Bush Rejects Iraqi Missile Destruction

Reuters via Yahoo! ^ | March 1, 2003 | By Adam Entous

[Momaw Nadon]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States dismissed Iraq's destruction of some of its banned missiles on Saturday as part of a "game of deception," edging closer to war while promising a brighter future for Iraqis once President Saddam Hussein is gone.

The State Department said it was seeking "clarification" of a Turkish Parliament vote first accepting and then rejecting deployment of 62,000 American troops for possible war with Iraq. Rejection would be a major blow to U.S. war planners, who hope to mount a "northern front" against Iraq from Turkish bases.

Although the White House insists President Bush has yet to make up his mind to disarm Iraq by force, he is already laying out detailed plans for what would come after a U.S.-led invasion.

"The United States has no intention of determining the precise form of Iraq's new government. That choice belongs to the Iraqi people. Yet we will ensure that one brutal dictator is not replaced by another," Bush said in his weekly radio address, reprising a speech he gave earlier this week.

Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice are engaged in an intensive diplomatic effort to win support from skeptical U.N. Security Council members for a new resolution that could pave the way for war.

Bush, who spent the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat, wants a show of international unity to destroy Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction and topple Saddam. Baghdad denies it has any such arms.

Bush has said a new resolution, while desirable, is not necessary for him to justify a U.S.-led attack, and he has sent a large military force in the Gulf region ready to carry one out.

"America is determined to enforce the demands of the United Nations Security Council by confronting the grave and growing danger of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction," Bush said.

'TERRIBLE WEAPONS'

"This dictator will not be allowed to intimidate and blackmail the civilized world, or to supply his terrible weapons to terrorist groups, who would not hesitate to use them against us. The safety of the American people depends on ending this threat," he added.

Iraq started destroying its banned al-Samoud missiles on Saturday under the watch of U.N. inspectors, complying with a March 1 U.N. deadline and at the same time complicating an American push to win international support to go to war against Baghdad for failing to disarm.

"(U.N.) resolution 1441 called for a complete, total and immediate disarmament. It did not call for pieces of disarmament. The president has always predicted that Iraq would destroy its al-Samoud missiles as part of their game of deception," White House spokeswoman Mercy Viana said.

In his radio address, Bush softened his war rhetoric somewhat by devoting most of his talk to U.S. plans to take care of the Iraqi people and reconstruct their country after the shooting stops.

"The United States and our coalition partners stand ready to provide vital help," Bush said, promising to provide food and medicine for Iraqis.

While aid groups fan out across Iraq with relief supplies, Bush said U.S. forces would destroy Iraq's alleged chemical and biological weapons.

"We will provide security against those who try to spread chaos, or settle scores, or threaten the territorial integrity of Iraq. And we will seek to protect Iraq's natural resources from sabotage by a dying regime, and ensure they are used for the benefit of Iraq's own people," Bush said.

Bush compared his plans for Iraq to the reconstruction of Japan and Germany after World War II.

"There was a time when many said that the cultures of Japan and Germany were incapable of sustaining democratic values. They were wrong. Some say the same of Iraq today. They, too, are mistaken," Bush said.

[Momaw Nadon]

FYI and discussion

[Cold Heat]

Not much to discuss.

These missles were declared by Iraq, and not discovered.

Iraq thought they could BS them through the system and nearly did!

This has little to do with disarmament, and more to do with Iraqi bulls##t.

[Uncle George]

Anyone want to bet, not one missile that has already been deployed will be destroyed. All they are playing around with is the dummies they have been punching out 24/7 up till yesterday. What a bunch of MAROONS.

[Momaw Nadon]

Attack on Iraq Betting Pool

[Russell Scott]

The importance of the northern front is so overblown. Our troops will be free to move anywhere they want in Iraq, except where Saddam decides to hide. Then we will have to call in the Air Force. I predict one or two days of heavy fighting, and then a few weeks to find housing for the surrendered Iraqi army, and capturing or killing Saddam, in what will be a mop up style operation.

[gorebegone]

Have any of the BS UN inspections checked the mobile divisions of the Republican Guard yet? This is probably where all of the WMDs and missiles are at.

[EGPWS]

Bush Rejects Iraqi Missile Destruction

Does anyone else see the "goofyness" in that headline as I do?

[RightWhale]

All they are playing around with is the dummies they have been punching out 24/7 up till yesterday.

Apparently these dummies are exceedingly tough to destroy. Rocket missiles are usually somewhat fragile due to having a lightweight structure and trying to save weight everywhere, but these missiles require a heavy bulldozer driven over then to do more than scratch the paint. Sounds like mock-ups, not operational missiles.

[mewzilla]

Um, weren't the warheads of these things supposed to carry chem or bio agents? Why aren't Hans and his merry men running around looking for what is supposed to go in the warheads...?

[TLBSHOW]

BUMP

[rs79bm]

Bush Rejects Iraqi Missile Destruction

Okay, so let's get the show on! Troops are getting impatient and Bush Supporters are getting impatient. Let's get going here. Since when do we listen to France or Germany for U.S. foreign policy anyway?

[RobFromGa]

President Bush appears to have moved past "Saddam is not disarming" to "After Saddam is Gone" over the past week. He is very clearly talking as if the Decision to act is over, and that is a good signal to send.

When (not if) this liberation of Iraq and removal of Saddam goes down, Hussein will have had more warning to shape up than any nutcase in history.

Saddam, failing spectacularly at midterms, was given a Final Exam (Res 1441). He was also told "Ace the Final", and we'll forget you haven't been in class for twelve years.

He has been warned, it will not be a surprise when we attack except to those who have not been paying attention, or are living in a dream world.

The UN has been on notice as well that they better get real relevant real fast or we'll take over the job for them with our allies.

Does the UN appear to be hearing this? Not from what I see. Russia threatens veto, France threatens veto, many others in the "Axis of Weaklings" are looking for handouts (kind of like Gore trying to sell his vote re: Gulf War I which I think is an unexplored topic).

The Second Resolution (really 18th) is the Final Exam.

The UN is in the midst of the final, but there is only ten minutes left on the clock, and they haven't done anything yet but write their name on the top of the test.

The UN will fail as well. I hope they do because a body without enforcement power is of no use in a world that needs to be quickly brought back to a state of ORDER.

The US will assume the role that the UN has abdicated, along with our allies like the UK, and AUstralia, and Spain, and New Europe. The world will be a better place for our actions.

Freedom will be advanced over the next ten years, maybe beyond our belief. And, the Left is going to be massively discredited around the world when this goes down.

[Cold Heat]

Warheads for missles can be anything, and as far as I know the IAEA has not found any of them.(big surprise)

they seem to be not looking.

[mewzilla]

You bet they're not. But does anyone with at least a few neurons in good working order think that Saddamn would spend all that money on the darned things, then not load them? Sheesh. So they've taken apart four missiles. Big fat hairy deal. I'm more worried about what was supposed to go in them. And if Old Europe had any brains or sense of self-preservation, they'd be worried too.

[VRWC_minion]

Care to share your inside information as to why its better now than it will be on say the 14th ?

[VRWC_minion]

I'm not the military expert in charge of creating and implementing the war plan. I thought you knew something more than the weather and the moon.

Bush says its over, Bush said it was weeks about 2 weeks ago, the military is still gathering and not leaving. In short, all things point to a war happening soon. It would seem to me, a layperson, that the timing of the start date has been considered a long time ago and that their is a plan. I assumed you knew the plan seeing that you knew today was the best day.

[rwfromkansas]

yesterday it was in the 20's overnight. Hardly close to summer.