Clinton and Gore on Iraq

Considering how many in the Democratic Party now insist that Saddam Hussein's WMD programs were a product of Dick Cheney's overheated imagination, or a fabricated excuse to enable Halliburton to make a 1% profit margin while being subjected to loads of negative publicity, it's helpful to look back at what the Clinton/Gore Administration said and did about Iraq. Fortunately, the Project for the New American Century has compiled a detailed overview of what Clinton and his team had to say about the threat posed by Saddam:

The Clinton Administration's Public Case Against Saddam Hussein

A summary version is available on the Weekly Standard Web site. You may have heard of the PNAC, as it is often alleged to be the nerve center of the neoconservative conspiracy for world domination. That it manages to play this role with a staff of five is remarkable. In 2000, PNAC drew up the secret neoconservative plan for world domination, which, in true conspiratorial fashion, is posted on the PNAC Web site (in PDF).

While Al Gore in particular has been denouncing the Iraq intervention in the strongest terms, Tim Perry has noted that the former Vice-President's views on this subject have been somewhat less than consistent. As recently as February 2002, Mr. Gore said that:

“Even if we give first priority to the destruction of terrorist networks, and even if we succeed, there are still governments that could bring us great harm. And there is a clear case that one of these governments in particular represents a virulent threat in a class by itself: Iraq. As far as I am concerned, a final reckoning with that government should be on the table.” (Al Gore, Remarks To The U.S. Council On Foreign Relations, Washington, DC, February 12, 2002)

Wow, sounds like just another neocon warmonger to me.