facilities that it had used to produced chemical and biological weapons. Yet Saddam Hussein has chosen to build and keep these weapons despite international sanctions, U.N. demands, and isolation from the civilized world. | 1 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | After eleven years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more. | 1 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | [Iraq] possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. | 1 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Nuclear | The Iraqi regime . . . is seeking nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Nuclear | Saddam Hussein . . . is moving ever closer to developing a nuclear weapon. | 3 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Nuclear | Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. | 6 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Nuclear | If the Iraq regime is able to produce, buy, or steal an amount of highly enriched uranium a little larger than a single softball, it could have a nuclear weapon in less than one year. | 10 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | We know that Iraq and al Qaeda have had high-level contacts that go back a decade. Some al Qaeda leaders who fled Afghanistan went to Iraq. These include one very senior al Qaeda leader who received medical treatment in Baghdad this year, and who has been associated with planning for chemical and biological attacks. We've learned that Iraq has trained al Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases. | 9 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We are concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVs for missions targeting the United States. | 22 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | In 1995, after several years of deceit by the Iraqi regime, the head of Iraq's military industries defected. It was then that the regime was forced to admit that it had produced more than 30,000 liters of anthrax and other deadly biological agents. The inspectors, however, concluded that Iraq had likely produced two to four times that amount. This is a massive stockpile of biological weapons that has never been accounted for, and capable of killing millions. | 23 |
| 10/7/02 | Bush | Nuclear | Knowing these realities, America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof - the smoking gun - that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. | 29 |
| 10/9/02 | Powell | Chem/Bio | We do know that he has stocks of biological weapons, chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 10/14/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | And I also mentioned the fact that there is a connection between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. | 7 |
| 10/22/02 | Powell | Chem/Bio | They have chemical weapons; they have biological weapons; they're trying to acquire nuclear weapons. | 1 |
| 10/22/02 | Powell | Nuclear | [T]hey're trying to acquire nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 10/28/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | This [Saddam Hussein] is a person who has had contacts with al Qaeda. | 7 |
| 10/30/02 | Powell | Urgent | But the President also believes that this problem has to be dealt with, and if the United Nations won't deal with it, then the United States, with other likeminded nations, may have to deal with it. We would prefer not to go that route, but the danger is so great, with respect to Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction, and perhaps even terrorists getting hold of such weapons, that it is time for the international community to act, and if it doesn't act, the President is prepared to act with likeminded nations. | 5 |
| 11/3/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | [Saddam Hussein is] a man who not only has chemical weapons, but he has used chemical weapons against some of his neighbors. | 1 |
| 11/3/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | Saddam Hussein is a man who told the world he wouldn't have weapons of mass destruction, but he's got them . . . . And not only that, [he would] like nothing more than to hook up with one of these shadowy terrorist networks like Al Qaeda, provide some weapons and training to them, let them come do his dirty work, and we wouldn't be able to see his fingerprints on his action. | 24 |
| 11/4/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | We not only know he's got chemical weapons, but incredibly enough he's used chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 11/4/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | He said he wouldn't have chemical weapons, he's got them. | 1 |
| 11/4/02 | Bush | Chem/Bio | Not only has he got chemical weapons, but I want you to remember, he's used chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 11/4/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | It's a man who has got connections with Al Qaida. Imagine a terrorist network with Iraq as an arsenal and as a training ground, so that a Saddam Hussein could use this shadowy group of people to attack his enemy and leave no fingerprint behind. He's a threat. | 4 |
| 11/4/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | This is a man who has had Al Qaida connections. I want you to think about a scenario in which he becomes the arsenal and the training grounds for shadowy terrorists so that he can attack somebody who (sic) hates and not leave any fingerprints behind. He is a threat. | 7 |
