# Bush "We gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in." **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 15, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728 "2003-07-15T20:17:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eutactic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@eutactic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eutactic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/1 "2003-07-15T20:17:53Z")
[Say what?](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56336-2003Jul14.html?nav=hptop_tb) Someone better ask the CIA if they vetted this speech! Debate topic: What the hell is going on in the White House? ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/2 "2003-07-15T20:24:28Z")
Do you, or anyone else, have a link to the actual transcript? I’ve run across this already today. I’d like to see this in context. ---
**Author:** ![eutactic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@eutactic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eutactic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/3 "2003-07-15T20:28:47Z")
I don’t have a link to the transcript, but if you go to the [White House page](http://www.whitehouse.gov/), you can watch the videotape of it, where he says it. (The headline is “President Reaffirms Strong Position on Liberia”. ---
**Author:** ![eutactic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@eutactic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eutactic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/4 "2003-07-15T20:30:24Z")
Actually, there’s a transcript now up on the site. Here’s a fuller quote: > [@](#): > > The larger point is, and the fundamental question is, did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer is, absolutely. And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn’t let them in. And, therefore, after a reasonable request, we decided to remove him from power, along with other nations, so as to make sure he was not a threat to the United States and our friends and allies in the region. I firmly believe the decisions we made will make America more secure and the world more peaceful. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/5 "2003-07-15T20:33:04Z")
I just started a Pit thread about this. Argh. I’d love to see someone twist the semantics on _this._ ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/6 "2003-07-15T20:35:29Z")
> [@](#): > > What the hell is going on in the White House? Its actually pretty simple. They either were wrong or lied about WMD in Iraq and are desperatley scrambling to justify what they did. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/7 "2003-07-15T20:36:42Z")
I’m sure the spin doctors are at work on it as we speak.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/8 "2003-07-15T20:37:47Z")
From today’s [white house press briefing:](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/07/20030715-2.html) > [@](#): > > Q Two quick questions, one on Iraq. When the President said of Saddam Hussein, we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in and he wouldn’t let them in, why didn’t he say that, when the inspectors went into Iraq? > > MR. McCLELLAN: What he was referring to was the fact that Saddam Hussein was not complying with 1441, that he continued his past pattern and refused to comply with Resolution 1441 of the United Nations Security Council, which was his final opportunity to comply. And the fact that he was trying to thwart the inspectors every step of the way, and keep them from doing their job. So that’s what he’s referring to in that statement. > > Q But that isn’t what he said. > > Q Just quickly on a different subject… ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/9 "2003-07-15T20:39:30Z")
I did find this @ [\* whitehouse.gov\*](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/07/print/20030715-2.html) > [@](#): > > **Q** Two quick questions, one on Iraq. When the President said of Saddam Hussein, we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in and he wouldn’t let them in, why didn’t he say that, when the inspectors went into Iraq? > **MR. McCLELLAN** : What he was referring to was the fact that Saddam Hussein was not complying with 1441, that he continued his past pattern and refused to comply with Resolution 1441 of the United Nations Security Council, which was his final opportunity to comply. And the fact that he was trying to thwart the inspectors every step of the way, and keep them from doing their job. So that’s what he’s referring to in that statement. > **Q** But that isn’t what he said. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/10 "2003-07-15T20:39:38Z")
Gotta love how the fundamental question has changed since … oh, February. Before you know it, you’ll be hearing “We have proof that the Hussein regime in Iraq was fully geared toward the future manufacture or purchase of WMD. US Intel has termed this ‘WMD intent’.” ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/11 "2003-07-15T20:42:12Z")
[**BINGO**](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/07/print/20030714-3.html) > [@](#): > > The larger point is, and the fundamental question is, did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer is, absolutely. And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn’t let them in. And, therefore, after a reasonable request, we decided to remove him from power, along with other nations, so as to make sure he was not a threat to the United States and our friends and allies in the region. I firmly believe the decisions we made will make America more secure and the world more peaceful. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/12 "2003-07-15T20:43:06Z")
