Powell: It's 'Open Question' Whether Iraq Had WMD

Blix was inept, his reports were so ambigious even up to the point of war that there was no definitive answer. Saddam may have gamble on being macho and failed.

The problem I'm seeing here is that either the Bush administration was easily duped (playing into the dems' "he's stupid" scenario) or they deliberately misled people (playing into the dems' "he's a liar" scenario). Yes, most of us on this forum know we went in to Iraq for many reasons--nevertheless, there was also a lot of testimony and speech making about WMDs.

And, as someone else commented, this must seem like a slap in the face to Blair.

I maintain there were and likely are WMDs in that country, and no doubt some moved to other countries--but I know how the media is going to play this. I'm concerned by the ramifications--and the Bush admin had better be, too.

Hell of a thing to say during an election.

Not if it's a setup. Which I have no doubt it is. Lure them in, make them confident, trap them in their statements, destroy them with facts.

Sadly you are right. It was Perle and the gang.

Yup, those blowhards made it sound like even a blind man could find the WMDs.....

.....I'd like to give Perle and his band of arrogant know it alls those thingies the beachcombers use to find bottlecaps and dimes in the sand, and drop them off in Iraq and let them show the world how stupid Mr. Blix is. ;o)

Here's a German "Die Welt" article from August, 2002, which I translated several month's ago. This German microbiologist was in Iraq 26 times as a weapon's inspector. This lady is a very straight shooter. She speaks directly and unequivocally.

AFAIC, there was reason to believe Iraq had bologicals, at least.

And, if what she said about Iraqi shenanigans at the labs is true, and I happen to think it is, Blix deserves all the ridicule heaped on him.

Thats my two cents, at any rate. Now the interview....

"Iraq has produced huge amounts of bio weapons"

Former UN-inspector Gabriele Kraatz Wadsack on Iraqi weapons' potential

Berlin - A key factor in the discussion about a possible military strike against Iraq is Baghdad's potential for weapons of mass destruction. The microbiologist Gabriele Kraatz Wadsack, former inspector for the UN bio-weapon commission in Iraq and consultant for the topic of bio-terrorism at the Robert Cook Institute, regards the threat from Baghdad as very realistic. Sophie Mühlmann spoke with her.

DIE WELT: Does Iraq have something to hide?

Gabriele Kraatz Wadsack: In my assessment, yes. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any reason to not let the weapon's inspectors into the country.

DIE WELT: Dick Cheney talks about a deadly threat which emanates from Baghdad. Is he right about that?

Kraatz-Wadsack: Iraq first disclosed its bio-weapon program to the United Nations in 1995, rather than 1991 - and then not the entire scope of this program. Committees of International experts have found quite a number of discrepancies. They have come to the conclusion that one can't determine if the Iraqi bio-weapon program has ever ended.

DIE WELT: Which weapons does Saddam Hussein possess, to your knowledge?

Kraatz-Wadsack: The Iraqi government has disclosed to us that it has produced anthrax and neurotoxin in large quantities, that it has produced Aflatoxin, a mycotoxin which causes liver cancer. This had already been loaded into weapons, into rocket warheads and bombs. Furthermore, it had produced gas gangrene and the phytotoxin Rizin. Moreover, pathogens causing economic damage, for example, wheat rust agents. In addition, there was research and development work on various viruses. When you see the large scope of deadly and pathogenic agents, you realize how much know-how was behind it. The program was industrialized, open air tests and experiments with animals had been carried out. Iraq had produced huge amounts within a short time.

DIE WELT: And you suspect that all this is still in existence.

Kraatz-Wadsack: In any case, the expertise still exists. The scientists are there, the documents weren't submitted to us, weapons systems and production data haven't been completely explained.

DIE WELT: Are these exclusively Iraqi scientists, or has Baghdad had help from abroad with its bio-weapons program.

Kraatz-Wadsack: We have only been involved with Iraqi scientists. And the Iraqis, as far as its bio-weapons are concerned, have never claimed to have received help from abroad. Indeed, during the Gulf War there had been imports from foreign countries which didn't apparently seem to be related to a bio weapon program, though. Much is hidden in the industrial infrastructure, for example in facilities for vaccine production, which they then altered. In the bio-weapon area you can use everything in both a civilian as well as in a military scope, also. This isn't so simple to sort out.

DIE WELT: How are your experiences with the inspections? How do you track down bio-weapons?

Kraatz-Wadsack: As an inspector, you follow the information that Iraq supplies you with, you speak with scientists and look for clues yourself. Then you must verify the official information. You have to go to the facilities, analyze equipment technique, take samples from equipment and raw materials, install cameras and install sensors to determine how often the device is used. In addition, we had helicopter inspections and satellites, that is, a very intensive inspection regime - however, that depended upon Baghdad granting them access anytime, anywhere, without hindrance, to all facilities and information. And that was the handicap: Iraq didn't follow this UN mandate.

DIE WELT: How did it try to hinder on-site inspections, then?

Kraatz-Wadsack: Simple hindrance looks like this: You go to the facilities and the Iraqi representative says there aren't any keys. It's becomes a more extreme situation when Iraq says, we just won't let you into these facilities at all. Then a government representative has to travel there before you can continue. Delaying tactics. Then you have to deal in part with forged documents, or with fake representatives. You simply don't have access to correct information.

DIE WELT: So, you were most definitely lied to?

Kraatz-Wadsack: Yes.

DIE WELT: You have already been to Iraq for 26 inspection missions. How real do you assess the danger which emanates from Baghdad today?

Kraatz-Wadsack: Of course this is just speculation. But you can already assess the intention. We know that in the Gulf War Iraq launched rockets to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain which weren't loaded with unconventional weapon material. They have used chemical weapons in the Iraq Iran war and against the Kurds. Bio-weapons were the secret program and they have told us they want to have this as deterrence. In 1991 these weapons were deployable, however, they weren't used. They were already loaded onto rockets and bombs. The weapons systems have certainly been reduced for the most part, today, but of course you don't know what has gone on in the last three and a half years since the inspections have been interrupted. In any case, Iraq has the know-how and the potential.

Gabriele Kraatz Wadsack is a veterinary specialist in microbiology. She traveled to Iraq 26 times on inspection missions from 1995 until October 2001. She is now a consultant at the Robert Cook Institute in Berlin

"Die Welt"..August 30, 2002.."Der Irak hat Riesenmengen an Biowaffen produziert"

Translated by longjack

Shouldn't numerous UN resolutions over 12 years prompt Saddam to prove that he had no WMD?

Were we always honest with our proclamations during the variouis SALT treaties?

I'm not letting him off the the hook for his machismo. But we shouldn't either since we told Blix we knew where they were.

Shouldn't numerous UN resolutions over 12 years prompt Saddam to prove that he had no WMD?

Were we always honest with our proclamations during the variouis SALT treaties?

I'm not letting him off the the hook for his machismo. But we shouldn't either since we told Blix we knew where they were.

Shouldn't numerous UN resolutions over 12 years prompt Saddam to prove that he had no WMD?

Were we always honest with our proclamations during the variouis SALT treaties?

I'm not letting him off the the hook for his machismo. But we shouldn't either since we told Blix we knew where they were.

And Ayatollah Sistani will lead the the Iraqi people to either a civil war or another form of slavery. Or perhaps both.

Were we always honest with our proclamations during the variouis SALT treaties?

Yes.

I'm not letting him off the the hook for his machismo.

But you are willing to let every anti-American entity off the hook, whether it be through machismo or just plain evil intent?

We were attacked in 2001 and have aggressively countered the attack and have taken "strategic defensive measures" to prevent it from happening again under the watch of Dubya.

Interesting that YOU are focused on Dubya hooking when we as a nation in 2001 weren't hungry but got hooked anyway, to the demise of over 2000 lives.

"Janet Reno, warned the Senate that a terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction was a growing concern. "There's a threat, and it's real," Ms Reno said, adding that such weapons "are being considered for use."

"Saddam Hussein's regime has opened talks [in 1998] with Osama bin Laden, bringing closer the threat of a terrorist attack using chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.. "

2/6/1999

THE GUARDIAN
Saddam link to Bin Laden - by Julian Borger

Saddam Hussein's regime has opened talks with Osama bin Laden, bringing closer the threat of a terrorist attack using chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, according to US intelligence sources and Iraqi opposition officials.

