U.S. Report Finds No Evidence of Iraq WMD (AP pulls damning paragraph)

Honolulu Advertiser ^ | 10/7/04 | JOHN J. LUMPKIN

[Mensch]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction programs had deteriorated into only hopes and dreams by the time of the U.S.-led invasion last year, a decline wrought by the first Gulf War and years of international sanctions, the chief U.S. weapons hunter found.

And what ambitions Saddam harbored for such weapons were secondary to his goal of evading those sanctions, and he wanted them primarily not to attack the United States or to provide them to terrorists, but to oppose his older enemies, Iran and Israel.

The report of weapons hunter Charles Duelfer was presented Wednesday to senators and the public in the midst of a fierce presidential election campaign in which Iraq and the war of terror have become the overriding issues.

The report chronicles the decay of Iraq's chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs after its defeat in the 1991 Gulf War. By the late 1990s, only its long-range missile efforts continued in defiance of the United Nations; even then, Iraq's ballistic and cruise missile designs had not proceeded far past the drawing board. Saddam's other plans would have to wait until he was free of the sanctions and free of international attention.

President Bush's spokesman said the report justified the decision to go to war. Campaigning in Pennsylvania, Bush defended the decision to invade.

"There was a risk, a real risk, that Saddam Hussein would pass weapons or materials or information to terrorist networks," the president said in a speech in Wilkes Barre, Pa. "In the world after Sept. 11, that was a risk we could not afford to take."

Excerpted

[Mensch]

While embroiled in this discussion:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=202888#post202888

about this story, this quote was cited from the above story.

"Contrary to prewar statements by President Bush and top administration officials, Saddam did not have chemical and biological stockpiles when the war began and his nuclear capabilities were deteriorating, not advancing, said Charles Duelfer, head of the Iraq Survey Group."

AP has pulled this "quote" from the story.

[Waco]

All the dead Kurds will be glad to hear this, as they head to the polls in Chicago!

[MEG33]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1237587/posts
Mixed messages from WMD report

[Anti-Bubba182]

Looks like the story is still up below:

U.S. inspector’s report contradicts Bush’s claims

Bush better be ready for this on Friday, it is certain to come up fair or not.

[fortheDeclaration]

And what ambitions Saddam harbored for such weapons were secondary to his goal of evading those sanctions, and he wanted them primarily not to attack the United States or to provide them to terrorists, but to oppose his older enemies, Iran and Israel.

That alone would justify finishing Iraq off once and for all.