#saddam

But there is scant evidence to tie Saddam to terrorist organizations, and even less to the Sept. 11 attacks. ↗

— Brent Scowcroft

#even #evidence #less #organizations #saddam

It is beyond dispute that Saddam Hussein is a menace. ↗

— Brent Scowcroft

#dispute #hussein #menace #saddam #saddam hussein

My point was that removing Saddam should not have been our highest priority. Fighting terrorism should have been our number one concern, followed by the Palestinian peace process. ↗

— Brent Scowcroft

#concern #fighting #followed #highest #highest priority

Saddam is a familiar dictatorial aggressor, with traditional goals for his aggression. ↗

— Brent Scowcroft

#aggressor #dictatorial #familiar #goals #his

To sum up, the position we took was that since we didn't know the internal situation in Iraq nor Saddam Hussein, that our best bet was to take counsel from the people who did know him and who did deal with him. ↗

— Brent Scowcroft

#bet #counsel #deal #did #him

I, for one, begin with intent. There is no question that, Saddam Hussein had intent to do harm to the Western alliance and to the United States of America. ↗

— Tommy Franks

#america #begin #had #harm #hussein

Once it was suggested that Saddam Hussein might give his weaponry to terrorists, or might use weapons himself in the region, then it became hard for the Democrats to say, 'Well, that can't happen.' ↗

— Chris Matthews

#democrats #give #happen #hard #himself

I got hold of a copy of the video that showed how Saddam Hussein had actually confirmed himself in power. This snuff-movie opens with a plenary session of the Ba'ath Party central committee: perhaps a hundred men. Suddenly the doors are locked and Saddam, in the chair, announces a special session. Into the room is dragged an obviously broken man, who begins to emit a robotic confession of treason and subversion, that he sobs has been instigated by Syrian and other agents. As the (literally) extorted confession unfolds, names begin to be named. Once a fellow-conspirator is identified, guards come to his seat and haul him from the room. The reclining Saddam, meanwhile, lights a large cigar and contentedly scans his dossiers. The sickness of fear in the room is such that men begin to crack up and weep, rising to their feet to shout hysterical praise, even love, for the leader. Inexorably, though, the cull continues, and faces and bodies go slack as their owners are pinioned and led away. When it is over, about half the committee members are left, moaning with relief and heaving with ardent love for the boss. (In an accompanying sequel, which I have not seen, they were apparently required to go into the yard outside and shoot the other half, thus sealing the pact with Saddam. I am not sure that even Beria or Himmler would have had the nerve and ingenuity and cruelty to come up with that.) ↗

— Christopher Hitchens

#ba-athism #ba-athist-iraq #beria #conspiracy #cull

Saddam's goal is to achieve the lifting of U.N. sanctions while retaining and enhancing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. We cannot, we must not and we will not let him succeed. ↗

— Madeleine Albright

#cannot #destruction #enhancing #goal #him

We made them drink poison last night and Saddam Hussein's soldiers and his great forces gave the Americans a lesson which will not be forgotten by history. Truly. ↗

— Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf

#forces #forgotten #gave #great #his