"Simply
stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass
destruction."
- Dick
Cheney, August 26 2002
"Right
now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the
production of biological weapons."
- George W.
Bush, September 12 2002
"If he
declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again
misleading the world."
- Ari
Fleischer, December 2 2002
"We
know for a fact that there are weapons there."
- Ari
Fleischer, January 9 2003
"Our
intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce
as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent."
- George W.
Bush, State of the Union address, January 28 2003
"We
know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction,
is determined to make more."
- Colin
Powell, February 5 2003
"We
have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field
commanders to use chemical weapons."
- George
Bush, February 8 2003
"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."
- George
Bush, March 17 2003
"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."
- Ari
Fleischer, March 21 2003
"There
is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass
destruction. As this operation continues, those weapons will be identified,
found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them."
- Gen. Tommy
Franks, March 22 2003
"We
know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and
Baghdad
and east, west, south and north somewhat."
- Donald
Rumsfeld, March 30 2003.
"Iraq
has trained Al Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases."
- Bush in
October 2002.
"Saddam
Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
- Bush in
January 2003 State of the Union address.
"Iraq
has also provided Al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training."
- Bush in
February 2003.
"…
sinister nexus between Iraq and the Al-Qaeda terrorist network."
Powell in
his U.N. speech prior to the Iraq War.
"We
have removed an ally of Al Qaeda."
Bush in May
2003.
Stated that
the Iraqis were "providing bomb-making expertise and advice to the Al Qaeda
organization."
- Cheney in
September 2003.
"Saddam
had an established relationship with Al Qaeda, providing training to Al Qaeda
members in the areas of poisons, gases, making conventional weapons."
- Cheney in
October 2003.
Cheney said
Saddam "had long established ties with Al Qaeda."
- June 14,
2004.
Bush said,
"The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and
Saddam and Al Qaeda, because there was a relationship between Iraq and Al
Qaeda."