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Bush, George W.

Bush Acknowledges Iraq May Not Have Had WMD, Denies Leading US to War Under False Pretences

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

President George W. Bush has acknowledged for the first time that Iraq might not have had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, but denied that he led the US into war on false pretences. Mr Bush, who is under domestic pressure to account for the apparent failure of US intelligence, gave a robust defence of his decision to go to war in an intense, hour-long interview broadcast yesterday on NBC's Meet the Press. He called Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein a dangerous madman who had retained the capacity to develop prohibited weapons and had to be removed before he became an imminent threat.

Key Takeaways:

  • President George W. Bush acknowledged that Iraq might not have had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, but denied leading the US into war on false pretences.
  • Mr. Bush defended his decision to go to war, calling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein a "dangerous madman" who had to be removed before he became an imminent threat.
  • Hans Blix, the former chief United Nations weapons inspector, accused Tony Blair of dramatising the claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in the September 2002 dossier.
  • Mr. Bush stated that the US will visit with the independent commission established to evaluate the state of US intelligence and share knowledge.
  • The president insisted that containment did not work with a madman like Saddam Hussein and that inaction in Iraq would have emboldened him to develop a nuclear weapon over time.
  • Joschka Fischer, German foreign minister, presented his own far-reaching plan for the Middle East region to a weekend security conference in Munich, reflecting a tacit acceptance by Berlin to support Washington's long-term aim of democratising the region.

Statistics:

  • 45-minute claim in the September 2002 dossier.
  • Mr. Bush's ratings are slipping in domestic opinion polls.
  • 100% of the Independent Commission on the circumstances surrounding the use of force against Iraq will be established by the US President to evaluate the state of US intelligence.

Sources:

  • Mr. Bush's interview on NBC's Meet the Press (No specific date or publication date mentioned).
  • Hans Blix's statement on BBC TV's Breakfast with Frost (No specific date or publication date mentioned).
  • The September 2002 dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
  • The Independent Commission on the circumstances surrounding the use of force against Iraq to be established by the US President.

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