Bush deserves to be impeached (Commie Alert-Boston Globe Letter to the Editor)

THE CARNEGIE Endowment for International Peace report confirms that the Bush administration systematically misrepresented the threat from Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile program, and compares the misrepresentations of two presidents ("Carnegie study calls arms threat overstated," Page A1, Jan. 9). President Clinton misrepresented an extramarital affair. The impact? Damaged integrity and perhaps a damaged marriage for the Clintons. The reaction? Near impeachment and universal Republican apoplexy.

President Bush misrepresented the threat posed by Iraq. The impact? An unnecessary war, the deaths of thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of Americans, the wholesale devastation of a nation and its infrastructure, untold damage to America's credibility and alliances, the further undermining of the United Nations, the worsening of widespread animosity toward the United States, and the setting of a dangerous precedent of preemptive war.

The reaction? The two don't even compare. If misrepresentation on this scale, with results of such widespread suffering, doesn't deserve impeachment, then I don't know what does.

Well, I did a search on this Carngie Institute...and It appears this is the same Carnegie Institute that had no problem reporting (endorsing?) the dangers of Saddam's proliferation/WMD program just days after Bush's Inauguration. Within this report, both the NY Times and Clinton's own Defense Secretary are "warning" the incoming administration about the dangers of Saddam's reconstituted weapons program.

Carnegie - Jan. 22, 2001]
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace [left-wing think tank], NY Times, William Cohen| Jan. 22, 2001
Posted on 06/06/2003 6:20:51 PM EDT by Ragtime Cowgirl

Iraq Resumes WMD Activities, New York Times Reports
Monday, January 22, 2001

Press reports that Iraq has rebuilt chemical and biological weapons plants bombed by the United States in late 1998 present newly-inaugurated President George W. Bush with a serious non-proliferation challenge. A New York Times report that Iraq has rebuilt chemical and biological weapons-capable plants at Falluja demonstrates the continued threat posed to regional stability by Saddam Hussein.

A recently released Department of Defense report "Proliferation: Threat and Response: 2001" stated that Iraq "may have begun program reconstitution" of its chemical and biological weapons capabilities. The news story focuses on alleged development of these weapons at Falluja, an industrial complex west of Baghdad, and specifically mentions production of chlorine and ricin.
Chlorine is a dual-use chemical that, if weaponized, is a choking agent that destroys lung tissue. Ricin is a protein toxin produced from castor beans (ricin constitutes approximately 5% of the waste from castor oil production) that causes a variety of symptoms culminating in circulatory and respiratory failure in victims.

The reports and allegations highlight the fact that Iraq continues to block U.N. inspections of its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, as required by the Gulf War cease-fire. Created by the U.N. Security Council in the aftermath of Iraq's defeat, the U.N. Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM) inspected and dismantled much of Iraq's infrastructure for building WMD. However, its activities took place against a background of increasing Iraqi hostility towards the inspections that culminated with UNSCOM being kicked out of Iraq in December 1998.

In December 1999 the Security Council voted to establish a new U.N. presence in Iraq, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC). By September 2000 UNMOVIC, led by former International Atomic Energy Agency Director Hans Blix, was assembled and prepared to begin inspections. Iraq continues to prevent any inspectors from entering the country, and insists that it has disarmed to the extent called for by U.N. resolutions. With the will of the Security Council to continue sanctions and inspections wavering, UNMOVIC remains in limbo.

In his inaugural address, Bush pledged to do more to confront the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction. Bush's foreign policy advisors have stated both publicly and privately that they wish to shore up flagging international support for economic sanctions on Iraq. Even as the Bush administration forms its Iraq policy, U.S. and British fighters remain on patrol in the no-fly zone, periodically drawing the fire of Iraqi air defense installations as the battle of wills between Washington and Baghdad continues.

~~~

Iraq Rebuilt Weapons Factories, Officials Say
Source: New York Times
Published: 1/22/01

By STEVEN LEE MYERS and ERIC SCHMITT
ASHINGTON, Jan. 21 — Iraq has rebuilt a series of factories that the United States has long suspected of producing chemical and biological weapons, according to senior government officials. The new intelligence estimate could confront President Bush with an early test of his pledge to take a tougher stance against President Saddam Hussein than the Clinton administration did.

The factories — in an industrial complex in Falluja, west of Baghdad — include two that were bombed and badly damaged by American and British air raids in December 1998 to punish Mr. Hussein for his refusal to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors, the government officials said.

The new intelligence estimates were mentioned, but without any such specific details, in a report on weapons threats released on Jan. 10 by the outgoing secretary of defense, William S. Cohen. It warned that Iraq had rebuilt at least its weapons infrastructure and may have begun covertly producing some chemical or biological agents. Last week, the officials provided details on what they said was the reconstruction of the two factories, and the resumption of the production of chlorine at a third in the same complex.

The factories have ostensibly commercial purposes, but all three were previously involved in producing chemical or biological agents and were among those closely monitored by the United Nations inspectors, the officials said. One of the rebuilt factories, for example, is making castor oil used in brake fluid, the Iraqis say, but the mash from castor beans contains a deadly biological toxin called ricin, the officials said.

~~~~

While officials have previously disclosed that Iraq had rebuilt missile plants destroyed in the 1998 strikes, the Jan. 10 report released by Mr. Cohen was the first public acknowledgment of the resumption of work at suspected chemical and biological plants.

"Some of Iraq's facilities could be converted fairly quickly to production of chemical weapons," the report said at one point. It went on to warn, "Iraq retains the expertise, once a decision is made, to resume chemical agent production within a few weeks or months, depending on the type of agent."

America's own Immanuel Goldstein, Ramsey Clark, called for impeachment months ago.

If The Bush Administration Lied About WMD,
So Did These People
compiled by John Hawkins
"The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow." -- Bill Clinton in 1998

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security." -- Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002

"Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." -- Al Gore, 2002

[many others]
Panel: Iraq Data Wasn't Hyped
by Ed Johnson, AP
9-11-03
[no link]
Prime Minister Tony Blair's government did not deliberately "sex up" a dossier on Iraqi weapons by including a disputed claim about chemical and biological weapons, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee ruled Thursday... A separate inquiry being led by Lord Hutton also is looking into the issue as it relates to the apparent suicide of arms expert David Kelly, who was named by officials as the possible source of a British Broadcasting Corp. report alleging the government exaggerated the threat from Iraq. The government denies the claims, which sparked a bitter feud between Blair's office and the British Broadcasting Corp. BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan subsequently said his source had blamed Blair's communications chief, Alastair Campbell, for insisting on including the claim. The Intelligence and Security Committee rejected those charges, and accepted the government's assertion that the Joint Intelligence Committee, which prepared the dossier, did not come under political pressure... The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, in a report issued July 7, also absolved the government and Campbell.

from the June 7 2003 issue, this next one has a reverse spin goin'. The subtitle is "If there were no weapons, why didn't Saddam let his scientists talk?" But the editorial talks mostly about the partisan harping on the supposedly faked evidence. Of course the evidence for Iraqi WMD is real.

A Question of Proof
editorial
New Scientist
[no link]
In November 2002, the Security Council told Iraq to provide such verification of face the consequences. Even if Iraq really did give up its weapons, where was the proof? It could have supplied documents, dug up destroyed armaments, and allowed scientists to talk.
Nuke program parts unearthed in Baghdad back yard
Mike Boettcher,
David Ensor,
and producer Maria Fleet
Experts said the documents and pieces Obeidi gave the United States were the critical information and parts to restart a nuclear weapons program, and would have saved Saddam's regime several years and as much as hundreds of millions of dollars for research. David Albright, who was a U.N. nuclear weapons inspector in Iraq in the 1990s, said inspectors "understood that Iraq probably hid centrifuge documents, may have had components, and so it is very important that those items be found." ...Obeidi said he felt unsafe in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion and that he was getting pressure from different corners of the country. He also said other Iraqi scientists were watching to see if he was safe after he cooperated with the U.S. government. Now that he and his family are safely out of Iraq, Obeidi said he believes other scientists would come forward with other components of Iraq's weapons program.

And, of course:

Saddam's Bombmaker
by Khidhir Hamza
with Jeff Stein

This one is probably a dead link:

U.S. to give help to Iraqi opposition
by John Lancaster
The Clinton administration has approved a plan to help Iraqi opposition groups reestablish their presence inside Iraq, a potentially high-risk operation that could test President-elect Bush’s commitment to ousting Saddam Hussein, administration officials said.

Subtitled "Clinton approves $12 million in aid", it begins "With barely a week left in office," perhaps the most telling sentence. Clinton had been in office 8 years, and the only shots the US had fired in anger on his watch occurred after Slippery Bill self-engineered crises and needed a diversion. Saddam is ruthless, and his grip on power will only be relinquished with his death. That's the scary part for those in "leader for life" positions, the poor babies.

Ramsey Clark to Protesters: 'Let's Impeach Bush'
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003
[Former U.S. Attorney General under President Johnson, Ramsey] Clark told a crowd of cheering anti-American demonstrators gathered in Washington, D.C., ...that Bush has already "waged war, first strike and pre-emption, on his own, without the consent of the Congress or the United Nations." In fact, Bush has won resolutions of support for his Iraqi policy from both bodies. Next the former AG asked the crowd, "Has [Bush] threatened to use nuclear weapons?" "Yes," came the response, despite the fact that that charge was also erroneous. "Has he authorized and condoned assassinations, summary executions, kidnappings and secret holding of people in unlawful detention?" Clark wondered aloud, before adding bizarrely, "And bribery!"
Americans Fly to Iraq as Part of Relief Effort, Call For an End to Sanctions
by Greg Myre
Fox News
Saturday, January 13, 2001
Another group of 50 American activists was expected to reach Baghdad on Saturday night, headed by former Attorney General Ramsey Clark... Most of the flights manage to skirt the sanctions issue by including humanitarian aid, which is permitted. The Americans and others have portrayed their flights as a challenge to the sanctions, but U.N. officials have not taken that view. At the United Nations, a U.S. official said Friday that the United States allowed the flight to be approved, though it was viewed as a "propaganda tool for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. It's well documented that there is plenty of food and medicine to go around in Iraq. But Hussein chooses not to distribute it," said Mary Ellen Glynn, spokeswoman at the U.S. mission. "He is happy to send food and aid to the Palestinian people when it serves his purposes but he doesn't distribute it to his own people." The sanctions have never blocked humanitarian aid, and the U.N.'s oil-for-food program allows Iraq to import basic goods. However, Iraq blames the sanctions for more than 1 million deaths over the past decade.

Ramsey Clark, Slobodan Milosevic, and the cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal are among the contributors to the book below. It really makes me laugh when, uh, some folks complain that we don't have free speech in the US. :')

Hidden Agenda
U.S./NATO Takeover of Yugoslavia
ed by John Catalinotto
and Sara Flounders

IMPEACH THIS:

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
--President Bill Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
--President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
--Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
--Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by:
-- Democratic Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others, Oct. 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
-Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
-- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999

"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies."
Letter to President Bush, Signed by:
-- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), and others, Dec 5, 2001

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and th! e means of delivering them."
-- Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
-- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."
-- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."
-- Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."
-- Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security."
-- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction."
-- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002

"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do"
-- Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
-- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction."
-- Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002

"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..."
-- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003

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