McCain defends Iraq war: "What do you think that Saddam Hussein would be doing with oil at $120"

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/08/08/mccain-says-world-is-better-off-without-hussein/?mod=googlenews_wsj

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The impassioned outburst began in response to a question about McCain’s vote to support the war in Iraq. “Given the advantages of hindsight and the recent revelations how would you vote on that issue today and why?” an older gentleman asked.

McCain grew animated immediately. “What do you think that Saddam Hussein would be doing with oil at $120, $125, $130 a barrel? What do you think he’d be doing?” he asked. “I’ll tell you what he’d be doing. He’d be doing what he said he was committed to doing and that’s acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction which he had done twice before.” The crowd applauded enthusiastically, adding to McCain’s momentum.

He continued: “So let me just say right now, we are free to disagree on that issue but the oil for food scandal, which was a $12 billion scandal at the United Nations was going on, our planes were being shot at every day, the cease fire was breaking down, this was one of the most brutal regimes in history and there’s no doubt in my mind, in fact he told his interrogators, he had the same commitment to acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction.”

But McCain didn’t stop there. The Arizona senator then rambled off the benefits of U.S. involvement there: “a stable democracy, an alley of the United States of America in the region, a democratically elected—a flawed, but democratically elected—government.” He also added in a joke making fun of the U.S. government. “I’m not sure we should criticize other governments.”

McCain acknowledged his vote, and his support of what he saw was an “initial victory,” something he said he corrected after a visit there. He praised the troop surge and he closed with this: “If he were still in power, I believe that the world would be far worse off especially with all the money he’d be making off of oil and he would have his commitment to acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction, that’s my answer.”