Posted on 6/14/2004, 10:23:53 PM by Ooh-Ah
For some of us, Iraq's possession of WMD was axiomatic. Saddam had it and used it in the late 1980s (Halabja and Iran) and early 1990s (southern Iraq after the aborted Shi'ite uprising). It was there in the mid-1990s; UN inspectors found it. It was there in the late 1990s; UN inspectors said so. There was no evidence that he had gotten rid of it. Deductive reasoning said it must still be there. For others, deduction ran the other way: If you can't find it, it must not be there.
On June 9th, the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission briefed the Security Council about the export of Iraqi WMD, missile and nuclear components shipped out of Iraq before, during and after the invasion. As reported by MENL news service, UNMOVIC acting executive chairman Demetrius Perricos told the Council, "The removal of these materials from Iraq raises concerns with regard to proliferation risks," and said inspectors found Iraqi WMD and missile components shipped abroad that still contained UN inspection tags.
The World Tribune reported on Perricos's briefing. "He said the Iraqi facilities were dismantled and sent both to Europe and around the Middle East at the rate of about 1,000 tons of metal a month... The Baghdad missile site contained a range of WMD and dual-use components, UN officials said. They included missile components, reactor vessel and fermenters ... required for the production of chemical and biological warheads. 'It raises the question of what happened to the dual-use equipment, where is it now and what is it being used for,' Perricos's spokesman, said. 'You can make all kinds of pharmaceutical and medicinal products with a fermenter. You can also use it to breed anthrax.'"
Anthrax? Reactor vessels? Now they tell us?
Not exactly. The question was never what the world knew. The UN apparat, along with all of the world's major intelligence services, knew the chief threat Saddam posed was in nonconventional capabilities that threatened the world, either by Iraq's further use or by export to other countries or non-state actors. The question was, rather, what the world was willing to do about what it knew. The answer, wrapped partly in the vast corruption of the oil-for-food program and partly in fear of a terrorist backlash, was "nothing."
The ability of the UN as an institution, and the French, Russian and German governments and their cronies to rake in illicit millions of dollars from oil-for-food contract kickbacks across the misery of Iraq's weakest citizens required a continual program of ineffectual inspections - perpetually seeking and never finding the WMD/nuclear components.
That's the dirty secret; that's why they would NEVER have gone to war against Saddam and why the French double-crossed us on Res. 1441 and why they hate President Bush and resent the liberation of Iraq. It is OUR war because THEY didn't want their cozy scheme to end.
But it did end. Oil-for-food is over and the UN's own Mr. Perricos has blown the cover.
How to get this into the news, that's a problem. It doesn't fit the TEMPLATE.
Bush's people aren't making it become news.
Not yet, anyway.
I suppose it's just a matter of time until clandestine germ labs start cropping up in german and french suburbs, and curiously close to mosques.
On my more optimistic days, I expect that a rope-a-dope is underway.
We shall see.
This source is not the news.
A very good possibility. Why release everything right now and give the Rats and their media allies months to spin it. I don't mind if President Bush drops an October surprise or two on the Democrats. They probably a some planned for him so it is good to have plenty of counter fire ready.
Just needed to correct a teeny little mistake in your otherwise cogent observation.
The really screwed part of that thing is, is that the Euro-infants will blame us for causing the release of the crap in their countries. Our "destabilizing" aggression, don't you know.
Like between the conventions, after the Liberal Dimwits have fired both barrels.
"... the chief threat Saddam posed was in nonconventional capabilities that threatened the world, either by Iraq's further use or by export to other countries or non-state actors." This is exactly why Iran is a huge threat now that they are nearly at the nuclear capability stage. It is a proven fact that Iran exports weapons and terrorists, to work mayhem and havoc. So, similar problem with Syria, the Ba'athists are just as vile there as in Iraq with Saddam around. Without the U.N. stamp of approval, what are we going to do about it? Well, John Feckless Kerry would withdraw from the ar3ea and prevent our seeking alternate oil production sites of our own and leave us hostage to the freakin' Arabs and Islamic demons. So, what will America do about these realities?... Be herded into outrage that panties were forced atop the heads of Iraqi terrorists and criminals at Abu Ghraib, drink our beer and drive our fancy SUVs and abort our posterity and cannibalize our youngest and imagine that the Islamicists are just misunderstood and the dnc knows how to dialogue them our of hating us and wanting to kill US for being US. As the true sovereigns of this nation, We The People will get what we deserve and/or permit, and nothing more.
Thanks for the information, I suppose it will be the LAST I hear of it!!
There's still time between June 30 and November. Patience.
I have the feeling that we are using this as a bargaining chip to get UN and French/German cooperation. I don't agree with it, but someone in the Administration believes it is more to our advantage to downplay/stonewall the crimes that were committed for the "greater good" of achieving our objectives in Iraq.
Here is the actual UNMOVIC report to the security council. Notice that no major news outlet has said anything about it.
http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/new/documents/quarterly_reports/s-2004-435.pdf
In due time, if you ask me. When Bush was asked about this at the G8 meet, he said all the facts aren't in yet. He further stated that when they were he would report to the American people. Probably penciled in to have the report ready by GOP convention time. Prime time address maybe???
Something is up, the dims are dead silent on WMDs now.
Ah...but a deal is a deal.
according to the woodward book, chirac assured GWB that
france was aboard on iraq, and then rounded on him at the
last minute.
so tell me, exactly what is a deal with the french WORTH?
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