Bush Administration Statements on Iraq's Prohibited Weapons
Vice President Dick Cheney
August 26, 2002
Veterans Of Foreign Wars 103rd National Convention
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. And there is no doubt that his aggressive regional ambitions will lead him into future confrontations with his neighbors-confrontations that will involve both the weapons he has today, and the ones he will continue to develop with his oil wealth.
President George W. Bush
October 7, 2002
Cincinnati, OH
possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons. It has given shelter and support to terrorism, and practices terror against its own people…While there are many dangers in the world, the threat from Iraq stands alone because it gathers the most serious dangers of our age in one place…The danger is already significant, and it only grows worse with time. If we know Saddam Hussein has dangerous weapons today-and we do-does it make any sense for the world to wait to confront him as he grows even stronger and develops even more dangerous weapons?…Saddam Hussein is harboring terrorists and the instruments of terror, the instruments of mass death and destruction. And he cannot be trusted. The risk is simply too great that he will use them or provide them to a terror network…America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of our peril, we cannot wait for the final proof-the smoking gun-that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.
Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton
November 1, 2002
Speech to the Hudson Institute
Iraq, despite U.N. sanctions, maintains an aggressive program to rebuild the infrastructure for its nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile programs. In each instance, Iraq's procurement agents are actively working to obtain both weapons-specific and dual-use materials and technologies critical to their rebuilding and expansion efforts, using front companies and whatever illicit means are at hand. We estimate that once Iraq acquires fissile material-whether from a foreign source or by securing the materials to build an indigenous fissile material capability-it could fabricate a nuclear weapon within one year. It has rebuilt its civilian chemical infrastructure and renewed production of chemical warfare agents, probably including mustard, sarin and VX. It actively maintains all key aspects of its offensive BW program.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
January 15, 2003
Defense Department Briefing
The intelligence community of the United States of America has assessed not that they have nuclear weapons, but that they have an active, ongoing nuclear program. That's public. There's an NIE, a National Intelligence Estimate, on that. And if it weren't public, it now is. They have assessed that they have chemical and biological weapons.
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http://www.armscontrol.org/pressroom/2003/adminstmtsiraq_july03.asp
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