| 11/4/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | He's had contacts with Al Qaida. Imagine the scenario where an Al Qaida-type organization uses Iraq as an arsenal, a place to get weapons, a place to be trained to use the weapons. Saddam Hussein could use surrogates to come and attack people he hates. | 4 |
| 11/7/02 | Bush | Al Qaeda | He's a threat because he is dealing with Al Qaida. In my Cincinnati speech I reminded the American people, a true threat facing our country is that an Al Qaida-type network trained and armed by Saddam could attack America and leave not one fingerprint. | 4 |
| 11/10/02 | Powell | Nuclear | During the four years since inspectors have been barred from Iraq, Hussein has done everything he can to acquire and develop more weapons of mass destruction -- whether biological, chemical or nuclear. He has no scruples about using the weapons that he possesses or about providing them to terrorists should that suit his interests. | 8 |
| 11/14/02 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | Well, we know that Saddam Hussein has chemical and biological weapons. | 1 |
| 11/14/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | And we know that he has an active program for the development of nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 11/14/02 | Rumsfeld | Al Qaeda | [T]here is no question but that there have been interactions between the Iraqi government, Iraqi officials, and al-Qaeda operatives. They have occurred over a span of some eight or ten years to our knowledge. There are currently al-Qaeda in Iraq. | 4 |
| 11/14/02 | Rumsfeld | Urgent | Now, transport yourself forward a year, two years, or a week, or a month, and if Saddam Hussein were to take his weapons of mass destruction and transfer them, either use himself, or transfer them to the Al-Qaeda, and somehow the Al-Qaeda were to engage in an attack on the United States, or an attack on U.S. forces overseas, with a weapon of mass destruction you're not talking about 300, or 3,000 people potentially being killed, but 30,000, or 100,000 . . . human beings. | 62 |
| 11/20/02 | Bush | Urgent | Today the world is also uniting to answer the unique and urgent threat posed by Iraq. A dictator who has used weapons of mass destruction on his own people must not be allowed to produce or possess those weapons. We will not permit Saddam Hussein to blackmail and/or terrorize nations which love freedom. | 5 |
| 12/2/02 | Cheney | Al Qaeda | His regime has had high-level contacts with al Qaeda going back a decade and has provided training to al Qaeda terrorists. | 4 |
| 12/2/02 | Cheney | Al Qaeda | There is also a grave danger that al Qaeda or other terrorists will join with outlaw regimes that have these weapons to attack their common enemy, the United States of America. That is why confronting the threat posed by Iraq is not a distraction from the war on terror. | 35 |
| 12/3/02 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, the United States has categorically said that Iraq has an active . . . nuclear weapons program. SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Because they do. | 3 |
| 12/19/02 | Powell | Nuclear | We also know that Iraq has tried to obtain high-strength aluminum tubes which can be used to enrich uranium in centrifuges for a nuclear weapons program. | 6 |
| 1/7/03 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | The problem with Iraq is chemical or biological weapons today . . . . | 1 |
| 1/20/03 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | Saddam Hussein possesses chemical and biological weapons. | 1 |
| 1/20/03 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | And he has an active program to acquire and develop nuclear weapons. | 3 |
| 1/20/03 | Rumsfeld | Urgent | Saddam Hussein's regime is a grave and gathering danger. It's a danger to its neighbors, to the United States, to the Middle East and to the international peace and stability. It's a danger we cannot ignore. | 5 |
| 1/20/03 | Rumsfeld | Urgent | Iraq poses a threat to the security of our people and to the stability of the world that is distinct from any other. | 5 |
| 1/20/03 | Bush | Nuclear | The [Iraqi] report also failed to deal with issues which have arisen since 1998, including: . . . attempts to acquire uranium and the means to enrich it. | 13 |
| 1/23/03 | Rice | Nuclear | For example, the declaration fails to account for or explain Iraq’s efforts to get uranium from abroad . . . | 13 |
| 1/26/03 | Powell | Al Qaeda | QUESTION: You referred in your speech to the links between al-Qaida and Iraq. Now, even some of our secret service chiefs say publicly there is no evidence of that. SECRETARY POWELL: We do have evidence of it. We are not suggesting that there is a 9/11 link, but we are suggesting -- we do have evidence -- of connections over the years between Iraq and al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations. | 4 |
| 1/26/03 | Powell | Nuclear | Why is Iraq still trying to procure uranium and the special equipment needed to transform it into material for nuclear weapons? | 13 |
| 1/26/03 | Powell | Al Qaeda | The more we wait, the more chance there is for this dictator with clear ties to terrorist groups, including al-Qaida, more time for him to pass a weapon, share a technology, or use these weapons again. | 42 |
