But as they say, talk's cheap
"Self evidently America is the most powerful country in the world, probably the most powerful country mankind has seen. But, I mean, [Bush] spends a lot of time talking about humanitarian things, about assistance to the people of Iraq. He does spend a good deal of time talking about this." — Prime Menzies John Howard at a February 10 press conference with US war secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
When hope fades, there's always the marines
"If US motives were in essence financial or commercial, we would not be confronting Saddam Hussein over his weapons of mass destruction. If our motive were cold cash, we would instead downplay the Iraqi regime's weapons of mass destruction and pander to Saddam in hopes of winning contracts for US companies." — Douglas Feith, under secretary of defence for policy, testifying to the US Senate's committee on foreign relations, February 11.
Self-rule too much of a burden
"And our goal is to transfer as much authority as possible, as soon as possible, to the Iraqis themselves. But the United States will not try to foist burdens onto those who are not in a position to carry them." — Feith trying to justify a post-war US military dictatorship in Iraq.
Guess which subject he flunked in high school
"What you really have is a case where Germany, France and Belgium to varying degrees are isolating themselves from Europe." — White House mouthpiece Ari Fleischer, February 12, complaining about the three European countries vetoing US plans for NATO to assist Turkey's participation in a US-led invasion of Iraq.
From Green Left Weekly, February 19, 2003.
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