Since When Was It Operation: Find WMDs?

A popular meme amongst the anti-war crowd these days is that the recent democratic triumph in Iraq is merely a serendipitous consequence of an unjustified invasion. WMDs, they say, were what sold everyone on the war (nevermind that most of them opposed it even then), and all this talk about invading to spread "freedom" is rewriting history.

If those taking this stance won't do the basic research required to stumble across the truth, I guess we'll have to put it in their path for them. I hope they're wearing kneepads.

Ahem:

George W. Bush - January 28th, 2003 (SOTU)

And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country -- your enemy is ruling your country. (Applause.) And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation. (Applause.)

...

And as we and our coalition partners are doing in Afghanistan, we will bring to the Iraqi people food and medicines and supplies -- and freedom. (Applause.)

George W. Bush - February 10th, 2003

And there's no doubt in my mind, when the United States acts abroad and home, we do so based upon values -- particularly the value that we hold dear to our hearts, and that is, everybody ought to be free. I want to repeat what I said during my State of the Union to you. Liberty is not America's gift to the world. What we believe strongly, and what we hold dear, is liberty is God's gift to mankind.

And it keeps on comin':

George W. Bush - March 16th, 2003

Action to remove the threat from Iraq would also allow the Iraqi people to build a better future for their society. And Iraq's liberation would be the beginning, not the end, of our commitment to its people.

This entry would be long indeed if I reproduced all such quotes I found after a mere five-to-ten minutes of searching around the White House's news archives. He hit on these themes time after time, in an address to the nation, a radio address, remarks from the Rose Garden, and, of course, in his message to the Iraqi people.

If that isn't enough, let's not forget that the invasion itself was titled Operation: Iraqi Freedom for crying out loud.

Hats off to Norman Geras for making this point before me this morning, and more eloquently at that.

ť February 18th, 2005

posted @ 09:31 AM in Iraq

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