Editing Saddam Hussein (section)

===Background===
{{Anchor|Invasion of Iraq in 2003}}
[[File:SaddamStatue.jpg|thumb|Statue of Saddam [[Firdos Square statue destruction|being toppled in Firdos Square]] after the invasion]]
Many members of the [[international community]], especially the U.S., continued to view Saddam as a bellicose tyrant who was a threat to the stability of the region.<ref name="Bush 2002a" /><ref name="Bush 2002b">{{cite news |last=Bush |first=George W. |date=30 January 2002 |title=Full text: State of the Union address |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1790537.stm |access-date=31 December 2006 |work=BBC News}}</ref> In his January 2002 [[2002 State of the Union Address|state of the union address]] to Congress, President [[George W. Bush]] spoke of an "[[axis of evil]]" consisting of Iran, North Korea, and Iraq.<ref name="Bush 2002a" /> Moreover, Bush announced that he would possibly take action to topple the Iraqi government, because of the threat of its weapons of mass destruction.<ref name="Bush 2002b" /> Bush stated that "The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop [[anthrax]], and [[nerve gas]], and [[nuclear weapon]]s for over a decade&nbsp;... Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror."<ref name="Bush 2002a">{{cite speech|first=George W.|last=Bush|date=29 January 2002|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/stateoftheunion/2002/index.html|title=State of the Union|access-date=31 December 2006}}</ref>

After the passing of [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441|UN Security Council Resolution 1441]], which demanded that Iraq give "immediate, unconditional and active cooperation" with UN and IAEA inspections,<ref name="CNN Transcript of Blix 2003">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/01/27/sprj.irq.transcript.blix/ |title=CNN Transcript of Blix's remarks |publisher=CNN |date= 27 January 2003|access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> Saddam allowed U.N. weapons inspectors led by [[Hans Blix]] to return to Iraq.<ref name="CNN Transcript of Blix 2003" /> During the renewed inspections beginning in November 2002, Blix found no stockpiles of WMD and noted the "proactive" but not always "immediate" Iraqi cooperation as called for by Resolution 1441.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=6383&Cr=iraq&Cr1=inspect |title=UN news briefing |publisher=United Nations |date=7 March 2003 |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>

With war still looming on 24 February 2003, Saddam took part in [[February 2003 Saddam Hussein interview|an interview]] with [[CBS News]] reporter [[Dan Rather]].<ref name="Behind The Scenes With Saddam" /> Talking for more than three hours, he denied possessing any weapons of mass destruction, or any other weapons prohibited by the UN guidelines.<ref name="Behind The Scenes With Saddam" /> He also expressed a wish to have a live televised debate with [[George W. Bush]], which was declined.<ref name="Behind The Scenes With Saddam" /><ref name="cbsnews.com" /> It was his first interview with an American reporter in over a decade.<ref name="Behind The Scenes With Saddam">{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/behind-the-scenes-with-saddam/ |title=Behind The Scenes With Saddam |publisher=CBS News |date=24 February 2003 |access-date=31 December 2006 |archive-date=24 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924112935/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/24/eveningnews/main541817.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="cbsnews.com" /> CBS aired the taped interview later that week.<ref name=":13" /> Saddam later told an FBI interviewer that he once left open the possibility that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to appear strong against Iran.<ref name=":13">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/07/02/us-iran-saddam-idUSTRE56113O20090702 |title=FBI says Saddam's weapons bluff aimed at Iran |work=Reuters |date=2 July 2009 |access-date=8 January 2012 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924142415/http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/07/02/us-iran-saddam-idUSTRE56113O20090702 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="cbsnews.com" />