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Bush Officials, Top Democrat Back Iraq Weapons Claims June 8 (Bloomberg) -- Bush administration officials and a top Democrat defended prewar claims by the U.S. and U.K. that Iraq had chemical and biological weapons. Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Representative Dick Gephardt, a Democratic candidate for president in 2004, responded on Sunday television news shows to accusations the Bush administration exaggerated Iraq's weapons programs. ``There is a very large body of evidence that connects together to paint a picture of a very dangerous regime with very dangerous weapons that had deceived the world for 12 years,'' Rice said in Washington on ABC's ``This Week.'' Lawmakers in the U.S. and U.K. are asking why no weapons have been found in Iraq eight weeks after the war ended. Powell and Rice said more time is needed. Powell said a 1,300-person survey group has been sent to Iraq to interview former Iraqi officials and intensify the search. Powell said he stands by his presentation to the United Nations on Feb. 5 alleging Iraq was concealing chemical and biological weapons. ``We spent four days and nights out at the CIA making sure that whatever I said was supported by our intelligence,'' he said on Fox News Sunday. ``The overwhelming assessment of the intelligence community'' in October 2002 when the U.S. Congress voted to authorize war was that Hussein had chemical and biological weapons, Rice said. She also appeared on NBC's ``Meet the Press'' and CBS's ``Face the Nation'' to defend the Bush administration's position. `Have an Investigation' Gephardt, the Democrats' former House leader, was among the first in the U.S. opposition party to support Bush's decision to go to war against Iraq. Evidence from 1991 through the Clinton administration showed Iraq had banned weapons, he told CBS. ``There is long, consistent, clear evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and I'm still convinced we are going to find them,'' Ge phardt said. More. http://tinyurl.com/dsui _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk