CHICAGO -
what came of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.
She also said Kay's report makes it clear that Saddam never complied with U.N. inspectors, and she suggested that if the U.N. Security Council had known that last winter, it would not have rejected the U.S. request for authorization to make war.
Right up until the end Saddam lied to the Security Council. And let there be no mistake right up to the end
Saddam Hussein continued to harbor ambitions to threaten the world with weapons of mass destruction
she said.
Rice's speech was the opening move in a White House counterattack against critics of Bush's Iraq policy. With his poll numbers slipping and doubts rising about Iraq policy, Bush will come forward today in New Hampshire with a speech to emphasize areas of progress. On Friday, it will be Vice President Dick Cheney's turn, and he is expected to use a speech in Washington to take on opponents of the administration's policies.
If you looked at some of the media here
you wouldn't know about some of the great progress that we are making in Iraq
presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday. There's some important progress that we are making
and it's the responsibility of this administration to keep the American people informed about those successes.
The push comes as Congress begins to debate Bush's $87 billion proposal for Iraq and Afghanistan. Although lawmakers are expected to pass something close to his request, opponents have called it too expensive at a time when the U.S. economy is shaky.
Rice cautioned that movement toward democracy in Iraq might be slow.
We must remain patient
Rice said. Our own history should remind us that the union of democratic principle and practice is always a work in progress.
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