Posted on 01/15/2003 6:10:18 PM PST by MadIvan
White House officials have reassured Republicans by signalling that America and Britain are prepared to release powerful intelligence evidence to cement the case for war against Iraq.
Andy Card, the White House chief of staff, and Karl Rove, President George W Bush's chief political strategist, have each indicated privately that the administration has proof that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Card received blunt warnings from conservative Republican senators last week that Mr Bush had to produce a much more concrete case for war if he hoped to keep public support.
Senator Kit Bond of Missouri said more information should be released and asked: "What is the connection between Iraq and al-Qa'eda?" According to sources at the private meeting, Mr Card is understood to have urged him: "Don't worry."
Mr Rove is believed to have used similar language during private briefings to politicians in Washington.
He strongly suggested that the Bush administration already possesses a piece of intelligence from the CIA or MI6 that would amount to the "smoking gun" critics are calling for.
Amusingly, the new CDC head, Dr. Julie Gerberding, makes a Freudian slip which suggests exactly that in this PBS interview, Getting Ready:
GWEN IFILL: Based on what you said a moment allege about the potential risks of giving this [smallpox] vaccine in advance, have you had to factor into the possibility that the risks may outweigh the benefits?DR. JULIE GERBERDING: Well, in the pre-event situation, I mean, before we actually have a case of anthrax that's exactly what we're struggling with.
I would add to your points the fact that there is no compelling evidence in the public domain that Saddam possesses smallpox, and there are strong indications that the contrary is the case - viz Hussein Kamel's testimony. Nor is the United States government acting as if Saddam had smallpox, even though we now have enough vaccine to innoculate the entire population. In fact, the emphasis on post-attack treatment in Bush's plan puts in place precisely the infrastructure that would be required to respond to an anthrax attack. No anthrax vaccine exists or is in prospect which is sufficiently safe to risk mass pre-vaccination.
Why the doubletalk? Er, well imagine what people might think if the airwaves were filled ceaselessly with stories of Saddam's anthrax. Badabing badaboom, the penny drops, everybody gets it -- not just the Great Satan and his fans on Free Republic. No more economy, no more exile card, no more exposure card, game over.
On the other hand, here we have an article, co-authored by Laurie Mylroie (who has intelligence connections, and who is very careful in her assertions), saying that Iraq "is strongly suspected of having" smallpox. It's seven years since Kamel defected, so there's been plenty of time for new acquisitions... The article, however, focuses mostly on anthrax.
We agree!
I think you are confused. I haven't commented on smallpox at all. The CDC called smallpox anthrax accidentally, but that was because it has been so topical for them. I did attend their regular conference calls in the fall of 2001 and the main issues were anthrax related. Most on the call suspected a domestic mailer and I'm sure most feel that way now more than ever.
Smallpox hasn't been discussed nearly as much as anthrax and I haven't heard anything about an outbreak expected from of domestic source.
Have I missed something?
I thought Mort was Morton P Ballard, who was a fake name of Richard Loeb in the Leopold and Loeb murder. He just needed to rent a car and go to the bank in the Hyde Park section of Chicago. I don't think he was said to be British.
From your second link:
The most dangerous agents in Iraq's arsenal are anthrax, which it is known to have, and smallpox, which it is strongly suspected of having.
Didn't Badabing Badaboom join FR the day the anthrax at the Fed was announced, Jan 14, 2003? Was it a false positive or a false negative?
AJ?
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