Mohamed ElBaradei, If only...

ElBaradei Accepts Nobel Peace Prize -- TWO YEARS AND NINE MONTHS EARLIER - Sunday, March 16, 2003, 3 days before invading Iraq;

MR. RUSSERT: And even though the International Atomic Energy Agency said he does not have a nuclear program, we disagree? VICE PRES. CHENEY: I disagree, yes...I think Mr. ElBaradei frankly is wrong.

Mohamed ElBaradei won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize today. He should have been given the chance to win the honor two years ago. If only George W. Bush had not wanted to invade Iraq so anxiously, he would have won it two years ago. ElBaradei pleaded with the United States before our invasion on March 19, 2003, to give the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) more time for inspections. Saddam Hussein had agreed to give them access to virtually any area they wanted to inspect. George W. Bush and the neocons didn't want verification, they wanted to go to war. They told ElBaradei and the IAEA to get out of Iraq, that they had other plans and that when came right down to it, Iraq not having nuclear capabilities really didn't have anything to do with it. That 'nuclear threat' part was only being used to scare the 'sheep'. Mohamed ElBaradei and Hans Blix were telling us that the weapons were not there. The rightwing warmongers (those who knew they wouldn't have to go and fight) laughed and ridiculed ElBaradei and Blix. I remember Blix being called Mr. Magoo... But, who was right, ElBaradei, Mr. Magoo or Bush? Below are a couple excerpts, actually a paragraph and the conclusion, to a speech given before the UN on January 27, 2003 by ElBaradei where he pleads for time to avoid war and to 'invest' in peace. If only. If only we had allowed a little more time. There was no excuse not to allow more time since Saddam had given in to the inspectors...But that wasn't what Bush had planned. We would rush in, be greeted as 'liberators', it would only ' take weeks, not months', and junior could kill the man who tried to kill his daddy. Was it worth the cost? No, and you're a liar if you said yes. Mohamed ElBaradei should have won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. If only....

"First, we have inspected all of those buildings and facilities that were identified, through satellite imagery, as having been modified or constructed over the past four years. IAEA inspectors have been able to gain ready access and to clarify the nature of the activities currently being conducted in these facilities. No prohibited nuclear activities have been identified during these inspections". CONCLUSION "To conclude: we have to date found no evidence that Iraq has revived its nuclear weapons programme since the elimination of the programme in the 1990s. However, our work is steadily progressing and should be allowed to run its natural course. With our verification system now in place, barring exceptional circumstances, and provided there is sustained proactive cooperation by Iraq, we should be able within the next few months to provide credible assurance that Iraq has no nuclear weapons programme. These few months would be a valuable investment in peace because they could help us avoid a war. We trust that we will continue to have your support as we make every effort to verify Iraq’s nuclear disarmament through peaceful means, and to demonstrate that the inspection process can and does work, as a central feature of the international nuclear arms control regime". Statement to the United Nations Security Council New York 27 January 2003 Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY