U.S. Officials Defend Iraq War on Anniversary

Mar 14, 2:42 pm ET

By Tabassum Zakaria

http://news.excite.com/top/article/id/43119|top|03-14-2004::14:47|reuters.html
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One year later, U.S. officials steadfastly defended the decision to go to war against Iraq, saying on Sunday that Saddam Hussein had posed an "urgent" threat more dangerous than North Korea, even though weapons of mass destruction have not yet been found.

"I do believe it was the right thing to do and I'm glad it's done," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

The Bush administration, on the anniversary of the March U.S.-led invasion, is still dogged by questions of whether it exaggerated the threat from Iraq to gather support for the war.

The White House justified the war by saying Iraq was dangerous because it had weapons of mass destruction, but since the invasion no stockpiles of biological or chemical weapons have been found.