The Deciding Factor

With elections coming up, most voters will cast their votes to show how they feel about the "war" in Iraq. Just to refresh your memories, here are some quotes from news transcripts:

"The United States has no quarrel with the Iraqi people; they’ve suffered too long in silent captivity. Liberty for the Iraqi people is a great moral cause, and a great strategic goal. The people of Iraq deserve it; the security of all nations requires it. Free societies do not intimidate through cruelty and conquest, and open societies do not threaten the world with mass murder. The United States supports political and economic liberty in a unified Iraq." President Bush to UN General Assembly, Sept. 2002

From a March 8, 2003 radio address. "We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq."

May 1, 2003: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country."

"We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace." Speech at UN, Sept. 2004

"I don’t think you can win [the war on terror}," Mr. Bush replied. “But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world."

"One of the interesting things people ask me, now that we are asking questions, is, 'Can you ever win the war on terror?' Of course you can."

"There — it’s — you know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." – Interview with Katie Couric (CBS News), White House, Sep. 6, 2006