# WMD's destroyed ten years ago, and more bad poll results for Bush on Iraq requests **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 17, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203 "2003-09-17T19:27:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/41 "2003-09-18T21:08:32Z")
My only question: Tony Blair is no dope…so why did he believe GWB? He (Blair) took an enormous risk, with a HUGE downside for himself, should the weapons of mass destruction thing be proven false. So WHY DID Blair go along with this? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/42 "2003-09-18T21:11:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > \*\*My only question: Tony Blair is no dope…so why did he believe GWB? He (Blair) took an enormous risk, with a HUGE downside for himself, should the weapons of mass destruction thing be proven false. > So WHY DID Blair go along with this? \*\* Because someone made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. What the offer was, is the golden question. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/43 "2003-09-18T21:17:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muldoon’s Squishiness \* > \*\*Actually, I heard that one likely possibility is for Cheney to take over as Scretary of State and have either Powell or Condaleeza Rice as Vice President going into the election. \*\* Fairly likely, considering Cheney has been [on the Haliburton payroll](http://www.azstarnet.com/star/wed/30917Ncheney.html) while serving as Veep. Which company got the lucrative contracts in Iraq without competetive bids again? Oh yeah… ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/44 "2003-09-18T21:21:43Z")
That’s a gross mistrepresentation of the truth. It was _deferred_ compensation. As he himself stated, he had no idea that he was going to be Vice President, and since it was money owed him, do you suggest he should just forgive Halliburton all the money he was owed out of the kindness of his heart? Try telling the truth once in a while, or are you too busy calling Bush a liar to do that? ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/45 "2003-09-18T21:33:12Z")
Just out of curiosity, **Airman** , are you arguing that the decision to give Halliburton an enormous non-competitive contract in Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with Cheney’s ties to that company? That it was just a complete coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/46 "2003-09-18T21:40:16Z")
Are they one of the, if not the, most qualified companies in the field? If I were hiring, I’d go for the best. Further, are you implying that because of those former ties, that they should be disqualified from any sort of government contract for fear of offending the liberal conspiracy theorists? I refuse to contribute to conspiracy what can reasonably be explained with common sense. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/47 "2003-09-18T21:57:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > Because someone made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. > > What the offer was, is the golden question. The UK has always had a very special relationship with the US. It is a matter of give and take. The US gives orders and the UK takes them. Quite simple. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/48 "2003-09-18T22:00:58Z")
It’s not the fact that they got the contract that bothers me, but the fact that they didn’t open the contract up to bidding, which is standard operating procedure for government contracts. If they truly want the best company, they should allow competition. I certainly wouldn’t disqualify Halliburton from bidding based on those former ties, as they are indeed qualified to do the work, but I would also make sure the contract was awarded fairly, with minimal conflicts of interest. If nothing else, competitive bidding ensures that the taxpayers are paying a fair price. In any event, you didn’t answer the question. I was asking if you, personally, thought that the contract _as it was awarded_ was done so solely because Halliburton was deemed to empirically be the best company, and Cheney’s former ties to that company were purely coincidental in that decision? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/49 "2003-09-18T22:03:22Z")
Yes. That’s what I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/50 "2003-09-18T22:08:34Z")
Fair enough. Thanks for the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/51 "2003-09-18T22:15:48Z")
Halliburton is so well qualified that bidding from other companies was unecessary? That doesn’t seem even little bit fishy? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/52 "2003-09-18T22:24:01Z")
I believe the moon’s made of cheese. That’s what I believe. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/53 "2003-09-18T23:11:42Z")
[quote] [http://www.msnbc.com/news/968712.asp](http://www.msnbc.com/news/968712.asp)? Kennedy calls case for war a ‘fraud’ Senator also accuses Bush of bribing foreign leaders BOSTON, Sept. 18 — The case for going to war against Iraq was a fraud “made up in Texas” to give Republicans a political boost, Sen. Edward Kennedy said Thursday. IN AN INTERVIEW with The Associated Press, Kennedy also said the Bush administration has failed to account for nearly half of the $4 billion the war is costing each month. He said he believes much of the unaccounted-for money is being used to bribe foreign leaders to send in troops. He called the Bush administration’s current Iraq policy “adrift.” The Massachusetts Democrat expressed doubts about how serious a threat Saddam Hussein posed to the United States in its battle against terrorism. He said administration officials relied on “distortion, misrepresentation, a selection of intelligence” to justify their case for war. “There was no imminent threat. This was made up in Texas, announced in January to the Republican leadership that war was going to take place and was going to be good politically. This whole thing was a fraud,” Kennedy said. Kennedy said a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office showed that only about $2.5 billion of the $4 billion being spent monthly on the war can be accounted for by the Bush administration. “My belief is this money is being shuffled all around to these political leaders in all parts of the world, bribing them to send in troops,” he said. [quote] ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/54 "2003-09-18T23:26:19Z")
:eek: that’s a very serious statement to make. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/55 "2003-09-18T23:42:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > \*\*That’s a gross mistrepresentation of the truth. It was _deferred_ compensation. As he himself stated, he had no idea that he was going to be Vice President, and since it was money owed him, do you suggest he should just forgive Halliburton all the money he was owed out of the kindness of his heart? > > Try telling the truth once in a while, or are you too busy calling Bush a liar to do that? \*\* Contrary to your accusation of making the whole thing up (“Try telling the truth…”), I quoted an article. You can take it for what it’s worth. I’ve searched my post for anything that mentioned Bush being a liar, and nope, nothing there. That would make _you_ the liar here. Oh yeah, and go fuck yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/56 "2003-09-18T23:45:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by casdave \* > \*\*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > “We’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with Sept. 11,” Bush said. > > But he said he had no doubt that the deposed Iraqi president had ties to Al Qaeda, > > * * * > > The way these two statements operate in the same briefing is almost like the police saying > > ‘We know he didi it we just don’t have the proof’ > > \*\* I’m reminded of the British TV program _Brass Eye_, which gets unwitting celebrities to make statements on television in support of false causes. On one occasion radio DJ Neil Fox announced (as part of a faux anti-pedophilia campaign) that pedophiles were genetically more closely related to crabs than to humans, adding: > [@](#): > > “That is scientific fact. There is no real evidence for it, but it’s scientific fact.” Either Bush was doing a secret homage to the show, or life once again imitates comedy. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/57 "2003-09-18T23:49:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Airman Doors, USAF \* > \*\*Yes. That’s what I believe. \*\* OK, how about the tooth fairy? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/58 "2003-09-18T23:54:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Revtim \* > \*\*Halliburton is so well qualified that bidding from other companies was unecessary? That doesn’t seem even little bit fishy? \*\* To be fair, Halliburton did make a [very compelling submission](http://www.towardfreedom.com/jun03/booty.htm), as did Fluor, Bechtel and Parsons. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/59 "2003-09-19T00:05:55Z")
> [@](#): > > “That is scientific fact. There is no real evidence for it, but it’s scientific fact.” :sniffs keyboard: Now I actually feel more suggestible – and that was just from one sniff. ---
**Author:** ![pantom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/34f0e0/32.png) [@pantom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pantom)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203/60 "2003-09-19T00:47:35Z")
**airman doors** is either naive, stupid, or selling something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wmds-destroyed-ten-years-ago-and-more-bad-poll-results-for-bush-on-iraq-requests/202203.md?page=4)