"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process"
About this Quote
The sharpest knife is “made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.” That’s not about centrifuges; it’s about legitimacy. If inspections are the internationally sanctioned alternative to force, portraying Saddam as laughing at them recasts war as the only remaining adult option. The subtext is procedural: we tried the rules, he broke the rules, so the rules now authorize punishment. It’s less a factual assertion than a narrative of exhausted patience.
Context matters because this language sits squarely in the post-9/11 American political weather, when “WMD” became a rhetorical accelerant and skepticism could be branded as naivete. As a Democratic leader navigating patriotism tests and intra-party fracture, Pelosi’s wording signals toughness while anchoring it in multilateral process. The sentence is built to pre-justify escalation: if the inspections are a “mockery,” then diplomacy isn’t failing - the target is.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Pelosi, Nancy. (2026, January 18). Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/saddam-hussein-has-been-engaged-in-the-971/
Chicago Style
Pelosi, Nancy. "Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/saddam-hussein-has-been-engaged-in-the-971/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/saddam-hussein-has-been-engaged-in-the-971/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.




