What the Hell Are We Doing in Iraq? — 4 Reminders from 2004 (Rice, Giuliani, Bush, a U.S. Marine)

In the wake of San Bernardino and the Paris attacks (not to mention Istanbul, Boston, Copenhagen, etc, etc, etc), it is hardly a bad time to remember that the only, or even the main, reason for going to Iraq (as well as Afghanistan) was never to find weapons of mass destruction (WMD). It was to fight the terrorists abroad, so that America and Europe wouldn't have to fight terrorists on their home courts in the West.
Reminder — from No Pasarán's first six months of operation, 11-12 years ago:

What the Hell Are We Doing in Iraq? (I)

Condoleezza Rice:

There are those who say, "Well, if you didn't go into Iraq, there wouldn't be terrorists there." They weren't some place drinking tea and playing Scrabble. These are hardened Jihadists who will fight us some place. And if they want to fight us in Iraq, where we are 140,000 strong, better there than in New York City again.

What the Hell Are We Doing in Iraq? (II)

Rudolph Giuliani:

President Bush will make certain that we are combating terrorism at the source, beyond our shores, so we don't have to confront it, or we reduce [the chance] of confronting it here in New York City, or in Chicago or in Los Angeles or in Miami or in the rural areas of America.
That's what it means to play offense with terrorism, and not just defense.

What the Hell Are We Doing in Iraq? (III)

George W Bush:

Our strategy is clear. … We are staying on the offensive striking terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. …

What the Hell Are We Doing in Iraq? (IV)

Ronald Dominick Winchester, US Marine Corps:

Better that I go over there. Because if I don't, they're going to come here.

Winchester, a 25-year-old first lieutenant with the United States Marine Corps (who used to admire a drawing of a firefighter in the rubble of the Twin Towers handing an American flag to a marine, who is saying "I'll take it from here"), was killed in western Iraq in September 2004.