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Osama Siblani, publisher of "The Arab American" newspaper, says George W Bush told him in May 2000 - before he was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate - that he is going to "take out" Iraq and Saddam Hussein.

Excerpt of rush transcript:

OSAMA SIBLANI: "[Bush] was running for elections in May of 2000 when he was a governor. He told me just straight to my face among 12 or maybe 13 republicans at that time, he had a Michigan - he was here in Michigan at the hotel, May 17, I think, 2000. Even before he became the nominee for the republicans, he told me that he was going to 'take him out,' when we talked about Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

I said, 'well, you know, I totally disagree with you. You cannot just take leaders out of their countries, you know? Let the Iraqi people do it. They can't do it on an empty stomach with sanctions. Keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein, but lift the sanctions on the Iraqi people. People can't make moves on empty stomachs. Once they start establishing, you know, a connection with the United States and helping democracy, they will overthrow him.'

And then he said, 'we have to talk about it later.' But at that time he was not privy to any intelligence, and the democrats had occupied the White House for the previous eight years. So, he was not privy to any intelligence whatsoever. He was not the official nominee of the Republican party, so he didn't know what kind of situation the weapons of mass destruction was that at that time."

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/11/1449253