Posted on 07/06/2008 3:59:22 PM PDT by neverdem
The media have been telling us for years that Saddam had no WMD, so "Bush's War": was based on a "lie." And those who believed Saddam did have WMD or WMD programs were delusional or worse.
"To support the president and to accept that he took the U.S. to war based on mistaken assumptions likely creates substantial cognitive dissonance and leads Bush supporters to suppress awareness of unsettling information about pre-war Iraq."
"Accusations that Saddam had tried to purchase more yellowcake from the African nation of Niger -- and an article by a former U.S. ambassador refuting the claims -- led to a wide-ranging probe into Washington leaks that reached high into the Bush administration."
I can't wait to read the Krugman and NYT spin on this...
FR bookmark , right here , .. ..
((( “I’m glad you said it , TFMcGuire!” )))
and may I say , .. The BugZapperThread was a really dumbF*CKIN’ idea , as it backfired { “no worries Mate! , .. got my flame-proof-undies” } , .. .. there were FReepers that hounded trolls & disruptors , and They’re no longer here ,.. and some here say “Good , glad they’re gone” , but you know we’re not quite as strong in our ranks , YOU KNOW IT ! .. .. .. and look at what our wonderful USofA is faced with now!
I’ll bet you $5K , that there won’t be any Krugman/NYTimes/Leftie spin , .. ( at least for a month or so , until they get a Concrete’Wishy’Washy TalkingPoint )
{{ they’d prefer to let this Blossom “die on the vine” , so to speak }}
The MSM are so in the tank for Obama that it's hilarious to argue, as I have, with lefties at work about it. I just read an article comparing McCain's "flipflops" to Obama's, and it's truly embarassing--McCain disagreed with the SCOTUS verdict on Gitmo, but that's not a flipflop about Gitmo. Yet they claim it is, whereas Obama's completely reversing his policies is seen as "just moving to the middle, like ALL candidates do."
So of course this story will be an "In other news..." story until it goes away...which will take a matter of hours.
ping
I have to back up Strategerst’s claims now? I don’t think so.
Re-read my post and maybe you’ll understand the second time around.
My whole point is that Saddam had thousands of tons of yellowcake, including enough low-enriched uranium to make two nuclear bombs in his possession after he was allegedly “disarmed”. UN inspectors and their seals are meaningless when the dictator can (and did) throw them out of the country at will for years on end (and that’s saying nothing of that fact that the inspectors were acting on orders from a body being bribed by said dictator).
We don’t need “gotchas”. The reality of the situation was compelling enough. Especially in light of the 9/11 attacks and Saddam’s demonstrable connections to the group that attacked us.
And the truth is, WMD were one of many, many reasons for the invasion. None of those reasons have ever been disproved.
btt
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50430
Defense Personnel Transport Uranium Ore Out of Iraq
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 7, 2008 – Defense personnel have completed the transfer of 550 metric tons of Iraqi uranium ore to Canada, Defense officials said here today.
The Iraqi government asked the United States to help transfer the yellowcake — as the ore is known — from Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center near Baghdad to its buyer in Canada, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.
The military dubbed the movement Operation McCall, and it ended July 5. DoD’s portion of the operation involved the transfer of the ore.
Yellowcake is a uranium ore that can be processed to become nuclear fuel. State and Energy Department personnel also participated in the transfer.
Officials transferred the uranium by convoy from Tuwaitha nuclear research facility to a secure location in Baghdad’s International Zone, Whitman said. The ore was in 110 shipping containers. The shipping containers were placed aboard Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airlifters and taken to an intermediate location. It took 37 sorties to transfer the yellowcake.
At the intermediate location — which Whitman could not name — the ore was loaded aboard the SS Gopher State, a Military Sealift Command ship, which took it to Montreal.
“This was material that was discovered when we initially went in to Tuwaitha,” Whitman said. “It was under the control of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency since that time.”
Whitman stressed that yellowcake is not of direct use in a nuclear weapon. “It is a commodity that is traded routinely in the global nuclear energy sector,” he said. “It can be used as a feed material for nuclear weapons if a country has access to the necessary fuel technology.”
The cost of the transfer was $70 million, and the government of Iraq will reimburse the United States for a portion of the cost, Whitman said.
Answer post #95. If you do not then you lost the debate. Period.
According to the AP article, yellowcake goes for $120/lb. According to this article, there were 1,200,000lbs. The value of the yellow cake then is $144million. Saddam could have sold the yellowcake for $144million, but he did not. Apparently, he had no use for the yellowcake, no intentions for its future use, and he had no use for 144 million dollars. This strains my credulity.
I can’t believe that Saddam Hussein would sit on 144 million dollars worth of yellowcake uranium for more than a decade if he had no use for the stuff. Why didn’t he sell it? it is far more likely that he had nuclear weapons ambitions, as both major parties, and I believe the MSM, stated in the 1990s.
It is hard to imagine that the world (UN) could have objected if he had said he wanted to sell it and “feed the children.” Obviously there are countries that would buy it and use it with no IAEA objections.
