Iraq was free of torture chambers after invading? Bush lie got bigger.

[FinnAgain]

@Merijeek

I think you need to recheck your history. You should have said:

Point.
Credit where it’s due.

[Measure_for_Measure]

While we’re on the subject of lies, the President and Iraq, let’s take a quote from Tuesday’s press conference

@President George W Bush on March 21

I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That’s why I went to the Security Council; that’s why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences –

Q – go to war –

THE PRESIDENT: – and therefore, we worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it.

Now let’s think for a moment. What happened in 2002, before the March 2003 invasion? From infoplease:
Nov. 18, 2002: UN weapons inspectors return to Iraq, for the first time in almost four years.
Dec. 7, 2002: Iraq submits a 12,000-page declaration on its chemical, biological and nuclear activities, claiming it has no banned weapons.

Ok, admittedly the Christian Science Monitor gives more detail:

Timeline: The road to war in Iraq

Nov. 18 - UN weapons inspectors return to Baghdad.

Dec. 7 - Iraq provides UN weapons inspectors with 12,000 pages of information comprising a “complete declaration” of the regime’s chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs. Iraq states in the declaration that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Dec. 19 - UNMOVIC Chairman Hans Blix tells UNSC members that the declaration “is essentially a reorganized version” of information Iraq provided UNSCOM in 1997.
…
Jan. 16 - In their first significant discovery, UN weapons inspectors find 12 warheads designed to carry chemical weapons. The inspectors suggest the warheads were not accounted for in Iraq’s 12,000-page report.

Jan. 16 - Weapons-inspections chiefs report to the Security Council that, while Iraq has provided access to facilities, concerns remain regarding undeclared material, inability to interview Iraqi scientists, inability to deploy aerial surveillance during inspections, and harassment of inspectors.

Mr. President, I submit that “when he chose to deny inspectors” is grossly misleading.

[Measure_for_Measure]

I’ll add another entry from the CS timeline, for completeness:

Mar. 17 [2003] - The US and Britain withdraw their draft Security Council resolution and advise weapons inspectors to evacuate Iraq. During a televised address, President Bush issues an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq within 48 hours during a televised address.