Ron Paul: Neo-Conservatives Took Pleasure In Being Able To Invade Iraq After 9/11

Earlier today, Ron Paul spoke to Fox News’ Megyn Kelly from an extremely chilly looking Iowa. The presidential candidate discussed the usual topics like his large and young fanbase and whether or not he’d run as an independent (with his polls as high as they are, Paul said he felt no need to even consider that yet). However, Kelly also asked him about a controversial comment he had made that the Bush administration felt “glee” after 9/11. Paul clarified that he didn’t mean that they felt glee about 9/11, but didn’t back down from his assertion that they felt “pleasure” in getting an excuse to invade Iraq.

Paul’s comment, made to a group of backers, went like this:

“Just think of what happened after 9/11. Immediately before there was any assessment there was glee in the administration because now we can invade Iraq.”

It has since been criticized by some including members of the Bush administration.

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When asked by Kelly what he meant, Paul explained that, while “glee” might not be the right word, there was definitely an eagerness to exploit the situation. He referenced the accounts by http://www.mediaite.com/power-grid/person/?q=Bob+Woodward“>Bob Woodward and Paul O’Neill as proof that the Bush White House wanted an excuse to invade the nation and saw this as an opportunity.

“So, yes, the Neo-Conservatives, even years before [9/11], were looking for an opportunity. This doesn’t mean they had glee about 9/11. That’s a total misinterpretation. They had pleasure in knowing that they had an excuse now to do what they wanted to do for so long. And what did they do? They marched into Iraq based on lies – there was no al Qaeda, no weapons of mass destruction – and look at the tragic outcomes of that effort.”

Watch the clip from Fox News below: