Posted on 05/18/2004 8:21:40 AM PDT by JohnGalt
Washington-AP -- Don't jump to any conclusions just yet. That warning comes from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, after the U-S military in Iraq announced that a roadside bomb containing sarin nerve gas had exploded near a U-S military convoy.
Rumsfeld told a Washington, D-C audience that the "field test" showing the presence of sarin may not be accurate. He says more analysis needs to be done -- and that it may take some time to find out just what the chemical was.
In Baghdad, officials said the bomb was apparently left over from the Saddam era. They said two members of a military bomb squad were treated for "minor exposure" -- but that there were no serious injuries.
One official says the shell apparently contained two chemicals that are designed to combine and create sarin -- but that they didn't mix properly.
People in the field and in Iraq say it IS sarin.
But keep pretending that finding sarin and mustard gas is nothing. Saddam never had WMD. Saddam wasn't a threat to the US or the region. Saddam didn't have a direct relationship with Osama bin Laden. Saddam didn't know 9/11 was coming.
You are possibly the biggest Saddam supporter on FR. You think you are the only true conservative. I could write your lines myself.
And despite your mantra and parsing of words that sarin isn't technically a WMD, the former UN inspectors and military experts on this matter have continuously referredt to sarin as a WMD under generally accepted usage.
See the tagline.
Way to stick your foot in your mouth Rumsfield.
The bright side is that the Democrats/media will suddenly stop calling for his resignation.
There have been multiple finds of chemical weapons that have been categorized as 'pesticides' including others in artillery shells and bulk storage in military ammunition dumps. If this is labeled another pesticide...it was meant for two legged pests. I for one think we ought to fumigate the UN building with some of these pesticides.
yeah the Iraqi Survey Group confirmed it was Sarin, I assume they are a little more advanced than a field test. My impression listening to Rumsfield yesterday was the testing was needed to determine the origin and time the Sarin gas was created not whether it was actually Sarin or not (of course the media would never distort something like that). However, does anyone else know of a purpose of a shell design like the this one (binary design, holding two different chemicals, etc)? What other purpose for such a shell would there be? By all accounts it was specifically designed for binary weapons delivery but I'm not an expert. Are there any other possibilities?
Not again....
That's your only answer for everything. Everyone is a traitor, no one else is conservative but you, you know better than the combined wisdom of two presidential administrations which deemed Iraq a threat to the region and the United States, blah blah blah.
BTW, I find it so interesting that you condemn members of the administration and Chalabi far more than you have ever condemned Saddam Hussein, one of the biggest tyrants of my lifetime and certainly in the history of Iraq. Just like a leftist, you evidentally never met a dictator you didn't like and instead condemn those who try to bring freedom to an oppressed people. Careful - your humanity is missing.
Plus, there's a big advantage to doing it this way. Yesterday's story came out on the same day as the murder of the President of the Governing Council. It was buried in the news. If there is confirmation, that information can be released at a time in a manner calculated for maximum exposure. In effect, we get to announce it twice.
Rumsfeld is no dummy.
I'm beginning to wonder if this "it may not be WMD" line, that we've heard after EVERY SINGLE FIELD DETECTION OF WMDs SINCE THE WAR STARTED... is really to protect our troops. Weigh protecting the troops and "being right" about WMDs... Rummy will protect the troops first every time.
Today's prize winner in the "Statement Of The Blatantly Obvious" contest.
Allegiance to your country has somehow blinded you to the combined wisdom of two administrations who ALL believe that Iraq was a threat to America. Some patriot. You are blinded by your fear.
I don't see why we need to test anything in the first place. We KNOW there were no WMD in Iraq (because Bush lied) so what's the point of all these tests anyway. Just tell the two soldiers being treated for wounds, that this stuff probably had some innocent use. Like pesticides, perhaps.
Iraq was really heavily invested in the pesticide business.
Yeah, Micheal Moore says the same thing.
Ooh... could that be Rummy's motive here? is he that sly? I think he is ;-)
LOL. Really, I think it's fear of WMD and the destruction they could easily reign down on this country that makes people deny they exist.
Foxnews is just reporting in this half-hour that the Army is confirming that it is Sarin. Rumsfeld...as the administration has done throughout, is playing the role of the skeptic, so they don't get caught with their foot in their mouth.
In Baghdad, officials said the bomb was apparently left over from the Saddam era.
Today's prize winner in the "Statement Of The Blatantly Obvious" contest.
not as obvious as you may think. A lot of Europeans were trying to make the claim that it came from another country (you know since Saddam had no WMDs etc)and of course that it was Bush's fault for it being there. So while to most non-psychotic people it seems silly, not necearrily so for Democrats.
Shhhh. You are talking too much sense and some minds simply cannot handle that. LOL
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.