The Dog Ate My WMDs (NEW! IMPROVED! MORE FIBRE AND SYRIA ADDED!)

The dog that ate the WMDs is seriously constipated. At least in a healthy digestive tract there would have been harder evidence of even traces of weapons "programs" than the crap that the Bush admin is spewing now.

Even Wolfowitz has shifted focus to the removal of Hussein as the primary strategic objective.

Lies, lies, lies and more lies.


This link and story are an update from senior U.N. Weapons Inspectors. Yes. it's U.S. and Them again. Blix, and others, give some detailed and specific rundowns on what has happened, beyond the end of the segment captured below...


www.nationalpost.com...



Saddam didn't lie; there are no WMDs, UN inspectors say

Araminta Wordsworth
National Post, with files from news services


Wednesday, September 10, 2003
ADVERTISEMENT


The UN's senior weapons inspectors now say they believe Saddam Hussein was telling the truth when he claimed he had no weapons of mass destruction.

In addition, the Iraqi nuclear program was in such a shambles it was unlikely to be able to produce atomic weapons any time soon.

The revelations undercut the rationale for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which was predicated on the country's possession of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq's 12,000-page dossier on the subject, presented to the Security Council on Dec. 7 last year, was universally dismissed as incomplete and misleading.

Those charges were later used by Washington and London to justify the invasion of Iraq in late March.

Hello MaskedAvater,

Just a little more news relating to this post.

Excerpt:

Sunday, 14 September , 2003, 13:53

London: After failing to get any evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the US and Britain have decided to delay indefinitely the publication of a full report on the controversial issue, media reported today.

Full story.

So, what's the real reason we went to war? I thought Sadaam was an imminent threat to U.S. interests and/or innocent civilians. Why did the U.S. gov't push the war so fast?

Sounds to me like another cover-up, there sure are a lot of them nowadays, huh? Future outlook does not look good either. *sigh*

Well, this will be an issue with the next presidential election. Basically, Bush has to give up credible evidence (already should have months ago), or he loses.

No, he doesn't...and this is why. All he has to do is NOTHING. That's right....absolutely nothing. The Democrats, with their constant inability to pick which horse they want to race, and the constant re-attempts by the usual gaggle of idiots, has all but handed the presidency to Shrub.

We've got 4 more years of the most corrupt presidency in history to go folks...(and yes, even Nixon wasn't this corrupt, he just got caught...) Shrub gets caught and is still getting away with it!

It's a pretty simple problem to work out. Just ask yourself the right questions.

If the US administration was so sure that Saddam had WMD's and posed an IMMINENT threat (enough of a threat for them to sacrifice US soldiers lives), then how is it that they haven't found any evidence of WMD's in 5 months?

Why is it that they refuse to re-allow UN inspectors in? Now that the country is free of Saddam, they should be able to check anywhere they want and find anything that's out there.

Why would the CIA appoint David Kay as the chief inspector for WMD's? Why would the CIA even be in charge of appointing him in the first place? Why has he said absolutely nothing yet?

WHY would you believe your government? I really have to give ranks to the Brits, they are doing the right things. The Hutton Inquiry is going to show all the lies.

Patriotism is NOT believing in your government. Patriotism is believing in your COUNTRY and your COUNTRYMEN. Your government is a temporary caretaker.


jakomo

The Bush government's reliance on desensitization and suspension of disbelief in a time of heightened terror alerts is wearing thin, and the CIA is no longer playing the game.

The admin is on a self-destruct path. It is bizarre to watch, but a necessary part of the clean-up of the vomitus and excrement of the most criminal admin of all time.



www.miami.com...

CIA: Assessment of Syria's WMD exaggerated
By WARREN P. STROBEL and JONATHAN S. LANDAY
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - In a new dispute over interpreting intelligence data, the CIA and other agencies objected vigorously to a Bush administration assessment of the threat of Syria's weapons of mass destruction that was to be presented Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

After the objections, the planned testimony by Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, a leading administration hawk, was delayed until September.

U.S. officials told Knight Ridder that Bolton was prepared to tell members of a House of Representatives International Relations subcommittee that Syria's development of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons had progressed to such a point that they posed a threat to stability in the region.

The CIA and other intelligence agencies said that assessment was exaggerated.

Syria has come under increasing U.S. pressure during and after the Iraq war for allegedly giving refuge to members of Saddam Hussein's regime, allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq to attack U.S. troops and for backing Palestinian militant groups that were conducting terrorist strikes on Israel. After Saddam's government fell, some Bush aides hinted that the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus might be the next U.S. target.

This article comes from as afar away as Aussie, as the crow flies....

Lies and lies about lies, but now lies about the extent to which lies were lies, still lies, all lies.



www.smh.com.au...

New doctrine: admission by stealth
By Stewart Powell and Dan Freedman in Washington
September 17, 2003

The United States Vice-President's retreat from prewar claims that Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons appears to be part of a broader Bush Administration effort to abandon disputed assertions without admitting mistakes, experts say.

In an interview on Sunday, Dick Cheney rolled back his prewar claim that Iraq possessed nuclear weapons.

Two days earlier, the Deputy Secretary of Defence, Paul Wolfowitz, had said he was mistaken when he claimed that "a great many" high-ranking lieutenants of the al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, were plotting with remnants of Saddam's regime to kill Americans in Iraq.

Stephen Hess, a Brookings Institution scholar who has worked for four presidents, said the Administration's goal "is not to admit mistakes".

"Their actions remind me of the old adage that being president is never having to say you're sorry," Mr Hess said.

Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia who studies political damage control, said the Administration was "very gradually trying to rub the rough edges off earlier claims and predictions".

"Administration officials are eating crow one by one, eating smaller portions and calling it prime beef," Mr Sabato said.

Mr Cheney conceded in a TV interview that he had mistakenly claimed three days before the March 19 invasion of Iraq that Saddam had "reconstituted nuclear weapons".

"I misspoke," Mr Cheney said. " We never had evidence that [Saddam] had acquired a nuclear weapon." He also retreated from his allegation that the September 11 hijacker Mohammed Atta had ties with Iraqi intelligence.

Cheney still clinging to the story that Saddam had something to do with 9/11!

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney, anxious to defend the White House foreign policy amid ongoing violence in Iraq, stunned intelligence analysts and even members of his own administration this week by failing to dismiss a widely discredited claim: that Saddam Hussein might have played a role in the Sept. 11 attacks.

www.boston.com...

Mycroft

"Stunning" performance indeed.

Counting down the weeks now...

....If more people looked around to find the answers themselves,go on,just try to find out anything about this legal system without actually being a participant in it.
This is what I have done,the corruption is obvious if you look into things yourself,it never will be fed to you truthfully,you have to find out yourself.
The first step to covering up corruption is to make laws that would make it illegal to ask questions,have you noticed that this is the case,if not,wake up!!.
Another aspect of this corruption is using fear to influence the population to allow these horsecrap types of legislation to be passed (terrorism),PATRIOT Act and VICTORY Act are not to fight terrorism,because terrorism does not exist anywhere but peoples minds.These acts are designed to make it illegal for you to ask questions,if you ask too many questions you will be harassed or hauled off and called a terrorist,and the sheeples you be will believe it too.
The Bush administration has fabricated this whole war on terror because they are terrified that the people will find out the truth.
America and freedom are about one inch from being extinct.

The administration is obviously trying to make lemonade.

However, something stinks in this whole argument. Whether or not you support the war, Saddams actions in the years leading up to the war are strange indeed.

Saddam did everything he could to torpedo the weapons inspections. Why? Saddam had it within his power to avoid the war simply by cooperationg with the UN inspections. I don't buy the argument that he thought that the US wouldn't attack. He had to have learned that 10 years earlier. I think that Saddams' actions are what give the administration confidence that something will be found.

Thats a good article MA.
What I do find, in retrospect, is that Bush made a declaration to the degree that Syria has WMD...mainly chemical back in 4/13/03.

Article:
"BUSH ACCUSES SYRIA"
Link:
www.sky.com...

And Syria's intentions are well known:
Source:
"The Nuclear Threat Initiative: NTI"
Link:
www.nti.org...

Excerpt:

Chemical:
"According to open sources, Syria has one of the most extensive chemical weapons (CW) capabilities in the Middle East and among developing countries worldwide. Syria allegedly received initial chemical warfare assistance and supplies, including chemical agents, from Egypt prior to the October War against Israel in 1973. Analysts claim that the country now has an indigenous capability to produce and weaponize nerve (e.g., sarin and VX) and blister (e.g., mustard) agents. There are some allegations that Syria received Russian assistance in developing these agents, and that it acquired dual-use technology and equipment from various European countries and India. Syria possesses Scud-B and Scud-C ballistic missiles capable of being fitted with chemical warheads, and in 1999 it allegedly tested a Scud-B carrying a warhead designed to disperse VX. Open sources assert that there are at least three Syrian facilities currently engaged in producing CW, located near Damascus, Hama, and Safira village (in the Aleppo area). Damascus ratified the Geneva Protocol in 1968, but so far has declined to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)."

Missile:

"Syria�s missile program began in the early 1970s as a means to counter Israel�s superior conventional military capabilities; since that time, the missile program has grown in tandem with the development of chemical weapons (CW). Syria now has one of the largest arsenals of ballistic missiles in the region, made up of hundreds of Scud-derived missile systems. In the 1970s and 1980s, Syria relied on Soviet technology and support for its missile program and imported the Soviet FROG-7, Scud-Bs, and the solid-fueled Scarab SS-21 missiles. In the 1990s, Syria looked to other states to supply it with missile technology and found willing partners in Iran and North Korea. Iran provided Syria with technical assistance for solid-fueled rocket motor production, while North Korea supplied it with equipment and technical assistance for liquid-fueled missile production. Syria, however, has had difficulty creating an indigenous production capability and has had to rely on continued imports from countries such as North Korea and China. Syria reportedly purchased 150 Scud-C missiles from North Korea in 1991. In September 2000, Syria tested a North Korean, 700 km-range Scud-D, revealing its commitment to expanding its missile capability. Syria is not a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)."

Another Source:
"Middle East Intelligence Bulletin"
Link:
www.meib.org...

Excerpt:

Missiles and WMD

"There is considerable evidence that Sarin nerve agents and HD(mustard gas) are produced at facilities just north of Damascus and near Hama, while the deadly VX nerve agents are produced at a petrochemical complex just south of Homs. The main biological weapons (BW) agent facility is at the Damascus-based Scientific Research Council), where Anthrax, Cholera and Botulism developed by the Biological Research Facility are produced. Syria's chemical and biological weapons program, unlike its centralized Iraqi and Iranian counterparts, is dispersed around a number of small dedicated facilities and is proving much harder to detect. Syria can also can access the production capability of over a dozen government-controlled pharmaceutical plants spread widely across the country."

One Does have to note, though, that like the US, Syria has not has not signed a new treaty banning chemical weapons in total The Chemical-Weapons Treaty.
Link:
slate.msn.com...

Another source:
Global Securities has information on Syria's:
Chemical Weapons
Link:
www.globalsecurity.org...

Nuclear Program
Link:
www.globalsecurity.org...

Then this article today:
"Syria Allows Fighters to Enter Iraq, Develops Arms"
reported by Bloomberg...sorry no link....

"Sept. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Syria is letting Islamist fighters cross its border to attack U.S. soldiers in Iraq while the regime in Damascus continues the development of mass-destruction arms, the U.S. State Department's arms-control chief told Congress.

Syria is ``committed to expanding and improving its chemical weapons program,'' and is developing ``an offensive biological weapons capability,'' John Bolton, the undersecretary of State for arms control and international security, said at a House International Relations subcommittee hearing in Washington today.

Bolton alleged that Syria allowed military equipment and ``volunteers'' into Iraq before and during the war, and hasn't stopped militants from passing through its territory to menace the U.S.-led occupation. So far the U.S. has not found conclusive evidence that Syria accepted and hid stockpiles of Iraqi arms, weapons the Bush administration described as the justification for the toppling of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, he told lawmakers.

The diplomat's assertions served as the latest U.S. warning to Syria that its government is still interfering in Iraq and stirring up violence elsewhere in the Middle East. The U.S. labels Syria a state sponsor of terrorism because it supports groups that attack Israel in a campaign to block a settlement with the Palestinian Authority.

While there is no information that indicates Syria has handed weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups, the U.S. has warned Syria of the ``seriousness'' of doing so, Bolton said. The Bush administration says the country supports and provides sanctuary to the U.S.-designated terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Regime Change

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visited the Syrian capital Damascus in May, pressing leader Bashar al-Assad to end support to the terrorist groups, help the U.S. rebuild Iraq and end its control over Lebanon. President George W. Bush said he expected Syria to carry out these changes.

While the U.S. wants to handle its disputes with Syria peacefully, ``we must allow ourselves the option to use every tool in our nonproliferation toolbox,'' Bolton said. When asked whether toppling Assad was a possible strategy, Bolton said the Bush administration isn't ``taking any options off the table.''

Powell still believes U.S. disputes with Syria should be addressed diplomatically, Bolton said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara told reporters in Damascus today that his government would comply with U.S. demands that are ``logical and realistic,'' without specifying what those were, Agence France-Presse reported.

Powell said in Kuwait yesterday that Syria must seal its borders to anti-U.S. militants and help find bank accounts of Saddam Hussein's loyalists, according to AFP.

After a closed intelligence briefing with the House committee, Bolton is scheduled to leave for Moscow, a frequent destination for the diplomat. The U.S. has expressed concern over Russia's cooperation with Iran and Syria in building nuclear power plants. Bush will meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin later this month at the Camp David presidential retreat, and will press this issue, Bolton said."


Hope this clarifies things a bit.....I am a bit amiss about the capabilities of the CIA in their gathering of information. Almost sounds as if they (the CIA) are/is spreading a dis-information trail so folks will think they are crap or maybe they are crap. Your guess is as good as mine currently.
Perhaps, maybe thats where some of Saddam's WMD are...dunno, but a thought....

regards
seekerof

[Edited on 17-9-2003 by Seekerof]

Originally posted by Mycroft

Cheney still clinging to the story that Saddam had something to do with 9/11!

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney, anxious to defend the White House foreign policy amid ongoing violence in Iraq, stunned intelligence analysts and even members of his own administration this week by failing to dismiss a widely discredited claim: that Saddam Hussein might have played a role in the Sept. 11 attacks.

www.boston.com...

But, but, but........but Condoleezza says otherwise

Article:
"Rice: U.S. Never Said Saddam Was Behind 9/11"
Link: by Reuters on Yahoo
story.news.yahoo.com.../nm/20030917/pl_nm/iraq_usa_rice_dc&cid=615&ncid=1480

Excerpt:
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) said on Tuesday the Bush administration had never accused Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) of directing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Her statement, made in an interview recorded for broadcast on ABC's "Nightline" program, came despite long-standing administration charges the ousted Iraqi leader was linked to the al Qaeda network accused of the Sept. 11 attacks. Those charges helped fuel a widespread U.S. public belief that Saddam had a role in the attacks.

"We have never claimed that Saddam Hussein ... had either direction or control of 9/11," Rice said.


regards
seekerof

Originally posted by Seekerof
But, but, but........but Condoleezza says otherwise

I seem to remember that when we elected this joker one of the selling points the GOP put forth was his superior management skills. "It doesn't matter if he's not too bright" they said, "he's a good manager so he's going to hire people that are smart!"

Well, it looks like this great manager forgot to update the playbook so everyone is straight on what lies to tell.

Heh. The CIA is gonna let Bush hang on this one. At least they realize to some degree how far they can push their luck.

Might be interesting to point out that the same people who were around in 1991 ( first gulf war) when Saddam screwed them over and invaded Kuvait, are the same people that are around now, Bush family, Powell, Rumsfeld, Cheney etc,etc. Its the same people.
This might be only a case of revenge. Saddam was put in power to fight Iran and was given WMD by the US, which he then used on Kurds. After he wasnt punished for that, being a madman, he decided to try his luck and invade Kuwait. Big mistake. But then Clinton won the elections and things changed. He wasnt a hard-liner like the ones before him.

Now the old crew is back again.

WMD were just an excuse for the public and they used the word terror when speaking of Iraq to kill any criticism that might arise.
Saddam's army was so piss poor that there was no organised resistance. Majority of people didnt fight do defent the regime, only the minorty. Saddam was no threat to US, he was only a threat to his own people.

Oh, one more thing, when talking about the post 911 world people often mention Orwell's 1984, it terms of "big brother is watching you". But there is one more thing Orwell mentioned as a way of controling people, maybe even more important then taking their lliberties and watching them all the time. It's the "permanent war". You got to have war all the time, war is the key to conrol, a constant enemy. That is something that didnt exist since the fall of Comunism. There was no big enemy. Now there is, and its so well packaged and served to people that you dont even know what hit you. Its the Unknown enemy, the ever present danger of "terror" which can come from outside, inside, neighbour, rogue state, just about anyone.

Originally posted by paperclip
There was no big enemy. Now there is, and its so well packaged and served to people that you dont even know what hit you. Its the Unknown enemy, the ever present danger of "terror" which can come from outside, inside, neighbour, rogue state, just about anyone.

It is to this notion that my current signature is devoted. The only real enemy of the American people is the incumbent administration.

*Obviously that referred to an old signature: "It is useless to wage war on an abstract noun".

[Edited on 26-5-2004 by MaskedAvatar]

In respect to Syria, I found these articles today:

"U.S. looks at Syrian weapon complicity:
Link:
washingtontimes.com...

Excerpt:

"WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. government is investigating intelligence reports that Iraq sent weapons to Syria to hide them from U.N. inspectors, a report said Wednesday.

John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control, also told a House International Relations subcommittee Syria is developing medium-range missiles with help from North Korea and Iran that could be fired in nerve gas attacks.

The Washington Times reported he testified in open and closed sessions Syria continues to take hostile actions against U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq by permitting sympathizers of Saddam Hussein to enter Iraq to kill Americans.".....

And another article on this from a different source:

"U.S. acknowledges intelligence on transfer of Iraqi WMD to Syria and Lebannon"
Link:
www.worldtribune.com...

Excerpt:

"Wednesday, September 17, 2003
U.S. intelligence agencies are weighing numerous reports that Iraq diverted weapons of mass destruction to Syria and Lebanon to hide them from United Nations weapons inspectors and American forces in Iraq.

In testimony Sept. 16, John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control, referred to reports that Iraqi WMD had been transferred to Syria. "We have seen these reports, reviewed them carefully, and see them as cause for concern," he said.".....


IMHO, unlike the WMD fiasco in Iraq, it would be nice to have some real evidence. If these weapons are in Syria or Lebanon, how about some satillite photos of missiles? Or on the ground? We've been burned by the type of intelligence this is based on. Hopefully, unless it gets backed up soon, it will not lead to a new conflict, The US has enough to do in Iraq.

On a more satirical humourous note, we hit Syria, no WMD, we hit Iran, no WMD, we hit North Korea, no WMD, we hit Saudi Arabia, no WMD, we hit France, no WMD, we hit Belgium, no WMD, we hit Germany, no WMD...do you see where I am going? It's a Win-Win all around!


regards
seekerof

Good grief.

The Bush admin is desperate.

We all know what the Washington Times is about.

The World Tribune on the other hand is a fake, where Bush admin propaganda goes that no-one else, not even Fox or CNN, will touch as "news".

Whatever sovereign states the U.S, decided to "hit", it will be creating long term enemies, all joining hands, and a giant economic hole for itself that U.S. citizens will be pouring money into for decades to come. If I cared passionately about the U.S. I couldn't laugh at this!

Posting this on the dog burying the bone thread, rather than the WMD Cult thread.

I haven't been defending Powell much. He should have resigned months ago to preserve his integrity, which is shot.

CBS is happy to confirm that today, too (euphemistically of course...)

www.cbsnews.com...

(CBS) In the run-up to the war in Iraq, one moment seemed to be a turning point: the day Secretary of State Colin Powell went to the United Nations to make the case for the invasion.

Millions of people watched as he laid out the evidence and reached a damning conclusion -- that Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Correspondent Scott Pelley has an interview with Greg Thielmann, a former expert on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Thielmann, a foreign-service officer for 25 years, now says that key evidence in the speech was misrepresented and the public was deceived.

�I had a couple of initial reactions. Then I had a more mature reaction,� says Thielmann, commenting on Powell's presentation to the United Nations.

�I think my conclusion now is that it's probably one of the low points in his long, distinguished service to the nation.�


(There is a very good analysis following this, and the conclusion is Powell's denial, and scapegoating of the intelligence community. The problem with this lie is that he knew how cooked the intelligence was before he addressed the UN, and was under instruction to use it, i.e. to lie)...

After turning down repeated requests for an interview by 60 Minutes II, Colin Powell spoke to the BBC Wednesday afternoon about Thielmann's claim that he misinformed the nation during his February U.N. speech.

"That's nonsense. I don't think I used the word 'imminent' in my presentation on the 5th of February. I presented, on the 5th of February not something I pulled out of the air. I presented the considered judgment of the intelligence community of the United States of America," said Powell, according to a transcript of the BBC interview released Wednesday by the State Department.

"...There is an individual, I guess, who is going on a television show to say I misled the American people. I don't mislead the American people and I never would. I presented the best information that our intelligence community had to offer."

Key wording or phrase:
"....the best information that our intelligence community had to offer."

Yeah, I agree.......on Powell.....he should have resigned when the rumors abounded that he was doing so. I have issues with Powell, and with the Administration, as a whole. On another note though...if I had to choose between Powell and Rumsfield, I would have to go with Powell.
Then again...two wrongs don't make a right......

regards
seekerof