Article.CNN.com: Iraqi Government - "500 TONS OF URANIUM SHIPPED FROM IRAQ, PENTAGON SAYS" (SNIPPET: "The U.S. military spent $70 million ensuring the safe transportation of 550 metric tons of the uranium from Iraq to Canada, said Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman. The shipment, which until recently was kept secret...") (July 7, 2008)
USA TODAY.com (AP): UNITED NATIONS - "U.S. TRANSFERRED URANIUM FROM IRAQ WITHOUT U.N. AUTHORIZATION" (SNIPPET: "According to the letter, the United States informed the IAEA on June 30 that approximately 1.8 tons of uranium, enriched to a level of 2.6%, another 6.6 pounds of low-enriched uranium, and approximately 1,000 highly radioactive sources had been transferred on June 23.") (Posted July 7, 2004, 7:34 pm)
www.un.org/depts/unmovic/new/pages/compendium.asp
#
http://cnsnews.com/blog/terence-p-jeffrey/all-israeli-cities-saddams-taped-order-targeting-wmds
“All the Israeli Cities:’ Saddam’s Taped Order for Targeting WMDs”
By Terence P. Jeffrey
March 14, 2012
SNIPPET: “It was January 1991.”
SNIPPET: “The week before the deadline, Saddam met with his air force commander, Muzahim Sa’b Hasan al Masiri, and his son-in-law, Husayn Kamil — the minister responsible for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.
Saddam tape-recorded the conversation. More than a dozen years later, the Iraq Survey Group, headed by Charles Duelfer, a special assistant to the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, discovered the recording and translated it.”
SNIPPET: “”I was talking to Abd, and I told him there is no need to make a big fuss about these suits because we are going to use them in this special occasion,” said Saddam.
His lieutenants expressed obsequious concerns about their leader’s new clothing. “Then my design is right?” asked Saddam.
“Absolutely right, sir!” said his son-in-law, Husayn.
Saddam then segued from suits to WMDs. “I want to make sure — close the door (sound of door slamming) — the germ and chemical warheads, as well as the chemical and germ bombs are available to the ‘concerned people,’ so that in case we ordered an attack, they can do it without missing any of their targets,” he said.
Son-in-law Husayn began a long explanation of how chemical weapons were being deployed. Saddam interrupted: “This is not important to me.”
The son-in-law said: “So, sir, regarding the germs and—
Saddam: “And the chemicals.”
Son-in-law: “No, we have some of the chemicals available—”
Saddam: “So, we qualify that the missiles, by tomorrow, will be ready on the 15th” — the day Bush’s ultimatum expired.
Son-in-law: “Sir, we don’t have the germs.”
Saddam: “Then, where are they?”
Son-in-law: “It’s with us.”
Saddam: “What is it doing with you? I need these germs to be fixed on the missiles, and tell them to hit, because starting on the 15th, everyone should be ready for the action to happen at any time, and I consider Riyadh a target.”
A moment later, a waiter entered the room. Saddam briefly suspended the conversation. Then the door slammed again.
“Sir,” said the son-in-law, “we have three types of germ weapons, but we have to decide which ones we should use. Some types stay capable for many years —”
Saddam: “We want the long term, the many years kind.”
The son-in-law then said the options for delivering the germs included “a missile, a fighter bomb or a fighter plane.”
Saddam: “With them all, all the methods.”
A moment later, the son-in-law said: “The bombs or warheads are all available, but the moment for using them at zero hour is something we should indicate, sir. We will say that this will be launched —”
Saddam: “At the moment of use (zero hour), you should launch them all against their targets.”
The son-in-law expressed his concern that transporting the germs to deploy them might contaminate Iraqis. Saddam then issued what sounded like an order to launch a WMD attack in the event he was killed.
“I want as soon as possible, if we are not transferring the weapons, to issue a clear order to the ‘concerned people’ that the weapons be in their hands ASAP,” said Saddam.
“I will give them an order stating that at ‘one moment,’ if I’m not there and you don’t hear my voice, you will hear somebody else’s voice, so you can receive the order from him, and then you can go attack your targets,” said Saddam.
“I want the weapons to be distributed to the targets,” said Saddam. “I want Riyadh and Jeddah, which are the biggest Saudi cities with all the decision makers, and the Saudi rulers live there. This is for the germ and chemical weapons.”
The son-in-law then said, “In terms of chemical weapons, we have an excellent grip on them.”
Saddam responded: “Only in the case we are obliged and there is a great necessity to put them into action. Also, all the Israeli cities, all of them. Of course you should concentrate on Tel Aviv, since it is their center.”
“Sir,” said the son-in-law, “the best way to transport this weapon and achieve the most harmful effects would come by using planes, like a crop plane; to scatter it. This is, sir, a thousand times more harmful. This is according to the analysis of the technicians —”
Saddam: “We should consider alternatives, Husayn. Meaning that if the planes don’t arrive, then the missile will, and if the missile is intercepted, the plane will arrive.”
Someone suggested targeting refineries, power plants and water resources. Saddam said these should be targeted by routine air force operations. But his son-in-law objected.
“Sir, these vital locations must be added to the mission and become priority targets to the biological and chemical weapons, because this will end all sorts of life,” said Husayn. “People are drinking water from these desalination plants and getting their fuel from refineries, thus ending the mission.”
Saddam affirmed his son-in-law’s thought and noted that the air force commander had already taken them down. “The refineries and desalination plants, sir,” the general said dutifully.
“May God help us do it,” said Saddam.”
ON THE INTERNET:
www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/iraq_wmd_2004/index.html
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