When Sen. Teddy Kennedy (D.-Mass.) appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” yesterday, one topic was Kennedy’s claim that the Bush Administration lied America into war and that Congress needed to investigate this alleged lying.
Host Tim Russert confronted Kennedy with an especially provocative statement about Iraq made by a politician in 2002. But Russert did not immediately identify the politician.
In his statement, the mystery man said: “We know [Iraq is] developing unmanned vehicles capable of delivering chemical and biological warfare agents … All U.S. intelligence experts agree they are seeking nuclear weapons. There’s little question that Saddam Hussein wants to develop them … In the wake of September 11th, who among us can say with any certainty to anybody that those weapons might not be used against our troops, against our allies in the region? Who can say that this master of miscalculation will not develop a weapon of mass destruction even greater—a nuclear weapon.”
Still not revealing who said these words, Russert asked Kennedy: “Are those the statements that you’re concerned about?” Kennedy affirmed that they were.
Only then did Russert inform him that the statement was made by Sen. John Kerry, last year’s Democratic presidential candidate.
