Going to War with Iraq

1. Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy January 2001 Saddam’s removal becomes top priority of Bush’s national security team. August 2001 Bush received a briefing with the title: “Bin Laden determined to strike in the U.S.”. September 11, 2001 Al Quaeda attacks the United States.- Within hours Donald Rumsfeld asks his aides to see whether or not the evidence is good enough to hit Saddam Hussein at the same time as Osama Bin Laden.

2. July 2002 Scott Ritter, former UN Chief Weapons Inspector, stated that “while we were never able to provide 100% certainty regarding the disposition of Iraq’s proscribed weaponry, we did ascertain a 90-95% level of verified disarmament.” Later he added that “the CIA knew this … and they definitely knew that Iraq represented a threat to no one when it came to weapons of mass destruction.” Still, the current government tried to sell the war to the American people. September 2002 Condoleezza Rice makes her infamous statement that “we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud" based on an alleged Iraqi purchase of uranium from Niger. Documents supporting this claim are later identified as forgeries.

3. November 2002 The UN Security Council passes UN Resolution 1441 designed to force Iraq to give up all weapons of mass destruction. In the following months weapons inspectors search throughout Iraq. January 2003 Hans Blix states that weapons inspectors had not “found any smoking guns”. President Bush repeats the false claim that Iraq tried to purchase uranium from Niger to develop nuclear bombs. February 2003 Colin Powell presents the government’s case for war at the UN and says that ”what we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence”.

4. March 17, 2003 George W. Bush states that “intelligence gathered by this government leaves no doubt that the Iraqi regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.” The UN weapons inspectors’ request that said intelligence be made available for verification went unanswered. Not able to persuade the Security Council that Iraq poses a threat, the US and the UK withdraw plans for a new UN resolution that would back military action. March 20, 2003 The United States and the United Kingdom attack Iraq in what will be known as “Operation Iraqi Freedom” (although it was almost called “Operation Iraqi Liberation” based on the act of 1998. Why the change? No weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) were ever found, but hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed.

5. Questions Who declared in 1992 that it was wise not to invade Baghdad and “get bogged down in the problems of trying to take over and govern Iraq”? Dick Cheney Who said in 2000 that “if we are an arrogant nation, they will resent us. If we are a humble nation, but strong, they will welcome us”? How many U.S. soldiers have died in the Iraq war thus far? George W. Bush About 4,500 as of January , 2012 How many U.S. soldiers have been maimed for the rest of their life? Perhaps up to 100,000? How much money has the war in Iraq cost us thus far? $ 802 billion and counting Last but not least, how many Iraqis have been killed in Gulf War I and II? We may never know, but estimates range from a minimum of 115,000 up to 750,000

6. So, why exactly DO we fight? Is this the “New American Century” American citizens can identify with? The Ground Truth? Wedding portrait of a Marine who had been burned severely over much of his body during his service in Iraq. The costs of geopolitics , lies, and the silence of nations of “patriotic” sheep …

7. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana