Saddam's WMD (Op-Ed by Rick Santorum and Peter Hoekstra)

Wall Street Journal ^ | June 26, 2006 | Senator Rick Santorum and Representative Peter Hoekstra

[RWR8189]

On Wednesday, at our request, the director of national intelligence declassified six "key points" from a National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) report on the recovery of chemical munitions in Iraq. The summary was only a small snapshot of the entire report, but even so, it brings new information to the American people. "Since 2003," the summary states, "Coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent," which remains "hazardous and potentially lethal." So there are WMDs in Iraq, and they could kill Americans there or all over the world.

This latest information should not be new. It should have been brought to public attention by officials in the intelligence community. Instead, it had to be pried out of them. Mr. Santorum wrote to John DeFreitas, commanding general, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, on April 12, asking to see the report. He wrote, "I am informed that there may well be many more stores of WMDs throughout Iraq," and added, "the people of Pennsylvania and Members of Congress would benefit from reviewing this report." He asked that the "NGIC work with the appropriate entities" to declassify as much of the information as possible.

The senator received no response. On June 5, he wrote again, this time to John Negroponte, director of national intelligence, "concerning captured Iraqi documents, data, media and maps from the regime of Saddam Hussein." He mentioned his disappointment that many captured Iraqi documents had been classified, and that he still had received no response from Gen. DeFreitas. Some 10 days later, still with no response, he shared his dismay with one of us, Pete Hoekstra, chairman of the House Permanent Committee on Intelligence, who on June 15 wrote to Mr. Negroponte, urging him to declassify the NGIC analytic piece. Mr.

[pillut48]

"It's old news!" "It's from pre-Gulf War!" "They weren't REAL WMDs!!" "The Republicans are just trying to cause a distraction to the real issues!" "The gas is degraded and harmless!!" Yada, yada, yada...

/liberal ranting off.

[SR 50]

I heard a question Friday for the Libs....

"If 500 chemical WMD's found in Iraq are not enough, then how many WMD's would have to be found to please the Libs and Dems?"

[coconutt2000]

"If 500 chemical WMD's found in Iraq are not enough, then how many WMD's would have to be found to please the Libs and Dems?"

An honest person would say that ONE weapon would be one too many in the hands our enemies. But intellectual dishonesty is the trademark of those who value power over responsibility.

[Nathan Zachary]

Why does this RAT want this information declasified? Isn't he happy that there are no WMD's?

It's kind of ironic that RATS are now saying there are, but the Administration is keeping it secret.

[Racer1]

Excellent point. You have described the Democrats about the best way I seen in a while. That is exactly how they are.

[backhoe]

Click the "12" for source:

#12

Pierre_Legrand  6/25/2006 09:29PM PDT

 

Thanks to the commenter from LGF who recommended my site to FARK...wow.

Didn't have the ability to respond to the critics since my commenting abilities won't be activated until tomorrow but it sure was nice reading the moonbats twisting.

Connections between Al Queda and Saddam

Lets just say that the objections of the moonbats were easy to refute.

If you are interested in that sort of article this one might be amusing as well.

Pre War Open Source Intelligence Regarding Saddam's Threat to the United States

Putting a new site together at www.pierrelegrand.ne... it is not ready yet but you can look around if you want.

Pierre Legrand

[hawkaw]

Its seems to me the left's big rant is that these WMDs we are finding are not the ones we went to war over. Apparently the ones we went to war over are after 1991 or something stupid like that. These WMDs are ones that are apparently left over during fast moving battlelines between the Iraq/Iran war the left will also argue. They will use the ISG and CIA reports against us.

My thoughts on the whole matter are this was but one of 16 or so reasons why we went in. I also think 500 is a significant number and these binary sarin shells do not degrade as the left would make you think. Hell even the mustard shells in certain environments will stay lethal.

I must admit that I am quite taken back by how nasty and stupid the Intellignce Community has been over all of this and how the POTUS hands seem tied to get the douments out.

[Tribune7]

(( PING ))

This explains a lot

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

Do you really think people make up their minds based on evidence? None of this matters to liberals, and won't change a single opinion in this country. Politics isn't issues anymore, it's CULTURE.