The key meeting took place in the Afghan mountains near Kandahar in late December [1998]. The Iraqi delegation was led by Farouk Hijazi, Baghdad's ambassador in Turkey and one of Saddam's most powerful secret policemen, who is thought to have offered Bin Laden asylum in Iraq.

The Saudi-born fundamentalist's response is unknown. He is thought to have rejected earlier Iraqi advances, disapproving of the Saddam Hussein's secular Baathist regime. But analysts believe that Bin Laden's bolthole in Afghanistan, where he has lived for the past three years, is now in doubt as a result of increasing US and Saudi government pressure.

News of the negotiations emerged in a week when the US attorney general, Janet Reno, warned the Senate that a terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction was a growing concern. "There's a threat, and it's real," Ms Reno said, adding that such weapons "are being considered for use."

US embassies around the world are on heightened alert as a result of threats believed to emanate from followers of Bin Laden, who has been indicted by a US court for orchestrating the bombing last August of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 259 people died. US delegations in Africa and the Gulf have been shut down in recent weeks after credible threats were received.

In this year's budget, President Clinton called for an additional $2 billion to spend on counter-terrorist measures, including extra guards for US embassies around the world and funds for executive jets to fly rapid response investigative teams to terrorist incidents around the world.

Since RAF bombers took part in air raids on Iraq in December, Bin Laden declared that he considered British citizens to be justifiable targets. Vincent Cannistraro, former chief of CIA counter-terrorist operations, said: "Hijazi went to Afghanistan in December and met with Osama, with the knowledge of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar. We are sure about that. What is the source of some speculation is what transpired."

An acting US counter-intelligence official confirmed the report. "Our understanding over what happened matches your account, but there's no one here who is going to comment on it."

Ahmed Allawi, a senior member of the opposition Iraqi National Congress (INC), based in London, said he had heard reports of the December meeting which he believed to be accurate. "There is a long history of contacts between Mukhabarat [Iraqi secret service] and Osama bin Laden," he said. Mr Hijazi, formerly director of external operations for Iraqi intelligence, was "the perfect man to send to Afghanistan".

Analysts believe that Mr Hijazi offered Mr bin Laden asylum in Iraq, most likely in return for co-operation in launching attacks on US and Saudi targets. Iraqi agents are believed to have made a similar offer to the Saudi maverick leader in the early 1990s when he was based in Sudan.

Although he rejected the offer then, Mamoun Fandy, a professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, said Bin Laden's position in Afghanistan is no longer secure after the Saudi monarchy cut off diplomatic relations with, and funding for, the Taleban militia movement, which controls most of the country.

Mr Fandy said senior members of the Saudi royal family told him in recent weeks that they had received assurances from the Taleban leader, Mullah Mohamed Omar, that once the radical Islamist movement secured control over Afghan territory, Bin Laden would be forced to leave. "It's a matter of time now for Osama." He said Bin Laden would have a strong ideological aversion to accepting Iraqi hospitality, but might have little choice.

"Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours.

Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict commenced at a time of our choosing.

Should Saddam Hussein choose confrontation, the American people can know that every measure has been taken to avoid war, and every measure will be taken to win it.

Americans understand the costs of conflict because we have paid them in the past. War has no certainty, except the certainty of sacrifice. ..." President Bush / 3-17-03

During the Clinton Administration Feb. 5, 1998:

Democrat Senator Tom Daschle: “Saddam Hussein Leaves Us Little Choice” But “The Use Of Force.” “[C]learly the intransigence on the part of the Iraqi government and Saddam Hussein leaves us little choice at this point … " (William Neikirk, “Congress Talks Tough On Iraq,” Chicago Tribune, 2/5/98)

“Iraq must comply. There is no choice. We stand united in our determination to do whatever is necessary … The United States has the resolve to ensure that compliance and we stand united today in an effort to articulate that very clear message as loudly, as unequivocally, and in as much of a bipartisan way as we can.” (Democrat Senator Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, 2/12/98)

“[A]bsent immediate Iraqi compliance … the security threat doesn’t simply persist – it worsens. Saddam Hussein must understand that the United States has the resolve to reverse that threat by force, if force is required.” (Democrat Senator Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, 2/12/98)

3-17-03 President G.W. Bush's one last offer to Saddam to avoid war:

My fellow citizens, events in Iraq have now reached the final days of decision.

