Ex-U.S. Arms Hunter Kay Says No Stockpiles in Iraq

Drudge Report ^ | 1-23-04 | Reuters

[MamaLucci]

Ex-U.S. Arms Hunter Kay Says No Stockpiles in Iraq

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - David Kay, who stepped down as leader of the U.S. hunt for weapons of mass destruction, said on Friday he does not believe there were any large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons in Iraq

"I don't think they existed," Kay told Reuters in a telephone interview. "What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last (1991) Gulf War (news - web sites) and I don't think there was a large-scale production program in the '90s," he said.

Kay said he believes most of what is going to be found in the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has been found and that the hunt will become more difficult once America turns over governing the country to the Iraqis.

The United States went to war against Baghdad last year citing a threat from Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. No actual banned arms have been found.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I understand where Bush is coming from. If he rakes the CIA and FBI over the coals over bad intelligence on 9/11, Saddam, whatever, then it may be counter-productive. They may be even less useful after having been chastised. Morale is a big deal in the intelligence agencies. It's a crappy situation to be stuck in for Bush.

[prairiebreeze]

Saddam could easily reconstitute his program within 6 months. It only takes small samples of material to grow and cultivate new stock.

This is the latest speculation in the articles that I've read recetently. Remember the "make new weapons in 45 minute comment" that landed Blair in such hot water?

Yet no such records or proof existed that Saddam destroyed his own stockpile.

Lots of stuff was set fire to and destroyed in Baghdad, and heaven knows where else, just before our troops got there. I don't expect we'll see much documentation about much of anything.

Yes, it was a substantial amount that was felt to be unaccounted for.

Prairie

[demlosers]

"Ex-U.S. Arms Hunter Kay Says No Stockpiles in Iraq because they are in Syria."

Bingo! Or

burried in the middle of nowhere where nobody is gonna find'm.

[cwb]

"Exactly. I think folks who say that the WMD issue is no big deal should put the shoe on the other foot and think what if it had been Clinton? There would be no end to the conspiracy theories, BS, etc.."

There's just one problem with this. Clinton did use this argument when he attacked Iraq on multiple occassions. If my memory serves, Clinton attacked Iraq on 4 separate occassions, with each attack related to WMDs and UN violations. Clinton not only attacked Iraq, he bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan and started a 78-day bombing campaign in Kosovo, over what could be argued to be exaggerated evidence. I just don't recall Republican outrage reaching the cresindo(sp) that we see with Democrats over Iraq.

[AndyTheBear]

I will wait for a full interview, last thing I trust is a phone interview with Reuters.

Reuters you say. For a while there I thought Drudge was the original source. Now why does this make me think the story is less credible?

[demlosers]

Yeah, Reuters is known to slant left...

[JohnGalt]

There was plenty of outrage over Clinton.

Its clear Clinton asked for certain kinds of intelligence that he could cite anytime he needed to bomb a country to get the problems at home of the front page.

Because the PNAC group needed that same intelligence to push for their agenda (regime change in Iraq), they held on to it and pushed it to their boss. Now, both camps are in agreement that this best be not talked about it, but conservative should be outraged that this is how our country was taken to war...the process was despicable, regardless of the merits of the war and the policy objectives.

PNAC Letter to Bill Clinton 1/26/1998 Urging invasion of Iraq: Signed by:

Elliott Abrams Richard L. Armitage William J. Bennett

Jeffrey Bergner John Bolton Paula Dobriansky

Francis Fukuyama Robert Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad

William Kristol Richard Perle Peter W. Rodman

Donald Rumsfeld William Schneider, Jr. Vin Weber

Paul Wolfowitz R. James Woolsey Robert B. Zoellick

[conserv13]

I just don't recall Republican outrage reaching the cresindo(sp) that we see with Democrats over Iraq.

You are right, it did not reach the pitch that the Dems are at now and have been for a looong time. I think that Clinton's intelligence on the Sudan pharmaceutical plant, the Chinese embasy, and Iraq were wrong too. Regarding Kosovo I think the Serbs should have been handled long before Kosovo. That was another half assed too little too late BS action.

[cwb]

"There was plenty of outrage over Clinton."

Not over his Wag-the-dog moments. When Tom Delay stood up and dared question the timing of Clinton's impeachment-eve bombing of Iraq, he was excoriated by the media, the Democrats and even several Republicans. For a group that hates to be labeled unAmerican by Republicans, Maxine Waters did just that when Delay spoke up. Know one on the Republican (politicians) side even dared to publically call Clinton's ventures what they were (wagthedog) because the Republicans were already taking heat as obstructionists.

