[rwfromkansas]

Wasn't there supposed to be some explosive revelation at a hearing on the oil for food program? I haven't heard anything.

As for the article, yes, Iraq had remnants of WMD programs. Yes, Iraq had many many violations of UN resolutions.

But, the lede of the story makes it sound like lots of WMD have been found and the press is not reporting it. That is just not true.

Very few actual cases of WMD are reported in this article, such as: "Reference strains" of a wide variety of biological-weapons agents were found beneath the sink in the home of a prominent Iraqi BW scientist."

BIG WHOOP! So they had something with which they could restart their program with. It doesn't prove they had produced WMD's and had them right before or during our invasion.

Furthermore, this article has a lot of "may" and "might" speculations about what things were used for. Yes, they probably were used for weapons, but may or might is not the same as WE CAN PROVE THEY WERE.

I firmly believe Iraq did have them, that our intelligence was correct.

But, I sure as heck won't allow someone to sex up our findings beyond what they are.

They do not support the conclusion that Iraq had WMD's at the time of our arrival and it is A LIE to say otherwise.

That is our finding....at least as of yet. This probably will change as time goes on once we found out where the weapons are hidden.

[rwfromkansas]

misleading headline......only "reference strains" found.....nothing significant

[MamaLucci]

.... makes it sound like lots of WMD have been found and the press is not reporting it. That is just not true.

What IS true is that the press and rats moved the goal posts....from WMD, to WMD stockpiles, to LARGE WMD stockpiles. No matter what is found, the leftists in the media and the government will never admit they were wrong.

[Dr. Frank fan]

But, the lede of the story makes it sound like lots of WMD have been found and the press is not reporting it. That is just not true.

So you really think that all those "pesticides" were really "pesticides"?

"Reference strains" of a wide variety of biological-weapons agents were found beneath the sink in the home of a prominent Iraqi BW scientist." BIG WHOOP! So they had something with which they could restart their program with.

Actually I think that IS a BIG WHOOP. Why do you think it isn't?

A key part of the rationale for this war was that (a) the sanctions were going to end sooner rather than later due to propaganda blitz and political momentum going against them; (b) this would allow Saddam to re-start any programs he had dormant.

We stopped that from happening by invading.

[bio strains] It doesn't prove they had produced WMD's and had them right before or during our invasion.

Except of course for those "pesticides". And that shell with liquid "pesticides" inside it.

Furthermore, this article has a lot of "may" and "might" speculations about what things were used for. Yes, they probably were used for weapons, but may or might is not the same as WE CAN PROVE THEY WERE.

Yes, of course. All that crap really could have been "pesticides". Are you REALLY saying you buy that?

Look, when I started to read this article, I was a skeptic like you. But come ON how many "pesticides" did Iraq really need? It stretches credulity.

I guess I would say that you're right that none of this means "WE CAN PROVE" those things are WMDs. I think one of the points of this article is that our standard of "PROOF" has become so ridiculously high that it's literally IMPOSSIBLE to "PROVE" that something we find was a "WMD". Seriously: how would we "PROVE" it?

Naysayers can ALWAYS claim such and such "WMD" is a "pesticide"....

They do not support the conclusion that Iraq had WMD's at the time of our arrival and it is A LIE to say otherwise.

Two things.

1. You seem to have skipped over the whole discussion of finding "pesticides" in drums... in camoflaged bunkers..

2. Since when did whether they had WMD's "at the time of our arrival" become the issue? So what you're saying is, if they had "WMDs" in January, moved them to Syria in February, then because we invaded in March... Saddam should've gotten a clean bill o'health? Sorry but you've moved the goalpost to a very strange place...

[xone]

Centrifuges for enriching uranium = N
References strains = B
Binary components = C

But you're right, there are/were no WMDs. The missiles were for defense against the space shuttle.

How long to produce BW agents from reference strains?
How long to mix chemicals?

And in the US we always store our pesticides in our ammo dumps, that's where the farmers come to get them. Regrip.

[alnick]

BIG WHOOP! So they had something with which they could restart their program with. It doesn't prove they had produced WMD's and had them right before or during our invasion.

It shows they had the capability and the intent. That's more than enough to be deeply concerned about, in the hands of Saddam, Uday and Qusay.