The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #87545   Message #1639412
Posted By: GUEST
02-Jan-06 - 04:24 AM
Thread Name: BS: Bush Iraq Propaganda Campaign
Subject: RE: BS: Bush Iraq Propaganda Campaign
<>

Ron Davies would like his question detailed above answered.

The actual quote is as follows:
"Before September the 11th, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents, lethal viruses and shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained.

IMAGINE (referring to something that may happen in the future) those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other plans, THIS TIME (referring to something that may happen in the future) armed by Saddam Hussein. It would take one vial, one canister, one crate slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have ever known.

We will do everything in our power to make sure that that day never comes.

Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike?

If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option."

Now what on earth, having read the State of Union Addresses of 2002 and 2003, possesses Ron Davies (Republican) to isolate one sentence from the 2003 speech and then proclaim to the world as "Fact" that for the previous there had been a concentrated propaganda campaign to convince the American people that Saddam Hussein was involved with the Al-Qaeda attacks of 11th September 2001. In another thread Ron identified this "campaign" as running from mid-summer 2002 to March 2003 - so where are the quotes launching this campaign from mid-summer 2002. I would have thought that Ron would have used at least one instead of a single sentence from a rather long speech given towards the end of Ron's randomly selected period.

In answer to his very poorly and improperly framed question. No Ron it does not represent propaganda.

What it does do is mark a watershed after which attitudes are perceived as having to change to meet the requirements of the threat to the nation as evaluated and assessed by the House Security Committee.

What it says is perfectly in accord with the US Government's stated approach to international terrorist threat as outlined in the State of the Union Address of 2002.

One thing is certain Ron - It was not the propaganda campaign that would appear to be the child of your imagination.