Posted on 01/28/2005 7:04:31 AM PST by dead
The invasion of Iraq was a monstrous crime for which everyone shares the blame, writes Scott Ritter.
The White House's acknowledgement last month that the US has formally ended its search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq brought to a close the most calamitous international deception of modern times.
This decision was taken a month after a contentious presidential election in which the issue of those weapons and the war in Iraq played a central role. George Bush was unwavering in his conviction that Iraq had such weapons.
When one looks at the situation in Iraq today, the only way it would be possible to justify the current state of affairs - a once secular society now the centre of a global anti-American Muslim jihad, tens of thousands of civilians killed, an unending war that costs almost $US6 billion ($7.67 billion) a month, and the basic principles of democracy mocked - is if the invasion of Iraq was for a cause worthy of the price. With no weapons of mass destruction there is no justification for the war. And yet there are no repercussions.
The culpability for the war can be traced to Senate hearings in 2002, when the then Secretary of State, Colin Powell said: "We can have debates about the size of the stockpile ... but no one can doubt two things. One, they [Iraq] are in violation of these resolutions ... And second, they have not lost the intent to develop these weapons of mass destruction."
Politicians, the mainstream media and the public alike accepted this line of argument, without debate, thus setting the stage for an illegal war.
UN weapons inspections were never given a chance. Ever since the Clinton administration ordered them out of Iraq in 1998, the US has denigrated the efficacy of the inspection process. This was a policy perfected by Bush. In October 2002, a month after Saddam Hussein agreed to the unfettered return of weapons inspectors, the US postulated the existence of secret production facilities, protected by a "concealment mechanism" designed to defeat inspectors. Thus, even if they returned, a finding of no weapons of mass destruction was meaningless.
Inspectors did return, and they found nothing. Iraq submitted a complete declaration of its weapons holdings, which was dismissed as lies by the Bush Administration. Everyone seemed to accept this rejection of fact. "Intelligence information" was assumed to be infallible. And yet it was all just hype.
There was never any serious effort undertaken by the Bush Administration to find Iraqi weapons. Before the invasion, the US military re-designated an artillery brigade as an "exploitation task force" designed to search for weapons of mass destruction as the coalition advanced into Iraq. It did little more than serve as a vehicle for its embedded media representative.
A new organisation, the CIA-led Iraq Survey Group, led by David Kay, spun data for the political benefit of the White House. Kay hinted at dramatic findings, only to suddenly reverse course once Saddam Hussein was captured. Kay told us that everyone had got it wrong on weapons of mass destruction, that it was no one's fault. He was replaced by Charles Duelfer, whom
I witnessed manipulate reports to the Security Council, rejecting all that didn't sustain his (and the US Government's) foregone conclusion that Iraq had such weapons.
Politicians, the mainstream media and the public at large failed to let facts get in the way of assertions. The survey group had accomplished its mission - to establish an alibi. Its job done, it slipped quietly away.
Through the invasion of Iraq, a crime of gigantic proportions has been perpetrated. If history has taught us anything, it is that it will condemn both the individuals and respective societies who not only perpetrated the crime, but also remained blind and mute while it was being committed.
Scott Ritter was a senior UN weapons inspector in Iraq between 1991 and 1998.
George Bush was unwavering in his conviction that Iraq had such weapons.
As was John Kerry, Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Kleagle Byrd, Jaques Chirac, Gerhard Shroeder, Joe Lieberman, Tom Daschle, etc.
Iraq, a once secular society
Yeah, it was a veritable paradise on earth.
tens of thousands of civilians killed
I remember when the leftists were screaming that the sanctions were killing 5,000 children a month and they were calling for the sanctions to remain in place!
the basic principles of democracy mocked
I know his speciality is child molesting, not writing, but generally a skilled writer would provide some clue as to what the hell he is talking about here.
Colin Powell said: "We can have debates about the size of the stockpile ... but no one can doubt two things. One, they [Iraq] are in violation of these resolutions ... And second, they have not lost the intent to develop these weapons of mass destruction."
Both of these statements were demonstrably true at the time and remain demonstrably true today.
Politicians, the mainstream media and the public alike accepted this line of argument, without debate
Without debate!? Without debate!? Good lord, where was this guy during the many many months of endless debate in the run-up to the war?
thus setting the stage for an illegal war
What exactly is a “legal” war?
I don’t want to pick apart every freaking lie in this article. I’ll leave the rest to others.
Oh not this guy again! He belongs in the same padded cell as Newdow.
I heard Roman Polanski was doing a movie about him. I heard it's called "Junior High Gigolo".
"You want fries with that twelve-year-old, sir?"
I was going to post a comment, but I think you've said it all, and well.
That's why he's so bitter.
Legal war would be one that a Democrat president launches.
Illegal war would be one that a Republican president launches. They sure didn't whine about Unilateral Preimtive War when Clinton invaded Bosnia - and that country never had attacked us.
"That's not my daughter. That's my date".
I hear Ritter is very fond of Brownies.
Only one of the numerous ridiculous assertions made by this sickoid. After YEARS of so-called inspections and flaunting the World community the US finaly acted. Glad this A$$hole isn't involved in determining Iran's capabilities. Can we agree this jerk needs to be shunned?
This is still not a lie.
At the Burger King…I will do my thing
You'll like what you see…your kid's meal is free
You'll be watching me
Have a salad tossed…here's some secret sauce
You'll like what you see…your kid's meal is free
You'll be watching me
Don't tell the cops…they would blow their tops
'Cause I have been arrested…but I cannot stop
Onion rings or fries?…I've a big surprise
You'll like what you see…your kid's meal is free
You'll be watching me
I beat Billy Boy by about eight years
Come on, you DemocRATS, stand up tall and cheer
This is the kind of thing that you really like
Tell that judgmental right wing to take a hike
I'm doing this all for world peace
Love young sluts…I'm not nuts
Well, why not…they're so hot
My right hand's…famous in…DU land
Don't tell the cops…they would blow their tops
'Cause I have been arrested…but I cannot stop
Would you like a malt…could you use more salt
You'll like what you see…your kid's meal is free
You'll be watching me
You'll like what you see…your kid's meal is free
You'll be watching me
You'll be watching me
Aw, geez...Scott Ritter is upset because he got his hand caught in the oil-for-food cookie jar.
"UN weapons inspections were never given a chance. Ever since the Clinton administration ordered them out of Iraq in 1998, the US has denigrated the efficacy of the inspection process."
The inspection process was a sham to protect the United Nations and their friendly game of Oil For Food.
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