Baghdad leaps to explain warhead find

AP ^ | 02/04/03

[nypokerface]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq took the unusual step of issuing an explanation for a missile warhead discovered yesterday by UN arms inspectors -- before the monitors themselves made the news public.

The inspectors found the abandoned case of a small rocket and a "modified, damaged and abandoned warhead" at a missile parts factory south of Baghdad, the Iraqi News Agency said, describing it as a Russian-made Luna -- a short-range rocket permitted under UN resolutions.

Iraq, however, rarely reports on what the inspectors find. The report appeared timed to give Iraq's version of events before the discovery was publicized by the United Nations.

The discovery last month of 12 empty chemical warheads -- which the Iraqis considered an oversight on their part -- was cited by the U.S. as an example of Baghdad failing to comply with terms of UN Resolution 1441.

Iraq is especially sensitive to such allegations ahead of Secretary of State Colin Powell's appearance before the Security Council tomorrow. Mr. Powell plans to present evidence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has retained his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.

Photographs of mobile biological weapons installations and transcripts of overheard conversations among Iraqi officials are part of the evidence Mr. Powell will present to the council, a Bush administration official said.

Iraq denies holding any banned biological, chemical or nuclear weapons, but is under pressure to improve co-operation with UN inspectors.

[TomB]

at a missile parts factory south of Baghdad

That explains why they aren't finding much.

"Hey let's look in that building for chemical weapons!"

"No, you fool, the sign on the front clearly says "Baby Milk Factory", do you think they'd LIE about something like that? There, we'll look in that building, the one labelled "Former Chemical Weapons Facility"."

[Caipirabob]

"Uh, we have a permit for that..."

[The Duke]

It seems to me that there is some subtle-yet-significant media manipulation going on that is worthy of George Orwell himself. For example, were the inspectors not originally looking for "weapons of mass destruction", and yet now we see major issues being raised when garden variety missile warheads are found? This is consistent with the now constant media droning about "disarming Saddam".

I get the feeling the bar is being lowered until the justification for military intervention is uncovered. If we as a nation are dead set on killing the man then I say let's get it on, and not diminish our stature by playing word games.

Make no mistake, though, that the precedent we're about to establish will result in changes which may be substantial and not necessarily to our liking.

[ellery]

Tell me more -- what changes do you anticipate?

[The Duke]

Tell me more -- what changes do you anticipate?

Well, how about this....the bad guy changes from "Iraq" to "Iran" virtually overnight with no mention of it in the media. That would be very much in the spirit of Orwell.

[ellery]

And what's wrong with that? We need to replace a number of corrupt, terrorist-supporting, tortuous regimes in the middle east with some sort of representative government -- it's the only way to dramatically reduce global terrorism. Why wouldn't we take them on one at a time?