For more than a decade, the United States and other nations have pursued patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime without war. That regime pledged to reveal and destroy all of its weapons of mass destruction as a condition for ending the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

Since then, the world has engaged in 12 years of diplomacy. We have passed more than a dozen resolutions in the United Nations Security Council. We have sent hundreds of weapons inspectors to oversee the disarmament of Iraq.

Our good faith has not been returned. The Iraqi regime has used diplomacy as a ploy to gain time and advantage.

It has uniformly defied Security Council resolutions demanding full disarmament.

Over the years, U.N. weapons inspectors have been threatened by Iraqi officials, electronically bugged and systematically deceived. Peaceful efforts to disarm the Iraq regime have failed again and again because we are not dealing with peaceful men.

Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people.

The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It has a deep hatred of America and our friends and it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of Al Qaeda.

The danger is clear: Using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country or any other.

The United States and other nations did nothing to deserve or invite this threat, but we will do everything to defeat it. Instead of drifting along toward tragedy, we will set a course toward safety.

Before the day of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this danger will be removed.

The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me as commander of chief by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will keep.

Recognizing the threat to our country, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly last year to support the use of force against Iraq.

America tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat because we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully. We believe in the mission of the United Nations.

One reason the U.N. was founded after the Second World War was to confront aggressive dictators actively and early, before they can attack the innocent and destroy the peace.

In the case of Iraq, the Security Council did act in the early 1990s. Under Resolutions 678 and 687, both still in effect, the United States and our allies are authorized to use force in ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.

In recent days, some governments in the Middle East have been doing their part. They have delivered public and private messages urging the dictator to leave Iraq so that disarmament can proceed peacefully.

He has thus far refused.

All the decades of deceit and cruelty have now reached an end. Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict commenced at a time of our choosing.

For their own safety, all foreign nationals, including journalists and inspectors, should leave Iraq immediately.

Many Iraqis can hear me tonight in a translated radio broadcast, and I have a message for them: If we must begin a military campaign, it will be directed against the lawless men who rule your country and not against you.

As our coalition takes away their power, we will deliver the food and medicine you need.

We will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and free.

In free Iraq there will be no more wars of aggression against your neighbors, no more poison factories, no more executions of dissidents, no more torture chambers and rape rooms.

The tyrant will soon be gone. The day of your liberation is near.

It is too late for Saddam Hussein to remain in power. It is not too late for the Iraq military to act with honor and protect your country, by permitting the peaceful entry of coalition forces to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Our forces will give Iraqi military units clear instructions on actions they can take to avoid being attack and destroyed.

I urge every member of the Iraqi military and intelligence services: If war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your own life.

And all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to this warning: In any conflict, your fate will depend on your actions. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will be prosecuted, war criminals will be punished and it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders."

Should Saddam Hussein choose confrontation, the American people can know that every measure has been taken to avoid war, and every measure will be taken to win it. Americans understand the costs of conflict because we have paid them in the past. War has no certainty, except the certainty of sacrifice.

Yet, the only way to reduce the harm and duration of war is to apply the full force and might of our military, and we are prepared to do so. If Saddam Hussein attempts to cling to power, he will remain a deadly foe until the end. In desperation, he and terrorists groups might try to conduct terrorist operations against the American people and our friends. These attacks are not inevitable. They are, however, possible. And this very fact underscores the reason we cannot live under the threat of blackmail. The terrorist threat to America and the world will be diminished the moment that Saddam Hussein is disarmed.

Our government is on heightened watch against these dangers. Just as we are preparing to ensure victory in Iraq, we are taking further actions to protect our homeland. In recent days, American authorities have expelled from the country certain individuals with ties to Iraqi intelligence services. Among other measures, I have directed additional security of our airports, and increased Coast Guard patrols of major seaports. The Department of Homeland Security is working closely with the nation's governors to increase armed security at critical facilities across America.

