November 2005

Iraq and the War on Terror

On November 21, 2005, Vice President Dick Cheney delivered an address on the progress in the war in Iraq and the war on terror.

Christopher DeMuth
AEI

Freedom and democracy in the Middle East and the global war on terrorism are at the center of American foreign policy. The success of these efforts will depend on resolute leadership, an informed citizenry, and healthy political debate. American political culture, which has demonstrated these virtues in the past, is being tested again in a debate over President George W. Bush’s strategies in the war on terror in the Arab and Persian Middle East. Through research and writing, AEI scholars have attempted to clarify and improve these debates.

Richard B. Cheney
Vice President of the United States

It is not wrong to criticize the war on terror. Disagreements and debate are the essence of democracy. There are deep differences of opinion on the question of national security. Representative Jack Murtha (D-Pa.) recently called for an immediate and complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq, thus taking a clear stand in an entirely legitimate discussion. It is illegitimate and dishonest for some U.S. senators to allege that President Bush and other members of this administration distorted prewar intelligence and purposefully misled the American people. Some of these irresponsible accusations have come from politicians who voted in favor of the use of force against Saddam Hussein in the first place, with access to available intelligence and time to make their own judgments.

With the available intelligence, this administration came to the same conclusion that the Clinton administration did: Saddam was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. In 1998, in an attempt to force him into compliance with international obligations, the U.S. Congress unanimously passed a resolution urging President Bill Clinton to act against Saddam. Two months later, the Iraq Liberation Act supported the replacement of Saddam by a democratic government and the bombing of suspected WMD facilities in Iraq. For more than a decade, Saddam repeatedly defied UN demands to give a full account of his weapons of mass destruction. Finally, in late 2002, a broad-based, bipartisan agreement authorized the use of force in Iraq.

As the prime target of terrorists, it is the responsibility of the United States to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the reach of terrorists and to hold accountable regimes that supply them with these weapons. Although WMDs have not been found in Iraq, the burden of proof rests with Saddam Hussein and not the United States, the United Nations, or anybody else. The United States will remain resolute and unwavering in its commitment to building a democratic Iraq and fighting the war on terror. Equipped with resources, strength, and moral courage, the United States will not let the terrorists win and will not Iraq become another Afghanistan. A premature withdrawal from Iraq would be a victory for the terrorists, an invitation to further violence against free nations, and a terrible blow to the future security of the United States of America.

AEI research assistant Rachel Hoff and intern Frough Panjshiri prepared this summary.