9/18/2002

On September 18, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld “told the House Armed Services Committee, ‘There are a number of terrorist states pursuing weapons of mass destruction–Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, to name but a few. But no terrorist state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people and the stability of the world than the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.’ He went on to refute any and every argument that might be made against going to war. He referred to the need to ‘connect the dots’ between Saddam’s past behavior, his support for terrorism, and his desire to enhance his ability to deploy and employ weapons of mass destruction. Rumsfeld’s testimony reflected the growing clamor about the purported links between al Qaeda and Saddam. It all but constituted a case for action against Iraq regardless of what Saddam decided to do about weapons inspections.”

 – Dov S. Zakheim, A Vulcan’s Tale, Page 185