Should enemies strike our country, they would be attempting to shift our attention with panic and weaken our morale with fear. In this, they would fail. No act of theirs can alter the course or shake the resolve of this country. We are a peaceful people -- yet we're not a fragile people, and we will not be intimidated by thugs and killers. If our enemies dare to strike us, they and all who have aided them, will face fearful consequences.

We are now acting because the risks of inaction would be far greater. In one year, or five years, the power of Iraq to inflict harm on all free nations would be multiplied many times over. With these capabilities, Saddam Hussein and his terrorist allies could choose the moment of deadly conflict when they are strongest. We choose to meet that threat now, where it arises, before it can appear suddenly in our skies and cities.

The cause of peace requires all free nations to recognize new and undeniable realities. In the 20th century, some chose to appease murderous dictators, whose threats were allowed to grow into genocide and global war. In this century, when evil men plot chemical, biological and nuclear terror, a policy of appeasement could bring destruction of a kind never before seen on this earth.

Terrorists and terror states do not reveal these threats with fair notice, in formal declarations -- and responding to such enemies only after they have struck first is not self-defense, it is suicide. The security of the world requires disarming Saddam Hussein now.

As we enforce the just demands of the world, we will also honor the deepest commitments of our country. Unlike Saddam Hussein, we believe the Iraqi people are deserving and capable of human liberty. And when the dictator has departed, they can set an example to all the Middle East of a vital and peaceful and self-governing nation.

The United States, with other countries, will work to advance liberty and peace in that region. Our goal will not be achieved overnight, but it can come over time. The power and appeal of human liberty is felt in every life and every land. And the greatest power of freedom is to overcome hatred and violence, and turn the creative gifts of men and women to the pursuits of peace.

That is the future we choose. Free nations have a duty to defend our people by uniting against the violent. And tonight, as we have done before, America and our allies accept that responsibility.

Good night, and may God continue to bless America.

Posted on 03/17/2003 8:56 PM EST by steveegg
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/867229/posts

Those weapons are either buried in the sand, hiding in folks' houses or in Syria or Iran. IF the weapons weren't there, then why didn't Saddam simply open up the country and allow inspections of ALL areas? He acted like a guy who had something to hide. I honestly think that the timing of this is perfect. The DemocRATS will make much hey over this then the evidence will be brought forth and they will look like fools. Not that they need something like this to accomplish that but ... :)!

That is a GREAT article - it hits two birds with one stone: the WMD *and* the al Qaeda link. Nicely done on THAT find!

As Powell said, it is an open question.

WMDs or their major components could still be found.

Kay told Reuters on Friday he did not believe the country had any large stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons produced after the 1991 Gulf War

This statement by Kay doesn't address the possibility of pre-1992 weapons being around.

I believe it has been proven that we were not entirely honest during the SALT treaties. I can't point to reference at this time, but I do believe we were in violation, but blew it off as necessary in the cold war. So even in our own treaties, if my memory is correct we were in violation.

I'm not willing to let every anti_american state off the hook. I believe we had enough reason go into Iraq based on the UN resolutions alone and Saddam's noncompliance with that. Factually that was accurate.

My complaint is we as Americans and the world were told that the WMDs were current, real and active programs were underway as we invaded. It was a sales job based on faulty information at best and deception at it's worst. For some reason, the administration felt we needed more reasons than the perfectly justifiable reason that was at our fingertips and legitimate.

I've seen on this and every other Iraq thread comments from Democrats and the previous administration about the realness of the WMD's. Boy, that's something to hitch your wagons to. Yes, there appears to be a ton of hyprocracy. But do we want to link ourselves to the previous administration? Doesn't that imply that old nemisis of "everyone does it"?

What was happening in Iraq is without a doubt horrible. But from a war on terror prospective, especially our interests, Iraq should have been far down on the list. The 9/11 terrorists were funded by the Saudi's and others. The terrorists themselves were primarily Saudi's. Much of the other money in the networks came from many European countries. Saddam's tiess to 9/11 are sketchy at best. Instead of going after the true instigators of 9/11, we go after a periphiral one.

Had all this been at the hands of the Clinton administration with the same actions as the Bush administration, this forum would have been abuzz about all the issues that so many have openned up and uncovered. Yet now we are for the most part strangely quiet.

