The intelligence picture they paint is one accumulated over the last four years. It is extensive, detailed and authoritative. Tony Blair, 24th September 2002, recalled House of Commons to launch the dirty dossier
Tonight British service men and women are engaged from air, land and sea – their mission: to remove Saddam Hussein from power, and disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. Tony Blair, televised address
There has been a real concern on our part not to exaggerate the intelligence that we get. Tony Blair, House of Commons
That there is a threat from Saddam Hussein and from the weapons of mass destruction he’s acquired is not in doubt at all. Tony Blair, 11th March 2002, press conference with Dick Cheney
cf.
I think the real dishonesty of the government’s position is that Tony Blair could not be frank with the British people about the real reason why he believed Britain had to be part of invasion, which was to prove to the United States president that we were his most reliable, most sound ally. That was why he committed himself to President Bush. I don’t deny that Tony Blair genuinely believed there were weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq but the evidence for it was always very thin. The reality is he believed in the evidence because he needed to believe the evidence. Robin Cook
Tony Blair probably committed himself the invasion back in the Spring of 2002. Robin Cook
In the spring of 2002 Tony Blair was telling Britain and his Cabinet that no decision had been made to invade Iraq; secretly his aides were learning from their American counterparts about plans for a pre-emptive attack. The Blair Decade II, PBS 2007
Blair’s bridge was crumbling as Chirac led fierce European opposition to war. ibid.
The failure to get a second UN resolution would come to define the road to war and haunt Tony Blair for the rest of his premiership. ibid.
He could see no way out of the long dark tunnel that was Iraq: he considered resigning. It wasn’t just Iraq that was dragging Blair down, the Gordon Brown problem was surfacing yet again. ibid.
The facts and the intelligence were being fixed around the policy by the Bush administration. Sir Richard Dearlove, MI6, attributed statement in Cabinet meeting
It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even at a time it was not yet decided that the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours. And his WMD capability was less than Libya, North Korea or Iran. Jack Straw, foreign secretary, 23rd July 2002
We were struck by the relative thinness of the intelligence base. Lord Butler’s Inquiry into the Intelligence that led to war
In the middle of the war Microsoft, DHL and other corporations invited Halliburton to a conference to figure out how much money could be made in Iraq. Michael Moore, Fahrenheit 9/11, 2004
1982: US provides billions in aid to Saddam Hussein for weapons to kill Iranians. Michael Moore, Bowling for Columbine, 2002
1983: White House secretly gives Iran weapons to kill Iraqis. ibid.
1990: Iraq invades Kuwait with weapons from the US. ibid.
1991: US enters Iraq. Bush reinstates dictator of Kuwait. ibid.
1991 to present: US planes bomb Iraq on a weekly basis. UN estimates 500,000 Iraqi children die from bombing and sanctions. 2000-2001: US gives Taliban-ruled Afghanistan $245 million in ‘aid’. ibid.
The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not ‘insurgents’ or ‘terrorists’ or ‘the enemy’. They are the Revolution, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow. And they will win. Michael Moore
The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. George W Bush
We know he’s got chemical weapons. George W Bush
The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop Anthrax, and nerve gas and nuclear weapons for over a decade. George W Bush
The War on Terror – you can’t distinguish between Al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the War on Terror. George W Bush
The War on Terror involves Saddam Hussein because of Al Qaeda connections, because of his history. He is a danger to the American people and we have to deal with him. George W Bush
Last year the UN Commission on Human Rights found that Iraq continues to commit extremely grave violations of human rights and that the regime’s oppression is all-pervasive. George W Bush
You’ll be fighting not to conquer anybody but to liberate people. George W Bush, address to troops
The danger to our country is grave. The danger to our country is growing. The Iraqi regime possesses biological and chemical weapons. The Iraqi regime is building the facilities necessary to make more biological and chemical weapons. And according to the British government, the Iraqi regime can launch a biological or chemical attack in as little as forty-five minutes after the order were given. The regime has longstanding and continuing ties to terrorist organisations, and there are Al Qaeda terrorists inside Iraq. The regime is seeking a nuclear bomb. And with fissile material can build one within a year. George W Bush
Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraqi regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. George W Bush
Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. George W Bush
And if he does not disarm, the United States will lead a coalition to disarm him in the name of peace. George W Bush
Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles. George W Bush
Saddam Hussein is a homicidal dictator who is addicted to weapons of mass destruction. George W Bush
He has attempted to purchase high strength aluminium tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production. George W Bush, congressional address
Saddam Hussein has gone to elaborate lengths and spent enormous sums, taking great risks to build and keep Weapons of Mass Destruction. ibid.
There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is bring ’em on. George W Bush
At this hour American and Coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger. On my orders Coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein’s ability to wage war. George W Bush, public address
You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the War on Terror. George W Bush
As we and our coalition partners are doing in Afghanistan, we will bring to the Iraqi people food and medicines and supplies and freedom. George W Bush, State of the Union address January 2003
The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th. George W Bush, Washington 12th July 2007
Oh no, we're not going to have any casualties. George W Bush, discussion Pat Robertson 2003
I did not say that there is a direct connection between September 11th and Saddam Hussein. George W Bush
Nobody’s ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. George W Bush
Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. George W Bush, Washington 5th August 2004