ow in this century, the ideology of power and domination has appeared again, and seeks to gain the ultimate weapons of terror. Once again, this nation and all our friends are all that stand between a world at peace, and a world of chaos and constant alarm. Once again, we are called to defend the safety of our people, and the hopes of all mankind. And we accept this responsibility.
(President Bush, State of the Union, 1/28/03
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Saddam Hussein is a brutal dictator who is relentlessly pursuing and concealing weapons of mass destruction, which he has even used to kill his own people.
He has ties to terrorists, provides sanctuary for terrorists, and he hates America.
More than 12 years after the UN first pressed Saddam to disarm, he has yet to fulfill his pledge to declare and destroy his chemical, biological and nuclear arsenals and programs.
President Bush will not back away from the challenge of disarming Saddam Hussein, keeping these weapons out of the hands of terrorists, and freeing the Iraqi people.
We learned on September 11, 2001 that we can no longer believe we are safe from the violent hand of hatred just because it lives oceans away.
America and a coalition of peace-loving nations will face this threat. The future rests with Saddam. It is his choice: He must disarm or be disarmed.