I found the link to this transcript in one of another of MacRanger's posts. Bill Moyers had Joe Wilson on his PBS program in February of 2003. At that time Wilson understood the strategy behind the war in Iraq to be the transformation of the Middle East.
MOYERS: So you're saying that it is important to enforce United Nations resolutions.
WILSON: Absolutely.
MOYERS: You think war is inevitable?
WILSON: I think war is inevitable. Essentially, the speech that the President gave at the American Enterprise Institute was so much on the overthrow of the regime and the liberation of the Iraqi people that I suspect that Saddam understands that this is not about disarmament.
Wilson's only problem with it was, he thought it might not work.
MOYERS: And you agree with that, don't you?
WILSON: Well, no, I don't think that that's the only way. That's where I disagree. I mean, I think that there are several other steps that can be taken before you have to go to total war for the purposes of achieving disarmament.
MOYERS: Coercive…
WILSON: But I think disarmament is only one of the objectives. And the President has touched repeatedly and more openly on the other objectives in recent speeches including this idea of liberating Iraq and liberating its people from a brutal dictator. And I agree that Saddam Hussein is a brutal dictator.
And I agree along with everybody else that the Iraqi people could — would well be far better off without Saddam Hussein. The problem really is a war which has us invading, conquering and then subsequently occupying Iraq may not achieve that liberation that we're talking about.
MOYERS: So this is not just about weapons of mass destruction.
WILSON: Oh, no, I think it's far more about re-growing the political map of the Middle East.
This interview takes place on February 28, 2003. Wilson's trip to Niger had occurred a year earlier. The President's State of the Union address in which he said, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa," was delivered a month before this appearance. It wasn't until May of 2003 that CIA leaks about Joe's trip to Niger and his accusations against the Administration hit the news. What happened in May?
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