While there were a few of the conservatives who were discontent, they were well hidden by the media (just as the anti-war demonstrations were in Europe) so CLinton could have free reign to take Monica off the front pages. With Bush, we hear every negative overseas news story, while the ones about "bombs for blowjobs" never saw the light of day in this country. You're objections to the war are duly noted, but Clinton got an absolute pass, as he bombed 4 countries in the span of his 8-month domestic affair.

[billbears]

"I don't think they existed," Kay told Reuters in a telephone interview. "What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last (1991) Gulf War (news - web sites) and I don't think there was a large-scale production program in the '90s," he said

Now is this the same Kay that we waited months afterwards for the forthcoming 'blockbuster' report? The same man that produced a report that we, as lowly intrigued minds not willing to accept everything that came from the White House as gospel, somehow misunderstood according to the at any cost war supporters? He's now saying they didn't exist and the production facilities didn't exist at a high level as we were told time and time again? Surely not!!

I do have a question. Since he has come out in such a manner, are we now to relegate him to the name calling bin or do we just call him confused about his own statement? ;)

[Mo1]

The articles keeps saying "large stockpiles" .. what does that mean .. like a warehouse full?

[prairiebreeze]

Well I noticed that distinction too. It doesn't take much of that stuff and I had to wonder if Kay used some stupid words and poor judgement in this latest "unofficial report". Small qualities that can be reproduced very quickly....bad news.

Prairie

[HenryLeeII]

It tells us David Kay blew a billion dollars.

Wrong, as we've discussed before. Why would Hussein have viable WMD production facilities if he wasn't going to use them for something? Kay's report cited ongoing work (as of the time of the late-2002 U.N. inspections) on Brucella and Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), and continuing work on ricin and aflatoxin that were not declared to the UN as was required by the 1991 cease fire agreements. And as I've told you several times, what did the congressional resolution authorizing President Bush to order the invasion of Iraq say about WMD? That Iraq had the "capacity to possess" them, not that they actually had them. And if you bothered listening to the president and Colin Powell during their addresses to the U.N., they were citing stockpiles that we knew to exist by Iraq's own admission following the Gulf War. They weren't accounted for, so we could only assume that Hussein didn't just flush them down the toilet. Once again, WMD programs = capacity to possess. Now bring up Israel possessing WMD, or your mistatement that "every country in the world" has WMD.

[Mo1]

It doesn't take much of that stuff and I had to wonder if Kay used some stupid words and poor judgement in this latest "unofficial report".

I keep remembering the small vile that Powell brought to the UN for his speech and how everyone was freaking out about it and wanted to make sure that it wasn't the real stuff

Yes, I think I'll wait to see what his report says

[The Black Owl]

"Ex-U.S. Arms Hunter Kay Says No Stockpiles in Iraq because they are in Syria."

Hmm... I don't think the notion that Iraq's WMD were shipped to Syria is plausible. If Hussein had felt that he could safely hide his WMD in Syria, then he personally would have gone to Syria to hide along with the WMD.

[prairiebreeze]

they were citing stockpiles that we knew to exist by Iraq's own admission

Yes! (Smacking my forhead here!) I believe you're right on that. Somebody didn't just arbitrarily come up with the number 49,000 liters (or whatever it was) of VX are unaccounted for. Thanks.

Prairie

[Mo1]

Yes! (Smacking my forhead here!)

Smacking my forhead here too!

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Hi Bill

Did you get a chance to read the re-post I put up from the Dr. Kay/Tony Snow interview from Oct 2003 in post 21?

Dr. Kay has done a total about face. He is now contradicting himself.

BTW,.. near the bottom he is talking about the Bekka Valley with regard to Syria and WMD's.

This interview is CHALK full of valid information. RECENT information. Stuff that COULD NOT have changed. Which makes todays conversation w/Rueters all the more STRANGE.

Something is up. Perhaps Dr. Kay is just trying to "throw" people off in order to allow for a smooth transition of the new team?

We'll see.

But regardless,.. if you read this interview you cannot deny things SURE CHANGED in THREE MONTHS!!

FREGARDS, VH&W

[FirstPrinciple]

If you think you will get anything better, you are deluding yourself. Other than Israelis, there are no good guys in the Middle East. If Saddam wasn't there, there would have been someone else and you would be weeping for the Sunnis now.

[prairiebreeze]

Time will tell, and until then I just won't jump on your pessimistic bandwagon. Leaving fate to the winds in that area of the world and in this day and age, seems very unwise....It's just what Clinton did though.

Prairie