| 1/27/03 | Powell | Al Qaeda | QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you have spoken, in Davos most recently, about a connection between Iraq and terrorist groups, including al Qaida. Are you saying there is evidence that that has happened in the past, or is there evidence currently that there's still a connection? SECRETARY POWELL: I think we have said consistently all along, through last fall and into this year, that we have seen contacts and connections between the Iraqi regime and terrorist organizations, to include al Qaida. As we have been able to focus on this more and look back in time, I think we're more confident of that assessment and we see no reason not to believe that such contacts and the presence of al Qaida elements or individuals in Iraq is a reasonable assumption, and we have some basis for that assumption. | 4 |
| 1/28/03 | Bush | Nuclear | Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production. | 6 |
| 1/28/03 | Bush | Nuclear | The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. | 14 |
| 1/28/03 | Bush | Al Qaeda | Before September the 11th, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents, lethal viruses, and shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained. Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other planes -- this time armed by Saddam Hussein. It would take one vial, one canister, one crate slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have ever known. | 26 |
| 1/28/03 | Bush | Al Qaeda | Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. Secretly, and without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help develop their own. | 27 |
| 1/29/03 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | You have a country that is out in the world buying things that are necessary for the development and progress in their . . . nuclear programs. | 3 |
| 1/29/03 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | His regime has the design for a nuclear weapon, was working on several different methods of enriching uranium . . . . | 3 |
| 1/29/03 | Powell | Al Qaeda | QUESTION: What have you got on the other front linking Iraq with al Qaida and Usama bin Laden? POWELL: We do have information that suggests that there have been links over the years, and continue to be links, between the Iraqi Government and al Qaida. And the more we look at this the more we are able to look back in time and connect things with people who have come into our custody and other information has become available to us. It's clear that there is a link. | 4 |
| 1/29/03 | Powell | Nuclear | I hope that you will understand, as we believe we understand, that this is a danger, a danger to the world, for this kind of regime and this kind of man, Saddam Hussein, to continue to develop weapons of mass destruction--chemical weapons, biological weapons, nuclear weapons. | 8 |
| 1/29/03 | Powell | Nuclear | And we will also put forward additional information that will substantiate the claim that they do have programs to develop chemical and biological weapons, as well as nuclear weapons. | 8 |
| 1/29/03 | Rumsfeld | Al Qaeda | The regime plays host to terrorists, including Al Qaida, as the president indicated. | 9 |
| 1/29/03 | Rumsfeld | Nuclear | His regime has the design for a nuclear weapon, was working on several different methods of enriching uranium, and recently was discovered seeking significant quantities of uranium from Africa. | 56 |
| 1/30/03 | Cheney | Al Qaeda | His regime aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us. | 34 |
| 2/3/03 | Powell | Al Qaeda | And, perhaps most critically, the President confirmed that Iraq has open channels and ties to terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda. | 4 |
| 2/4/03 | Rumsfeld | Al Qaeda | QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, today in a broadcast interview Saddam Hussein said: There is only one truth, Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction whatsoever." And he went on to say, "I would like to tell you directly we have no relationship with Al Qaida." SECRETARY RUMSFELD: And Abraham Lincoln was short." | 4 |
| 2/5/03 | Powell | Chem/Bio | How do I know that? How can I say that? Let me give you a closer look. Look at the image on the left. On the left is a close-up of one of the four chemical bunkers. The two arrows indicate the presence of sure signs that the bunkers are storing chemical munitions. | 1 |
| 2/5/03 | Powell | Chem/Bio | Saddam Hussein has chemical weapons. | 1 |
| 2/5/03 | Powell | Nuclear | [H]e has made repeated covert attempts to aquire high-specification aluminum tubes from 11 different countries, even after inspections resumed. These tubes are controlled by the Nuclear Suppliers Group precisely because they can be used as centrifuges for enriching uranium. By now, just about everyone has heard of these tubes and we all know that there are differences of opinion. There is controversy about what these tubes are for. Most US experts think they are intended to serve as rotors in centrifuges used to enrich uranium. | 6 |
| 2/5/03 | Rice | Al Qaeda | QUESTION: Is there any question in your mind about the al Qaeda connection? Did Powell totally convince people today in that area? RICE: There is no question in my mind about the al Qaeda connection. It is a connection that has unfolded, that we're learning more about as we are able to take the testimony of detainees, people who were high up in the al Qaeda organization. And what emerges is a picture of a Saddam Hussein who became impressed with what al Qaeda did after it bombed our embassies in 1998 in Kenya and Tanzania, began to give them assistance in chemical and biological weapons, something that they were having trouble achieving on their own, that harbored a terrorist network under this man Zarqawi, despite the fact that Saddam Hussein was told that Zarqawi was there. | 9 |
