circa the Downing St. Minutes. (And Blair's answers are particularly interesting in that light.) Bush does mention freedom - in passing - but he has specific beefs with Mr. Hussein (from the Q&A):
Q ... I think what Europeans have a problem with about expanding any war on terror to Iraq is linkage. They can see a linkage between al Qaeda and Afghanistan. They can't see a direct linkage to Saddam Hussein.
Would you accept that there isn't a direct linkage and how, therefore --
THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I wouldn't accept that. But can't they see linkage between somebody who's willing to murder his own people and the danger of him possessing weapons of mass destruction, which he said he would not develop? I see the linkage between somebody who is willing to go into his own neighborhood and use chemical weapons in order to keep himself in power, and at the same time develop a weapon that could be aimed at Europe, aimed at Israel, aimed anywhere, in order to affect foreign policy through his -- you know, I can't imagine people not seeing the threat and not holding Saddam Hussein accountable for what he said he would do, and we're going to do that.
History has called us into action. The thing I admire about this Prime Minister is he doesn't need a poll or a focus group to convince him the difference between right and wrong. And it's refreshing to see leaders speak with moral clarity when it comes to the defense of
freedom. I intend to speak with clarity when it comes to
freedom, and I know Prime Minister Tony Blair does, as well. And we will hold Saddam Hussein accountable for broken promises. And that's what a lot of our discussion over there on Prairie Chapel Ranch has been about. And, other than eating lunch, which we're fixing to go do, we're going to continue our discussions.
...
Q Thank you. Mr. President, you have yet to build an international coalition for military action against Iraq. Has the violence in the Middle East thwarted your efforts? And Prime Minister Blair, has Bush convinced you on the need for a military action against Iraq?
THE PRESIDENT: Adam, the Prime Minister and I, of course, talked about Iraq. We both recognize the danger of a man who's willing to kill his own people harboring and developing weapons of mass destruction. This guy, Saddam Hussein, is a leader who gasses his own people, goes after people in his own neighborhood with weapons of -- chemical weapons. He's a man who obviously has something to hide.
He told the world that he would show us that he would not develop weapons of mass destruction and yet, over the past decade, he has refused to do so. And the Prime Minister and I both agree that he needs to prove that he isn't developing weapons of mass destruction.
I explained to the Prime Minister that the policy of my government is the removal of Saddam and that all options are on the table.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/04/20020406-3.htmlThis turkey wasn't flying so they had to hatch the yellowcake issue.
It was launched in the fall with Cheney, Rice and Judith Miller, and put in the SOTU in January of 2003.
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