Susan Collins marks anniversary of her Iraq war vote by attacking anti-war activists

Five years ago today, Senator Susan Collins voted to go to war against Iraq. In her floor speech, Collins invoked every bit of Bush-produced propaganda -- biological, chemical, even nuclear weapons -- to justify that vote. Reading what Susan Collins said is a stark reminder of the war-mongering that had taken over back in 2002. Of course, this was shortly before the '02 elections so Collins was giving a campaign speech:

While the evidence of Iraq’s pursuit of biological and chemical weapons is overwhelming, it is more difficult to determine the state of Iraq’s development of nuclear weapons. Numerous reports suggest, however, a renewed determination by Saddam to obtain materials for a nuclear bomb. A September report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) paints a chilling picture of Saddam’s quest for nuclear weapons. Had the Gulf War not intervened, Iraq “could have accumulated a nuclear stockpile of a dozen or so weapons by the end of the decade,” according to the report. It concludes that the scientific and technical expertise of Iraq’s nuclear program remains intact. And the British government has revealed that Iraqi nuclear personnel were ordered to resume work on nuclear projects in 1998.

According to British intelligence, Iraq also has attempted to obtain uranium from Africa. Since Iraq has no active civil nuclear power program or nuclear power plants, it has no peaceful reason to procure uranium. In addition, the CIA has reported that Iraq has attempted to procure “tens of thousands” of high-strength aluminum tubes that could be used in centrifuges designed to enrich uranium to provide the fissile material for a nuclear bomb.

How soon could Iraq acquire nuclear weapons? While the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that Iraq is “probably years away from producing nuclear weapons from indigenously produced material,” it points out that, if Iraq were to acquire nuclear material from a foreign source, the time frame could be reduced to perhaps a matter of months. This is a scenario that the Institute calls the “nuclear wildcard.”

Susan has continued her support of Bush's failed war strategy. Ironically, today, Collins launched another misguided attack on the people who want to end the war she helped start.

Meanwhile, Tom Allen is marking the anniversary of his vote against the Iraq war by holding an online peace vigil. Shows the difference once again between the two campaigns. Tom is looking for solutions to the war that Bush and Collins won't end. Susan is launching negative political attacks.