I hope the spin doctors have malpractice insurance.😃 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/13 "2003-07-15T21:11:53Z")
What spin is needed? This is exactly what Bush had been saying all along. The inspectors were inspecting for WMDs. S.H. showed that he was only interested in stalling and not dealing with **what was required of him under the cease fire terms of Gulf War I**. Still, we should’ve taken him out after we liberated Kuwait in the 90s. Do any of you anti-Iraq war folks disagree with that? ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/14 "2003-07-15T21:37:09Z")
“What spin is needed?” The problem is that the statement is flat-out false. Saddam did allow the inspectors in. He didn’t co-operate with them fully but that is not the same thing as not letting them in. Bush is clueless about basic facts about what happened just prior to the war, facts which should be clear to anyone who follows the news. It’s a startling display of ignorance even by Bush’s standards. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/15 "2003-07-15T21:37:15Z")
Thanks **John**! You are absolutely correct - no spin is needed. Just a complete restatement, wholly different than what Bush said. Because you see, inspectors **were** allowed in, which is inherently different than “he wouldn’t let them in.” So no spin needed at all. Aparently, you can neither polish, _nor spin_ a turd. I’ll grant you the possibility that either 1)Bush is moderately stupid, and said something accidently that was completely at odds with reality or 2) severely stupid, and believes that this was true. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/16 "2003-07-15T21:50:01Z")
Look, you guys. Obviously the quote should read as follows: > [@](#): > > And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in[to the places where he was storing items that were part of a WMD program], and he wouldn’t let them in[to the places where he was storing items that were part of a WMD program]. See? Now everything makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/17 "2003-07-15T21:51:07Z")
You guys seem to have forgotten that he only let the inpsectors in **after** the US started stages the military for war. Do you really think he would have otherwise? ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/18 "2003-07-15T21:52:53Z")
I give up. The truth is not in the man. We are all being cynically played for suckers. No amount of evidence, no amount of plain old common sense, no amount of tortured semantics and parsing of verbiage is going to change this. The man has utter contempt for the memory and smarts of not only his own electorate but of the opinion of the world. How can any one of intelligence and integrity accept this? Even if the people in their anger rise up and run this pack of Robber Barons out of office we are still stuck with Iraq. What do we do with Iraq? We have caught the tiger by the tail and we don’t dare let go. What could this government have done to better build the case for the people who hate America and want to do it harm? ---
**Author:** ![MMI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@MMI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MMI)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/19 "2003-07-15T21:59:53Z")
I don’t think anyone argues that a credible threat was necessary (although the other thing Saddam was looking for was an indication that sanctions would be lifted as a result of the inspections) , but that does not necessarily justify invasion. ---
**Author:** ![Publius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@Publius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Publius)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728/20 "2003-07-15T22:10:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by John Mace \* > \*\*You guys seem to have forgotten that he only let the inpsectors in **after** the US started stages the military for war. \*\* Yes, this is absolutely true. This, however, is not what the President said. Mr. Bush seems to have forgotten that Saddam Hussain did in fact let the inspectors in. Now, I can be pretty dense sometimes, but I’m 99% sure that **BrightNShiny** was joking. Just in case others might be tempted to take the same approach more seriously, however, I’d point out that UNMOVIC inspectors were not, as far as I know, denied access to any site within Iraq. Before the war, the Administration’s arguments against the inspectors’ effectiveness hinged on allegations that the teams’ operational security had been compromised by Iraqi security services. It did not argue that arms inspectors had ever been turned away from a suspected NBC site. I cannot find a way to spin the President’s statement so that it is accurate, unless he’s much more of a poet than we thought and was speaking in some sort of elaborate metaphor. I know Bush isn’t the best public speaker, but I simply don’t see how that can explain his statement. Frankly, I’m baffled by what the President said. It’s as though he confused the Administration’s desired pre-war scenario with what actually occurred. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-we-gave-him-a-chance-to-allow-the-inspectors-in-and-he-wouldnt-let-them-in/188728.md?page=2)