| 2/5/03 | Powell | Al Qaeda | But what I want to bring to your attention today is the potentially much more sinister nexus between Iraq and the Al Qaeda terrorist network, a nexus that combines classic terrorist organizations and modern methods of murder. Iraq today harbors a deadly terrorist network headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi an associate and collaborator of Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaida lieutenants. . . . From his terrorist network in Iraq, Zarqawi can direct his network in the Middle East and beyond. . . . We are not surprised that Iraq is harboring Zarqawi and his subordinates. This understanding builds on decades-long experience with respect to ties between Iraq and al-Qaida. . . . A detained al-Qaida member tells us that Saddam was more willing to assist al-Qaida after the 1998 bombings of our embassies . . . . Some believe, some claim, these contacts do not amount to much. They say Saddam Hussein's secular tyranny and al-Qaida's religious tyranny do not mix. I am not comforted by this thought. Ambition and hatred are enough to bring Iraq and al-Qaida together, enough so al-Qaida could learn how to build more sophisticated bombs and learn how to forge documents, and enough so that al-Qaida could turn to Iraq for help in acquiring expertise on weapons of mass destruction. | 38 |
| 2/5/03 | Powell | Chem/Bio | Now, umanned aerial vehicles, UAVs. Iraq has been working on a variety of UAVs for more than a decade. This is just illustrative of what a UAV would look like. This effort has included attempts to modify for unmanned flight the MiG-21 and, with greater success, an aircraft called the L-29. However, Iraq is now concentrating not on these airplanes but on developing and testing smaller UAVs such as this. UAVs are well suited for dispensing chemical and biological weapons. There is ample evidence that Iraq has dedicated much effort to developing and testing spray devices that could be adapted for UAVs. | 39 |
| 2/5/03 | Powell | Chem/Bio | Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agent. That is enough agent to fill 16,000 battlefield rockets. Even the low end of 100 tons of agent would enable Saddam Hussein to cause mass casualties across more than 100 square miles of territory, an area nearly five times the size of Manhattan. | 40 |
| 2/6/03 | Bush | Al Qaeda | Saddam Hussein has longstanding, direct and continuing ties to terrorist networks. Senior members of Iraqi intelligence and al Qaeda have met at least eight times since the early 1990s. Iraq has sent bomb-making and document forgery experts to work with al Qaeda. Iraq has also provided al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training. We also know that Iraq is harboring a terrorist network, headed by a senior al Qaeda terrorist planner. | 9 |
| 2/6/03 | Bush | Al Qaeda | And the United States, along with a growing coalition of nations, is resolved to take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves and disarm the Iraqi regime. September the 11th, 2001, the American people saw what terrorists could do by turning four airplanes into weapons. We will not wait to see what terrorists or terrorist states could do with chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. | 19 |
| 2/6/03 | Bush | Chem/Bio | All the world has now seen the footage of an Iraqi Mirage aircraft with a fuel tank modified to spray biological agents over wide areas. Iraq has developed spray devices that could be used on unmanned aerial vehicals with ranges far beyond what is permitted by the Security Council. A UAV launched from a vessel off the American coast could reach hundreds of miles inland. | 21 |
| 2/8/03 | Bush | Al Qaeda | One of the greatest dangers we face is that weapons of mass destruction might be passed to terrorists who would not hesitate to use those weapons. Saddam Hussein has longstanding, direct and continuing ties to terrorist networks. Senior members of Iraq intelligence and al Qaeda have met at least eight times since the early 1990s. Iraq has sent bomb-making and document forgery experts to work with al Qaeda. Iraq has also provided al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training. And an al Qaeda operative was sent to Iraq several times in the late 1990s for help in aquiring poisons and gases. We also know that Iraq is harboring a terrorist network headed by a senior al Qaeda terrorist planner. | 20 |
| 2/16/03 | Rice | Al Qaeda | Well, we are, of course, continually learning more about these links between Iraq and al Qaeda, and there is evidence that Secretary Powell did not have the time to talk about. But the core of the story is there in what Secretary Powell talked about. This poisons network with at least two dozen of its operatives operating in Baghdad, a man who is spreading poisons now throughout Europe and into Russia, a man who got medical care in Baghdad despite the fact that the Iraqis were asked to turn him over, training in biological and chemical weapons. | 4 |
| 2/25/03 | Bush | Urgent | But the risk of doing nothing, the risk of the security of this country being jeopardized at the hands of a madman with weapons of mass destruction far exceeds the risks of any action we may be forced to take. | 5 |
| 2/25/03 | Rumsfeld | Chem/Bio | QUESTION: There've been a lot of reports . . . In regard to these . . . very small aircraft, that potentially could deliver biological things. . . SECRETARY RUMSFELD: They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and capabilities. They are perfectly capable of being equipped with spraying and aerosol-type capabilities. Today with global positi |