US Intel 'Simply Wrong' on Chemical Attack-General

Reuters ^ | 5/30/2003 | Charles Aldinger

[ArcLight]

U.S. intelligence was "simply wrong" in leading military commanders to believe their troops were likely to be attacked with chemical weapons in the Iraq war, the top U.S. Marine general there said on Friday.

But Lt. Gen. James Conway said in a teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon that it was too early to say whether the United States also was wrong in charging that Iraq had chemical and biological arms when the invasion began 2-1/2 months ago.

"We were simply wrong," he said of the assessment that chemical shells or other weapons were ready in southern Iraq and likely to be used against invaders by deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces.

[gathersnomoss]

Let the impeachment proceedings begin. (Hillary's wish)

[kellynla]

Well I would rather be safe than sorry. Better to have the chemical suits and not need them than to not have them and need them. Semper Fi

[MEG33]

The Iraqis had suits and antidote to nerve gas.

[netmilsmom]

And lots of time during the UN inspection fiasco to move them to Syria.

[kellynla]

Of course. Those mobile labs weren't Christmas ornaments. And if anybody wants to know where the chemicals are. I suggest they go drink the water in the Tigris and Eurphrates rivers. We've come a long ways from the days we were instructed upon a gas attack to urinate in a cloth and hold it to our face. LOL

[cake_crumb]

That's right. No WMD. Those chem shells were just to deliver concentrated insecticide to the aparagus fields. The mobile bioweapons labs just arent enough of a smoking gun. Nope. HEY, if UN wepons inspectors needed another year or more, what makes the US think IT'S entitled to any time to find more?? And who CARES that not all the tests have been analyzed??

WHO CARES that illegal weapons have already been found and confirmed (the ones that weren't shot into Kuwait)?

Who CARES that any of the above is enough of a violation of UN resolution 1441 to warrant military action??

The war on terror should never have extended to a financieer and exporter of terrorists. Nope. Not even that Pali bomb factory in downtown Baghdad was enough of a tie to al Qaeda. Nope. Not at all.

THIS IS ALL ABOUT OIL!!!

Throw the bum out. </totally unecessary, butter sarcasm tag>

[big bad easter bunny]

Even Iraq was making threats so they only have themselves to blame. Even if the exscuse was they don't use enough deoederant would be acceptable to me, they regime had to go, period.

[cake_crumb]

"Even Iraq was making threats so they only have themselves to blame"

Saddam threatened to use chemical weapons on our troops.

[cake_crumb]

I'VE GOT IT!!

Saddam wasn't using chemical weapons against the Kurds and Shi'ites!! It was nothing but a string of unfortunate accidents involving PESTICIDE BOMBS!! He was innocent all along!!

Come back Saddam!! We're sorry!!

[OREALLY]

This article smells please read it again.
Lt. Gen. James Conway is not the top U.S. Marine General.
That would be General Pace.....
Aticle Title has been taken out of context from 2nd. paragraph.
"we were simply wrong" he said of the assessment that chemical weapons were ready in southern Iraq and likely to be used be used against invaders by deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces."
1st paragraph
But Lt. Gen. James Conway said in a telesconference with reporters that it was too early to say whether the United States was wrong in charging that Iraq had chemical and biological arms when they invasion began 2 1/2 months ago.
This article is very deceptive !!!!!!!

[kellynla]

"Saddam threatened to use chemical weapons on our troops."
Exactly, so if he didn't have any how could he use them. This is a dead issue. We eliminated Sadass Hussein's regime and the whole world can feel safer for it.

[Chemist_Geek]

The Iraqis had suits and antidote to nerve gas.

Well, that's not much of a proof that they were going to use chemical weapons - we have suits and antidote, as well.

More convincing proof is in their mobile production trucks (they sure aren't the Iraqi Good Humor Man!) and the signs of contamination in the rivers.

[MEG33]

Didn't you hear the always credible Scott Ritter says it was for making hydrogen or helium(I forget which) to fill up weather balloons?

[MizSterious]

Bingo. I was about to mention your second point, but had missed your first. I started to ping the Admin Moderator, because one of the AMs had done quite a lot of research on exactly this kind of misrepresentation--then thought better of it, since a number of people work under the same official moniker. Didn't want to get the thread pulled or anything! But this is a pefect example of one of the ways we are regularly misled by the media.

Now that you've pointed out those items, it makes me wonder how many other inaccuracies are in this story...

[Chemist_Geek]

Didn't you hear the always credible Scott Ritter says it was for making hydrogen or helium(I forget which) to fill up weather balloons?

No, I didn't. Of course, what with the no-fly zones, it was critically important for the Iraqi National Weather Service to launch weather balloons to gather upper-air data. (/straight-man look)

[big bad easter bunny]

Thats what I meant.

[metesky]

Somebody should tell these generals to STFU.

[El Gato]

This article smells please read it again...

This article is very deceptive !!!!!!!

It's from Reuters, what do you expect?

[gaspar]

Yes, the article may be deceptive but I prefer my Generals to be deaf and dumb and fight like Quasimodo.