Bush Administration Comments on Iraq

Recent comments by Bush administration officials on Iraq and President Saddam Hussein:

“We cannot defend America and our friends by hoping for the best. We cannot put our faith in the word of tyrants who solemnly sign nonproliferation treaties, and then systemically break them....

We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront the worst threats before they emerge. In the world we have entered, the only path to safety is the path of action.... Our security will require all Americans to be forward-looking and resolute, to be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives.”

President Bush, West Point, N.Y., June 1

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“It’s the stated policy of this government to have a regime change [in Iraq]. And it hasn’t changed. And we’ll use all tools at our disposal to do so.... And there [are] different ways to do it....

I’m a patient person ... but I do firmly believe that the world will be safer and more peaceful if there’s a regime change in that government.”

Bush, White House, July 8

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“Are there Al Qaeda in Iraq? Yes.”

Defense Secretary

Donald H. Rumsfeld, Pentagon, July 30

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“We fight against a shadowy network that hides in many nations, and has revealed its intention to gain and use weapons of mass destruction. We’re threatened by regimes that have sought these ultimate weapons, and hide their weapons programs from the eyes of the world. The same regimes have shown their true nature by torturing and butchering their own people....

Against such enemies, we cannot sit quietly and hope for the best. To ignore this mounting danger is to invite it. America must act against these terrible threats before they’re fully formed. We will use diplomacy when possible, and force when necessary.”

Bush, Fort Drum, N.Y., July 19

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“In our discussions with our friends around the world, I cannot remember a single one who has not said, ‘Of course, the world would be better off without this man [Hussein] in power.’ There are those who are concerned about how to do it, and the consequences....

He also has links to international terrorism. There is growing evidence that that includes organizations like Al Qaeda. That would be a mortal threat to the United States.”

Senior U.S. official, interview

with The Times published Aug. 2

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“Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if Iraq were similar to Afghanistan, if a bad regime was thrown out, people were liberated, food could come in, borders could be opened, repression could stop, prisons could be opened? I mean, it would be fabulous.”

Rumsfeld, Pentagon, Aug. 9

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“I have no timetable for any of our policies as regards to Iraq.... What I do believe the American people understand is that weapons of mass destruction in the hands of leaders such as Saddam Hussein are very dangerous.”

Bush, White House, Aug. 10

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“We certainly do not have the luxury of doing nothing....

History is littered with cases of inaction that led to very grave consequences for the world. We just have to look back and ask how many dictators who end up being a tremendous global threat, and killing thousands, and indeed millions of people, should we have stopped in their tracks.”

National Security Advisor

Condoleezza Rice, BBC interview, Aug. 15

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“There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that this man is thumbing his nose at the world, that he has gassed his own people, that he is troubling his neighborhood, that he desires weapons of mass destruction....

It’s a healthy debate for people to express their opinion. People should be allowed to express their opinion. But Americans need to know I’ll be making up my mind based upon the latest intelligence and how best to protect our own country, plus our friends and allies.”

Bush, Crawford, Texas, Aug. 16

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“I know there is this kind of intense speculation that seems to be going on....

The American people know my position, and that is that regime change is in the interests of the world. How we achieve that is a matter of consultation and deliberation....

And when I say I’m a patient man, I mean I’m a patient man and that we will look at all options and we will consider all technologies available to us, and diplomacy, and intelligence. But one thing is for certain, is that this administration agrees that Saddam Hussein is a threat.”

Bush, Crawford, Aug. 21

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“The press yesterday and the day before yesterday reached an absurd point of self-inflicted silliness....

There have been meetings about Iraq in the past. There will be meetings about Iraq in the future. Yesterday’s meeting was not about Iraq.”

Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, White House, Aug. 22