President Bush was Right: Weapons of Mass Destruction Found in Iraq
“Since 2003 coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent,” Santorum read from the report. “Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq’s pre-Gulf War chemical munitions filled and unfilled munitions are assessed to exist.” Santorum said he believes there are other such weapons still in Iraq.
As Santorum said, such weapons of mass destruction could be sold on the Black Market. Despite all the claims of the opponents of President Bush, Iraq did harbor terrorists at one time. Despite their other claims, weapons of mass destruction did exist in Iraq. Before the war, those in charge in Iraq could have given or sold the chemical weapons to the very enemies we are fighting now or any number of other terrorists.
As Santorum said, the effectiveness of such weapons may deteriorate over time, but their effect can still be deadly. As it has been reported in the media, insurgents and groups in Iraq want to use chemical weapons.
As Santorum said the argument that no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq “is in fact false.” He pointed out the more than 500 weapons of mass destruction found, according to the report, and the additional chemical weapons that are, no doubt, still in the country.
It was reported by CNS News on October 4, 2004, that Iraqi intelligence documents confiscated by United States forces show numerous efforts by Saddam Hussein to work with various terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda, to target Americans. The documents also show that mustard gas and anthrax, both of which are considered weapons of mass destruction were in Iraq in the summer of 2001, when U.N. inspectors were not present. Dozens of terrorists were trained inside of Iraq’s borders.
Considering all these facts, do those politicians who have attacked our president and called him a liar for his reason for having troops in Iraq to protect us from terrorism really have the best interests of America at heart? Or is their only interest, as politicians, to regain power?
The first of the 42 pages in documents from 1993 shows that Hussein wanted to “hunt the Americans” that were on Arabian land. Less than nine months after the memo was written 18 American troops were killed and 84 wounded in an ambush in Mogadishu Somalia. Is that a coincidence? I think not.
According to syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker the recent report was only unclassified at the insistence of Santorum. He hounded intelligence officials for two months to declassify the documents. Whether the intelligence officials had a secret reason concerning American security to not want the information public, or whether President Bush is so self-confident he doesn’t feel the need to say “I told you so,” I don’t know. Americans should know the facts, however. According to Parker’s column, President Bush’s only response is that he never looks back.
I have no doubt there are many patriotic ordinary Americans who might have opposed the war because they honestly believed President Bush was wrong about weapons of mass destruction being in Iraq. There may be others who thought even if there were chemical or other such weapons in Iraq that diplomacy should have been given more of a chance before a war. I believe the national politicians, however, who said our President lied and made other such comments are only concerned about regaining national power-at any cost. I am glad for a president who wants to protect Americans-no matter what others think or say.