To win, Republicans need more than the votes of 'all thinking people' -- they need a MAJORITY, and the MSM understands how to manipulate public opinion all too well. Support for the Iraqi war will continue to wane, slowly, until/unless another world-shaking event like 9/11 occurs to wake up the sleeping electorate again! And I know Who controls world events, but I don't pretend to know the details.

[april15Bendovr]

Man Says He Has Proof Of Possible WMD's In Iraq
CBS11TV ^ | Jun 23, 2006 10:01 pm US/Central | Jack Fink

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1654774/posts

To: april15Bendovr

He may well be very correct on this one, but in my humble opinion and after readign thousands of pages of Iraq documents, I believe that Iraq WMD or Precursors to make WMD are buried in the Anbar Province in the Western Desert.

37 posted on 06/23/2006 10:29:13 PM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

[treverburton]

have there been any further details released of these weapons munitions yet?

as far as I understand, the details are contained within a classified report.

[kellynla]

"old WMD?" someone should ask the KKK, Kerry, Klinton & Kennedy if we can store the 500 canisters of "old" WMD in their garages? LOL

[april15Bendovr]

Smokinmg Gun?

Chemical weapons found in Iraq.

Fox News video- Hannity and Colmes

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player05.html?062206/062206_hc_senor&Hannity_Colmes&Dan%20Senor%20%26%20David%20Albright&acc&World&-1&new

[jveritas]

Great article.

I my humble opinion, I believe that the Iraq Survey Group ended their mission much earlier than they should and came up very prematurely with the conclusion that Saddam did not have WMD or program related to WMD. Most people believe think that the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) has searched every possible hide out for WMD where in reality they barely search anything as the Senator and Congressman indicated the ISG search less than 0.25% of Iraq total ammunition (as their final report said). Also from the hundreds if not thousands of ammunition depots in Iraq, the ISG decide to search what they believe twenty most suspected depots and they end up only searching 2 of them thoroughly, 2 out of 20 they decided to search, and 20 out of hundred if not thousands of ammunition depots through out Iraq! Also the ISG did not look if the WMD were buried somewhere else besides ammunition depots like the Western Desert or some other places in the country that is the size of California. I suspect that Saddam regime did not put these WMD in ammunition depots because that the first place to search for or to bomb.

Moreover the ISG heavily depended on the testimony of Iraqi scientists regarding whether Saddam regime had hide WMD or kept working on program related WMD. Of course the vast majority of scientists said NO, and the ISG took their words for it. The ISG failed to understand the culture of horrible fear that Saddam regime instituted in Iraq and that these scientists were scared to death to speak up even if Saddam regime was no more, and even if Saddam was in jail, they were and are still horrified of regime elements killing them if they speak up. Besides, I think that Saddam regime instituted a “Manhattan Project” style programs for their WMD after the Gulf war of 1991. Many people will be working on independents parts of the WMD projects without knowing what is the final output for their work, or thinking that their work was used for civilians uses as most WMD precursors, in particular the Chemical weapons, can be used for industrial civilians applications. Only very few people knew about the whole WMD issue in Iraq, it was Saddam himself and handful of scientists and top regime official like Qusay Hussein (dead) and the directors of the Special Security Organization (SSO) which was in charge of handling, hiding, protecting, and delivering WMD to the battlefield, and the director of the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS), both men are still at large and not captured yet.

[USS Alaska]

"It's old news!" "It's from pre-Gulf War!" "They weren't REAL WMDs!!" "The Republicans are just trying to cause a distraction to the real issues!" "The gas is degraded and harmless!!"

I went shooting over the weekend. I cleaned out my gun cabinet and some of the 30-06 rounds were purchased in 1988. Every round fired with deadly accuracy.

[Liberty Valance]

bttt

[Thermalseeker]

I believe that Iraq WMD or Precursors to make WMD are buried in the Anbar Province in the Western Desert.

I think some went into the ground in the Iraqi desert. Some went to Syria, some Lebanon, and some to Libya. In fact, the materials and scientific knowhow that went to Libya is part of the reason Qaddafi dropped dime. He was afraid we knew and he was next.....

[TAdams8591]

marking.

[treverburton]

sorry, man, i get no video. I assume it is the programme from last week though? my point is that the details of the munitions are vague as the report is still classified.