Ex-CENTCOM No. 2: Intel Showed Iraq Smuggled Out WMDs

Newsmax ^

[jbwbubba]

Sunday, Sept. 26, 2004 4:03 p.m. EDT Ex-CENTCOM No. 2: Intel Showed Iraq Smuggled Out WMDs

Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong, who until last September was the number two in command of the Iraq war under Gen. Tommy Franks, revealed Sunday that U.S. military intelligence had determined that weapons of mass destruction were being smuggled out of the country as the U.S. prepared to invade.

"I do know for a fact that some of those weapons went into Syria, Lebanon and Iran," Gen. DeLong told WABC Radio's Steve Malzberg, while discussing his new book, "Inside CENTCOM: The Unvarnished Truth About the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."

"Two days before the war, on March 17 [2003], we saw through multiple intelligence channels - both human intelligence and technical intelligence - large caravans of people and things, including some of the top 55 [most wanted] Iraqis going to Syria," Gen. DeLong explained. "We also know that before then, they buried some of the weapons of mass destruction," he added. "There are also some in Lebanon and probably a small amount in Iran."

The WMD smuggling operation didn't require large vehicles, the ex-general explained.

"In order to transport their biological weapons, they could take their entire experimental weapons system in one or two suitcases - pretty easy to hide," he told

[Fred Fighter]

Currently the working theory is that it (anthrax used in
attacks in the US) WAS stolen.

Indeed, it is pretty hard to come up with a realistic
scenario in which it was not stolen, no?

--

FF

[jpl]

Yes, the anthrax was most likely stolen from a lab, or given from someone on the inside to someone on the outside who shouldn't have it, which I guess can be considered the same as stolen.

The number one fallacy driving this whole entire deal is that since this is a so-called "U.S. military strain" of anthrax that it had to be stolen from USAMRIID, or even that it had to be stolen from a U.S. lab. Once again, that exact same identical genetic strain of anthrax is known to exist in at least two other countries (UK and Canada), because we gave it to them. And chances are that there are even more countries that have managed to obtain it without our knowledge. This stuff isn't like yellowcake uranium ore, it's extremely easy to move and difficult to contain.

[Fred Fighter]

Geneticists can track specific lines of bacteria
within individual strains. The mutation rate for
anthrax is well-understood so, for example, it is
possible to take two samples and determine the how
many generations separate them from a common ancestor.

The FBI clearly has narrowed their investigation to
Ft Detrick and to one individual, Dr Hatfield, in
particular. It seems unlikely that the FBI would
have done this if they did not have some way to rule
out the hundreds of other people world-wide who had
access the the Ames strain. The FBI has not articulated
any other reason for focusing as they have.

--

FF

[doug from upland]

Why isn't he in front of the press for a major news conference?

[jpl]

The FBI clearly has narrowed their investigation to Ft Detrick and to one individual, Dr Hatfield, in particular. It seems unlikely that the FBI would have done this if they did not have some way to rule out the hundreds of other people world-wide who had access the the Ames strain. The FBI has not articulated any other reason for focusing as they have.

You're relatively new here so I'm trying to be polite, but it's pretty clear you have no idea what you're talking about. For starters, the guy's name is Hatfill, not Hatfield. Second of all, if you were really following the case closely you would know that they've been investigating him for almost three years now, and not only can they not bring an indictment on him, he's in the process of suing the government and they're doing everything they can to stall the process. And if you know anything whatsoever about crime and law enforcement, you know that mass murderers aren't usually in the habit of suing investigators.

The FBI is not all-powerful my friend, they actually make mistakes sometimes, and they've made a huge one here in this case by persecuting this guy who doesn't even have any formal scientific training with anthrax (or bacteria for that matter). They made the mistake of listening to some left-wing reporters and journalists with an apparent political axe to grind, and the day is going to come eventually when they're going to have to come clean and admit that they really screwed this up.

If you're going to survive here at Free Republic, take my advice and try not to believe everything you read in the newspapers, because people who do that are fools.

[Fred Fighter]

Thanks for the spelling correction.

Lest I be unclear, I do not think that Hatfill is responsible.

The FBI is not all-powerful my friend, they actually make mistakes sometimes, and they've made a huge one here in this case by persecuting this guy who doesn't even have any formal scientific training with anthrax (or bacteria for that matter).

Agreed that the FBI makes mistakes and big ones too. Richard Jewell comes to mind. On its face it appears that the persecution of Hatfill, which cost him a position at Louisiana State is based on nothing more than the observation that he had access to the bacteria at Ft Detrick. If it is true that hundreds of people worldwide had similar access then it seems the the FBI would not have focused so narrowly on him, even by mistake. IOW I recognize that the FBI makes mistakes, but they have reasons for their mistakes and do not just draw suspect's names out of a hat.

They made the mistake of listening to some left-wing reporters and journalists with an apparent political axe to grind

What can you tell us about this? Which reporters with what axes to grind gave what information to the FBI?

My recollection from the contemporary news releases was that the anthrax used in the attacks was produced in the same batch, not merely from he same strain and that the line was traced to Ft Detrick. I do not recall references to the Ames strain from that time.

I'm happy to remain receptive to more information. As to relying on newspapers, unless I have personal correspondence with participants in the news stories they remain my best sources, do they not? Certainly better than online bulletin boards and webpages.

--

FF

[Fred Fighter]

this guy who doesn't even have any formal scientific training with anthrax (or bacteria for that matter).

Apologies for following-up to your article twice, but thought you'd be interested in reading Hatfill's resume:

http://www.anthraxinvestigation.com/hatfill.pdf

In particular:

"working knowledge of the former US and foreign BW programs, wet and dry BW agents, large scale production of bacterial, rickettsial, and viral BW pathogens and toxins, stabilizers, and other additives..."

Working knowledge is not formal scientific training, so that doesn't contradict what you wrote but one certainly should draw a different inference concerning his capabilities, no?

His background appears to be exceptionally diverse including training in both submarine and aviation medicine, and over 40 Cesarean sections and hundreds of vaginal births, (presumably as the obstetrician rather than as the mother).

I realize that you are not experienced with me, but perhaps we would both be better served by addressing the issues being discussed.

--

FF

[jpl]

What can you tell us about this? Which reporters with what axes to grind gave what information to the FBI?

The major names in this saga are Barbara Hatch Rosenberg (who is not a reporter, but a minor college professor in New York State and a memeber of the FAS), Nic Kristof of the New York Times (now being sued by Hatfill), and Don Foster of Vanity Fair magazine (now being sued by Hatfill). There's a couple of other minor players involved such as Marilyn Thompson, formerly of the Washington Post. Rosenberg in particular is a hard-core lefty who appears to have some kind of personal grudge against Hatfill. She's considered an "expert" in biological weapons by the lefty crowd, and she's the one who really pointed the Feds in Hatfill's direction after consulting with high-level aides to Senators Leahy and Daschle, who have their own political reasons for wanting to believe their guys were victimized by native-born right wingers.

As to relying on newspapers, unless I have personal correspondence with participants in the news stories they remain my best sources, do they not? Certainly better than online bulletin boards and webpages.

That's debateable at best. Does the name Jayson Blair ring a bell? Heard about the recent story about Dan Rather and CBS news peddling phony documents despite being told that they were probably fake? While bulletin boards and web pages should certainly be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism and critical thinking, to believe that the so-called "mainstream media" is really that much more reliable is a rather naive attitude at this point.

[jpl]

Great, after posting this I just now see that you've been found out a repeat troll, I should have known all along. Go back to Democratic Underground where you belong and stay there you creep.

[Mr. Mojo]

U.S. military intelligence had determined that weapons of mass destruction were being smuggled out of the country as the U.S. prepared to invade.

Imagine that? Who'd have guessed that Saddam would've used the 6+ months we were f'ing around with the UN to get rid of the evidence? Shocked, I tell you.

[MEGoody]

Lets get the word out. It's a sure bet the liberal media isn't going to mention this.

[MEGoody]

Read the Doelfer report.

[MEGoody]

Fred is no longer with us. Perhaps he has gone back to DU hell.

[cookcounty]

Tin foil hat time:

Maybe we DO have evidence of where this stuff went, but Bush, ever the confident one, doesn't want to push it now. He's more worried about governing later than padding his victory margin now. So he comes out with it later. Everybody except the looney left lauds him for "waiting til all the evidence was in" and hands him blank checks along with warm congratulations.

OK, maybe not.