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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.