The redefined WMD threat.

Prior to going to war against Iraq, President Bush and other administration officials charged not only that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction but that the threat was immense.

"In one place--in one regime--we find all these dangers, in their most lethal and aggressive forms, exactly the kind of aggressive threat the United Nations was born to confront."

--President George W. Bush address to the UN General Assembly, September 12, 2002

"Saddam Hussein and his weapons are a direct threat to this country, to our people, and to all free people.... I will not leave the American people at the mercy of the Iraqi dictator and his weapons."

--President George W. Bush press conference, March 6, 2003

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."

--President George W. Bush address to the nation, March 17, 2003

"The goals of our coalition are clear and limited. We will end a brutal regime, whose aggression and weapons of mass destruction make it a unique threat to the world."

--President George W. Bush message to the Iraqi people, April 10, 2003

When the weapons were not found, Bush began to refer to WMD programs as opposed to actual stockpiles of WMDs, without actually acknowledging a retreat from the administration's previous position. He even went so far as to claim that there was no difference between programs to develop WMDs and actual WMDs.

Question: "Is U.S. credibility on the line over weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?"

Answer: "I'm not exactly sure what that means. I mean, Iraq had a weapons program. Intelligence throughout the decade showed they had a weapons program. I am absolutely convinced with time we'll find out that they did have a weapons program."

--President George W. Bush remarks during a photo-op, June 9, 2003

Question: "But stated as a hard fact, that there were weapons of mass destruction as opposed to the possibility that he [Saddam] could move to acquire those weapons still--"

Answer: "So what's the difference?"

Question: "Well "

Answer: "The possibility that he could acquire weapons. If he were to acquire weapons, he would be the danger. That's, that's what I'm trying to explain to yon."

--President George W. Bush interview by Diane Sawyer ABC News' Primetime program, December 16, 2003

"Some in this chamber, and in our country, did not support the liberation of Iraq. Objections to war often come from principled motives. But let us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power. We're seeking all the facts. Already, the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations. Had we failed to act, the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day."

--President George W. Bush State of the Union address, January 20, 2004