Posted on 11/05/2005 7:02:53 AM PST by kellynla
Its either put up with the Goebbels like tactics of the left or take care of the problem the old fashioned way.
At some point patriots will run out of patience and will no longer have the luxury of tolerating the enemy within.
Wonder why this is never reported:
Niger's former prime minister Ibrahim Mayaki had actually told him an Iraqi team indeed visited Niger in 1999 in what Mayaki thought was a mission to buy uranium -- Niger's main export. Niger's former mining minister even told Wilson another lot of Iraqis tried to buy 40 tonnes of uranium a year earlier.
Yes, BUSH KNEW ABOUT IT! President George H. W. Bush downplayed any threat from the stockpiles, and together with the inspectors, allowed it. Clinton continued the policy.
For example, see this December 17, 1999, press release snippet (http://www.nci.org/pr/pr121799.htm):
[Nuclear Control Institute] has learned that in late 1991 or early 1992, IAEA officials decided to allow Iraq to retain 1.7 metric tons of uranium enriched to 2.6% U-235 (low-enriched uranium, or LEU), as well as some 13 tons of natural uranium stocks. The Gulf War cease-fire resolution required that Iraq surrender all of its nuclear-weapons-usable material and not acquire or develop such material in the future. Iraqs bomb-grade, highly enriched uranium (HEU), which it had diverted from a research reactor for conversion into a nuclear bomb at the start of Operation Desert Storm, was removed by airlift by February 1994, along with other uranium with enrichments as low as 10%.Considering the fact that I was critical of President H.W. Bush's softness on this at the time, I think it's ridicuous of you to shout at me about it when it's a Bush decision, not mine!
According to officials involved in these decisions at the time, the IAEA decided to permit Iraq to keep its LEU and natural uranium stocks for possible future use in a peaceful nuclear program, said Steven Dolley, NCI Research Director. Agency officials also concluded that the cost of removing these materials from Iraq would be prohibitive, even though Iraq was required under U.N. mandate to pay all such expenses.
The deadline for annual, routine inspection of this material, required under Iraqs pre-Gulf War safeguards agreement with the IAEA, expired this week. Iraq has refused to issue visas to the IAEA inspectors, thereby blocking the inspection---a violation of its safeguards obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Shortly after the Gulf War, IAEA and Bush Administration officials downplayed the risk of Iraq's LEU and natural uranium stocks, assuming that Iraq would not be technically capable of enriching the uranium to weapons-grade. However, Iraqs development of high-speed centrifuges had advanced to the point that the deployment of a small, well-concealed centrifuge enrichment facility cannot be ruled out.
See http://www.fas.org/irp/cia/product/iraq-wmd.html, "...excerpts from an October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate . . . declassified on July 18, 2003 and presented at a White House background briefing on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.":
Iraq retains approximately two-and-a-half tons of 2.5 percent enriched uranium oxide, which the IAEA permits. This low-enriched material could be used as feed material to produce enough HEU for about two nuclear weapons. The use of enriched feed material also would reduce the initial number of centrifuges that Baghdad would need by about half. Iraq could divert this material -- the IAEA inspects it only once a year -- and enrich it to weapons grade before a subsequent inspection discovered it was missing. The IAEA last inspected this material in late January 2002.
Iraq has about 500 metric tons of yellowcake1 and low enriched uranium at Tuwaitha, which is inspected annually by the IAEA. Iraq also began vigorously trying to procure uranium ore and yellowcake; acquiring either would shorten the time Baghdad needs to produce nuclear weapons.
And now, based on what you say, everyone in the UN knew he was sitting on 500 tons. It sure wasn't known by a lot of democrat senators, it would appear. [emphasis added]
Well, just because you weren't aware of the UN tagging program doesn't mean our Senators were as ignorant (though you did say Dem senators, so perhaps they were... ;-)
The idea was, the materials are there and locked/tagged, and inspectors saw they weren't being tampered with. When I first saw people posting about "700 tons of yellowcake" here...I thought they meant un-tagged, since there was never any question about the tagged stuff except that the inspectors hadn't been allowed in very recently. So finding the tagged stuff in place just strengthens Saddam's case that he hadn't touched it.
The problem is, there's barking up the wrong tree.
The fact is, without inspections, who knew what could have been done!? It's the inspectors who allowed enriched uranium to remain, against the agreement.
What needs to be pointed out to the public is that he had this material, and even though we knew he had it ahead of time and it wasn't touched, that's irrelevant to what could have been going on--and without proper inspections, we had to take action.
It's all about the context, my FRiend. :-)
Pincus and Corn.
I am getting very tired of this bs. We may have to do something drastic, if Iran makes us fight them.
Agreed. But they'd also be amazed to have a President who doesn't seem to think that it's important to stress.
bookmarking
And now, BTW, CNN recently reported that Bush is seriously considering allowing Chavez to get nuclear technology! If true [it is CNN after all], it could be for oil. It's been dubbed "the Dog Biscuit Strategy". [link coming on next post, God willing.]
I'm glad you are informing us about all of this. Sorry if you felt I was angry at you. But when I blast out at a concept, if you agree with me, no worries. And if you disagree, no worries. We're all just swapping thoughts, information, and some swap hair style tips.
My anger was directed squarely at the concept that nuclear material should not mean ending the ceasefire. I assumed Saddam's rogue behavior need not be repeated. The thought didn't occur to me that you compartmentalized. So I'm glad I wasn't more direct in my outburst.
"The fact is, without inspections, who knew what could have been done!? It's the inspectors who allowed enriched uranium to remain, against the agreement."
It was a silly agreement at the outset. Allowing the Butcher of Baghdad to hold uranium when his people have all the energy they need in oil? Why not hand out a bunch of sulfur to violent inmates, while they're at it? Inmates could do far less damage with 500 tons of sulfur than Saddam with 500 tons of uranium. [But get the national guard ready for those inmates!]
BUSH, CHAVEZ, AND NUKES
CNN.com - Bush appears open to Venezuela nuclear power
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/11/02/venezuela.ap/?section=cnn_world
Nov 2, 2005
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Despite tense relations with Venezuela, President George W. Bush says it might be OK for the South American nation to have a nuclear reactor for peaceful energy uses.
Bush acknowledged he had not heard about Venezuela's request for a reactor when asked about it Tuesday in an interview with Latin American reporters ... But he didn't reject the idea... [snip]
FR Discussion Opened Here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1504225/posts?page=8#8
"Am I dreaming?"
I've been sensing a shifting tone in the media, myself. A similar thing happened several years ago, when a blue stained dress was reported. They did rally back together a few weeks later, though. But when the truth is hurting them badly, they get pretty ticked off at whoever led them into that mess.
And now Bush might have Dog-Biscuit Diplomacy?!? Yikes!
And...
I'm glad you are informing us about all of this. Sorry if you felt I was angry at you. But when I blast out at a concept, if you agree with me, no worries. And if you disagree, no worries. We're all just swapping thoughts, information, and some swap hair style tips.
We're cool then....just no hair-style tips for me, please! I gots only two styles for my two hairs left... The weave: x:-) and the mohawk: =:-) I refuse to do a combover.... ":-)
Sheesh..I need sleep!
This whole affair has a Scott Ritter smell about it. Wilson and his woman appear to be useful tools for our liberals.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.