During Iraq's war with Iran in the 1980's, the Reagan administration did little or nothing to stop Iraq's chemical and biological warfare research and developement. In fact records are available that indicate the US provided Saddam Hussein with equipement and materials to produce these weapons, especially in the face of fears that Iraq would be overrun by Iran's human-wave attacks.

Rick Francona, a former Army intel officer in Baghdad during 1987, stated "We believed the Iraqis were using mustard gas all through the war, bbbut that was not as sinister as nerve gas.

"They started using tabun [a nerve gas] as early as '83 or '84 but in a very limited way. They were probably figuring out how to use it. And in '88, they developed sarin."

In November of 1983, with intel that Iraq was using chemical weapons on an almost daily basis, Reagan signed a secret order with instructions for the administration to do "whatever was necessary and legal" keep Saddam Hussein in power.

In December of that same year, Donald Rumsfeld was brought in by then President Reagan to act as a "Middle-East troubleshooter". Rumsfeld met with Hussein and reassured him that the US was willing to help his government and restore full diplomatic relations. Rumsfeld later said that he had "cautioned" Hussein about the use of chemical weapons, but statedepartment notes of that meeting mention nothing about such a warning.

Support for Hussein and his regime continued, even after evidence came to light of Saddam Hussein using chemical, nerve and possibly biologic agents against civilian Kurdish populations in northern Iraq.

When, now vice-president, Dick Cheney was CEO of Haliburton, an oilfield service company, Haliburton through its subsidiary Dresser-Rand sold nearly $73 million in equipment to Iraq. In a 7/30/2000 interview on ABC's "This Week", Cheney denied Haliburton ever did business with Iraq. He recanted that statement on the same program 3 weeks later.

Before Haliburton sold its stake in Dresser-Rand in 2000, Cheney signed some $30 million in contracts with Baghdad. Any claims of ignorance of Haliburton's dealings with Iraq on Cheney's part ring hollow, after all, there was due diligence on Haliburton's part in the acquisition of Ingersol-Dresser Pump Co.

So, we are now faced with the spectacle of both of these men out to have Hussein's cojones for breakfast. They beat the drums of war, and speak of evidence of Saddam Hussein having, and developing weapons of mass destruction, yet they fail to present that evidence...to anyone. Purged from the 12,000 page declaration provided by Iraq, was any mention of the US companies which provided Iraq with the equipment and materials necessary for the production on chemical and nerve agents. Why this animosity towards Iraq, if not for control of Iraqi oil-fields?