This whole issue will bite the Democrat's in the rear end when the presidential election time comes.

Countless Demoncrats believed that Sadam had WMD including Clinton.

Demoncrats will be left to say it would have been better that we left Sadam to slowly lower his enemies into shredders and look the other way.

So much for their commitment to human rights. What a bunch of hypocrites.

Blessings,

Bobo

My complaint is we as Americans and the world were told that the WMDs were current, real and active programs were underway as we invaded. It was a sales job based on faulty information at best and deception at it's worst. For some reason, the administration felt we needed more reasons than the perfectly justifiable reason that was at our fingertips and legitimate.

In a previous post, I translated a "Die Welt" interview with the German microbiologist Gabrielle Kraatz-Wadsack. I've found a lot information on the internet about this woman.

Kraatz-Wadsack - 3Sat

For example, here's an [English] article from the "Guardian Unlimited" in September of 2003 that describes her connection with David Kelly, and offers a short bio of her.

"Guardian Unlimited"....09/14/2003....Gabrielle Kraatz-Wadsack....Kelly's friend and the note Hutton has not revealed

There are, of course, numerous articles in German to be found with a Google search. I think the woman is very consistent in her message.

I've translated two paragraphs that were of interest to me in this particular article, which was written in June, 2002. I am wondering if this may be what you consider to be the 'sales job' genre.

Is Iraq able to produce weapons of mass destruction today?

Gabriele Kraatz-Wadsack: Yes. They have the infrastructure in the country, they have the expertise, they have the experts, the knowledge and they have the materials, particularly for biological weapons. You can assume, if Iraq has the intention to produce biological weapons, then there is nothing to hinder them from doing so. Since December 1998 inspectors are no longer in country, and Iraq has refused to let them back into the country. So, you can't tell what has happened since then. In 1998, 18 experts from 16 countries had already determined, unanimously, before they left the country, that there were many things that weren't clarified. Even at that time, you couldn't determine if the Iraqi biological weapon program had ever ended.

....paragraphs are not sequential....[lj]

The USA is researching its own, strictly secret - critics say: illegal - bio-weapons programs. Isn't it absurd that, of all people, the U.S. government is threatening Iraq with war because the people in power are refusing to cooperate with weapon inspectors and are supposedly in possession of the same weapons?

Gabriele Kraatz-Wadsack: You can't say that. There are defensive research programs, for example, to develop vaccines or diagnostic systems. Every country may have such defensive programs, even the USA. There isn't any problem in this regard. It just depends on intent and Iraq has obviously had an offensive program. No other country has the same weapons of mass destruction as Iraq has had. The USA, meanwhile, gave up their offensive program in 1969.

"Telepolis"....6/29/02...Biowaffen im Irak weiter eine Gefahr?

Translated by longjack

I would tend to believe this woman, for the explicit reason that she was there, 26 times. I don't consider this a 'sales job' , either, given her credentials and experience. Additionally, she certainly was not espousing the popular opinion in Germany at the time.

Since your stance appears to be that the wmd issue was 'a sales job'; For my own edification, I am wondering why I should listen to you and believe that?

longjack

Actually if you read her statement, she is simply saying they have the capacity in technical expertise. Many nations have that capacity.

I'll conclude on the "sales job" in a moment. But what we were shown and told was that the programs were active, producing and stockpiling in the time between Jan 2003 and the invasion. Powell showed the UN photos and the world photos of active facilities. We told Blix that he was looking in the wrong places for the activities and the stockpiles (again between JAn 2003 and invasion) that we knew where it was taking place now. It's clear we didn't.

As for the sales job, that's what many of the (we've been asked not to use the term by Sabertooth, but this time it's appropriate) Bush bots. They claim that the Bush team needed to sell the American people and that it was necessary to use strecth evidence to make the point, to rally the populace. I'm only using the words of the Presidents defenders on this forum. I trust you are sophisticated enough, as you appear to be, to do a search to threads I've had this conversation with those folks and see for yourself.

It frankly pains me to see such action. I believe the President is a good president. I also believe that he sometimes has warts too. They spin the warts.