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Tough Questions for Bush on Iraq Tonight

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Has the National Security Agency, as the Observer in Britain recently reported, been spying on delegates from various countries at the UN? Is the U.S. bribing and threatening other UN members?

You have said that this invasion of Iraq would be “moral,” yet the national board of your own denomination, the United Methodists, has said: “It is inconceivable that Jesus Christ … would support this proposed attack.” How do you respond to them?

Considering that the U.S. government has based its case for war against Iraq on a non-existent IAEA report, a plagiarized dossier, non-existent Iraq-Al’Qaida link, and twisting of the words of Saddam’s late son-in-law Hussein Kamel (see the March 3 Newsweek for background information), what evidence can you offer to support your claim that Iraq represents a threat to the world today?

Doesn’t your push towards war actually foster resentment against the U.S. and place American lives at risk?

Do you have an estimate of how many Iraqis would be killed in an invasion?

If Iraq disarms, will you allow the lifting of the economic sanctions on that nation?

Does Israel possess nuclear weapons? Is Israel in violation of UN Security Council resolutions? How much money do we send to Israel each year?

Why won’t you give the American people an estimate of the full financial costs of this invasion?

National Review online today reports that some Democrats are considering introducing articles of impeachment against you. What is your comment?

Both you and Vice President Cheney were oil men; Condoleezza Rice even had an oil tanker named after her. Iraq has the second-largest oil reserves with very low drilling costs. Are we really to believe that this conflict with Iraq has nothing to do with oil?

You have said that you want democracy in the Mideast, but the vast majority of the people in Turkey, the region, and indeed the world are opposed to your policies. Isn’t there a contradiction between saying you’re for democracy and advancing policies that relatively few people seem to want?

Why do you claim Iraq threatens its neighbors while its neighbors assert the contrary?

Donald Rumsfeld was helping to normalize relations with Saddam Hussein, shaking his hand in the mid-’80s. Have you discussed this with Rumsfeld?

The U.S. government has stated its intention to avoid civilian casualties while the Pentagon stated there will be “no safe place in Baghdad.” How do you reconcile these claims?

At the same time that you have made demands on Iraq, your administration has undermined various arms control agreements, such as the Biological Weapons Convention and the ABM treaty. Why?

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020, (202) 421-6858; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167