--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have known for many years that Saddam…" description: "\"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.\" — Edward Kennedy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/edward-kennedy-3423_destruction_we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam_3033276.jpg" --- # We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is… ![“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” quote by Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/edward-kennedy-3423_destruction_we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam_3033276.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/edward-kennedy-3423_destruction_we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam_3033276.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/edward-kennedy-3423_destruction_we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam_3033276.jpg) > “We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kennedy warned that Saddam Hussein was actively pursuing weapons of mass destruction, emphasizing a long‑standing threat. **In simple terms:** Saddam was developing WMDs. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant about proliferation. Themes security politics threat assessment Mood cautious urgent Type political warning When to use this quote - policy briefings - diplomatic negotiations - military planning Key Concepts non‑proliferation intelligence analysis Questions to Reflect On - How reliable is intelligence before action? - What safeguards prevent misinterpretation? A Different Perspective The claim was later contested, showing intelligence can be flawed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) [Weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons-of-mass-destruction/) ## Related quotes > [Unfortunately for the Iraqi people, instead of meeting these requirements, for six years, Saddam Hussein has lied, delayed, obstructed and tried to deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/unfortunately-for-the-iraqi-people-instead-of-meeting-these/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein's regime is a serious danger, that he is a tyrant, and that his pursuit of lethal weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/there-is-no-doubt-that-saddam-hussein-s-regime-is-a-serious-danger/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [The rapid dissemination of technology and information offers entirely new ways of production, but it can also bring the spectre of more states developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-rapid-dissemination-of-technology-and-information-offers-entirely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we are addressing the issue of weapons of mass destruction, we need to send a uniform, consistent message that there is zero tolerance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/if-we-are-addressing-the-issue-of-weapons-of-mass-destruction-we-need/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [There were no weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein was not involved in the September 11th attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-were-no-weapons-of-mass-destruction-and-saddam-hussein-was-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapon stock,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/in-the-four-years-since-the-inspectors-left-intelligence-reports-show/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/if-he-declares-he-has-none-then-we-will-know-that-saddam-hussein-is/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) > [Saddam Hussein's regime is despicable, he is developing weapons of mass destruction, and we cannot leave him doing so unchecked. He is a threat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/saddam-hussein-s-regime-is-despicable-he-is-developing-weapons-of/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Saddam Hussein had a lengthy history of reckless and sudden aggression. He cultivated ties to terror -- hosting the Abu Nidal organization, supporting terrorists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/saddam-hussein-had-a-lengthy-history-of-reckless-and-sudden/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [If left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-left-unchecked-saddam-hussein-will-continue-to-increase-his/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/simply-stated-there-is-no-doubt-that-saddam-hussein-now-has-weapons/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But he still says so. There was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaida.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-olbermann/there-were-no-weapons-of-mass-destruction-in-iraq-but-he-still-says/) [Keith Olbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-olbermann/) > [There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein had and used significant weapons of mass destruction on his own people, both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-weldon/there-is-absolutely-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-saddam-hussein-had-and/) [Curt Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-weldon/) > [We went into Iraq because Saddam Hussein refused to account for his weapons of mass destruction, consistently violated UN resolutions and in a post-9/11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-went-into-iraq-because-saddam-hussein-refused-to-account-for-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think all of the attention of the world, to include the attention of the Arab world, should be on Saddam Hussein and whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/i-think-all-of-the-attention-of-the-world-to-include-the-attention-of/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) ## More by Edward Kennedy > [It's disgraceful that year after year, Congress has bowed to the tobacco lobby and refused to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/it-s-disgraceful-that-year-after-year-congress-has-bowed-to-the/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [Sometimes a party must sail against the wind. We cannot heed the call of those who say it is time to furl the sail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/sometimes-a-party-must-sail-against-the-wind-we-cannot-heed-the-call/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [The torture and other sadistic abuses of prisoners in Iraq have done immense damage already to America's reputation in the world, and the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/the-torture-and-other-sadistic-abuses-of-prisoners-in-iraq-have-done/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [The great adventures which our opponents offer is a voyage into the past. Progress is our heritage, not theirs. What is right for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/the-great-adventures-which-our-opponents-offer-is-a-voyage-into-the/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [Justice Lewis Powell spoke for all of us when he said: Equal justice under law is perhaps the most inspiring idea of our society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/justice-lewis-powell-spoke-for-all-of-us-when-he-said-equal-justice/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [Frankly, I don't mind not being President. I just mind that someone else is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/frankly-i-don-t-mind-not-being-president-i-just-mind-that-someone/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [ \[W\]ords are fine, but it has to be what a generation reads into those words. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/w-ords-are-fine-but-it-has-to-be-what-a-generation-reads-into-those/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [Earlier this week ... scientists announced the completion of a task that once seemed unimaginable; and that is, the deciphering of the entire DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/earlier-this-week-scientists-announced-the-completion-of-a-task-that/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [She's a wonderful, wonderful person, and we're looking to a happy and wonderful night - ah, life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/she-s-a-wonderful-wonderful-person-and-we-re-looking-to-a-happy-and/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [I applaud the fact that the president has reached out to the members of Judiciary Committee. And I applaud. the fact that he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/i-applaud-the-fact-that-the-president-has-reached-out-to-the-members/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [ur struggle is not with some monarch named George who inherited the crown - although it often seems that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/ur-struggle-is-not-with-some-monarch-named-george-who-inherited-the/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [We are giving assurance to the American families that help is on its way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/we-are-giving-assurance-to-the-american-families-that-help-is-on-its/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [The AMA puts the lives and well being of the American citizens well below it's own special interest...It deserves to be ignored, rejected, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/the-ama-puts-the-lives-and-well-being-of-the-american-citizens-well/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [I won't yield to anyone about guns in our society. I know enough about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/i-won-t-yield-to-anyone-about-guns-in-our-society-i-know-enough-about/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [From the windows of my office in Boston ... I can see the Golden Stairs from Boston Harbor where all eight of my great-grandparents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/from-the-windows-of-my-office-in-boston-i-can-see-the-golden-stairs/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) [Explore all 131 Edward Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) ## More Destruction quotes > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hundreds of millions of human beings on our planet increasingly suffer from unemployment, poverty, hunger, and the destruction of their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-kung/hundreds-of-millions-of-human-beings-on-our-planet-increasingly/) [Hans Kung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-kung/) > [Away with you, water, destruction of wine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catullus/away-with-you-water-destruction-of-wine/) [Catullus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catullus/) > [Some voluntary castaways there will always be, whom no fostering kindness and no parental care can preserve from self-destruction; but if any are lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/some-voluntary-castaways-there-will-always-be-whom-no-fostering/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is there some lesson on how to be friends? I think what it means is that central to living a life that is good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/is-there-some-lesson-on-how-to-be-friends-i-think-what-it-means-is/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“We're on the eve of destruction. Men have lost all sense of honor. Power has become their faith instead of faith being their power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atiq-rahimi/we-re-on-the-eve-of-destruction-men-have-lost-all-sense-of-honor/) Atiq Rahimi [Browse all 3,161 Destruction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Kennedy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam-hussein-is-seeking-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Destruction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam-hussein-is-seeking-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/edward-kennedy-3423_destruction_we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam_3033276.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/edward-kennedy-3423_destruction_we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam_3033276.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/edward-kennedy-3423_destruction_we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam_3033276.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” — Edward Kennedy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edward Kennedy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have known for many years...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam-hussein-is-seeking-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/we-have-known-for-many-years-that-saddam-hussein-is-seeking-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```