Take your Lithium, Scott.

1-17-03 | latrans

[latrans]

Last night Scott Ritter appeared on the Greta Van Susteren's show on Fox. She hit him with a quote that he made a decade ago. It seems his opinions on Iraq have changed since then. Scott exploded with a diatribe that was almost unintelligible. Obviously Greta had hit a hot button. He then went on to spit venom at Greta's two other guests. Greta had to shut him up twice. As I watched this character, I formed an opinion about him that had not occurred to me before. This guy is bipolar. Of course I am not a shrink (but I play one on the internet), but I do have a bipolar family member, so I have observed some characteristic behavior. Ritter's explosive behavior, and his changing opinions remind me of a manic depressive.

[pgkdan]

One of the most striking things about Ritter is that every time I see him on the tube he looks 20 pounds fatter. His treachery must be weighing heavily on him...pun not intended.

[Sam's Army]

"By the way, he sure has gained a lot of weight"

Weight gain is a common side effect of anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication.

[pgkdan]

If you disagree with Ritter, fine, I can respect that, but you have to respect a man like Ritter who stands up for what he believes. And, if you listen to him you might notice he argues with facts.

That arguement is fatuous and falls apart when one considers that Ritter is the most vocal expert on the tube now against a war with Iraq...in 1998 he was the most vocal expert anywhere warning about Iraq's WMD program. What's changed? Besides Ritters bank account, that is?

[Semper Paratus]

You know your life isn't going well when your job title begins with "Former".

[Sam's Army]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/803594/posts

Speaking of someone flip-flopping on issues...why do you find Ritter credible now when you started the above thread before Christmas?

[Catspaw]

His Iraqi pals could probably get him plenty of Lithium-6.

Add in Ritter's Palie pals--they like drugging their homicide bombers before they send them out on their "missions."

Palestinians Threaten Americans at Pro-Iraq Rally
Fri January 17, 2003 10:29 AM ET

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) - Muslims and Arabs will attack American targets everywhere if the United States goes to war against Iraq, a senior member of the militant Islamic movement Hamas said in Gaza on Friday.

He made the new threat during a march by 3,000 Palestinians through the winding streets of Gaza City on the 12th anniversary of the 1991 Gulf War. Some protesters fired shots shot in the air and others held portraits of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"If Iraq is attacked... all American targets will be open targets for every Muslim, Arab or Palestinian," Mahmoud al-Zahar, told reporters.

"Any attack against Iraq will be answered by resistance everywhere and American interests everywhere will be targeted. We say that all American targets will be open targets to every Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian," he said.

Hamas, responsible for a wave of suicide bombings in the 27-month-old Palestinian uprising, has said previously that its strategy is to carry out attacks only against Israelis in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel.

Islamic groups and secular factions at the march issued their own statement which condemned Arab states who were "silent against the assaults on Iraq and Palestine."

Protesters chanted slogans against President Bush, whose father was president during the 1991 war in which Iraqi troops were driven out of Kuwait.

"Bush junior is a coward. Iraq will not be humiliated," they chanted under Palestinian and Iraqi flags.

Palestinians have regularly held rallies and marches in support of Saddam in recent weeks.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat supported Saddam during the 1991 war but has been more cautious this time, calling for a peaceful resolution of its standoff with the United States which has called on Iraq to disarm.

Iraq has paid millions of dollars to families of Palestinians killed during the uprising for an independent state which began in September 2000.

BOOBY-TRAPPED RAFT

Hamas said it had carried out a failed attack with a booby-trapped raft against an Israeli naval gunship on Friday. The gunship fired on the raft, causing an explosion, it said, adding that there had been an attacker on the raft. The Israeli army said no one had been on board.

Zahar said Hamas was willing to suspend suicide attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel only if Israel stopped killing Palestinian civilians, pulled out of Palestinian cities and towns, lifted the blockades around them and released Palestinian prisoners.

"But all Israeli military targets will remain open for our attacks everywhere, including inside Israel," he said. "We will continue to target settlers, armed Israelis and occupation forces."

Zahar said his remarks reflected the official response Hamas officials in exile made to Egypt, which has called for a temporary cease-fire between the Palestinians and Israeli forces.

Egypt has invited Palestinian factions to talks in Cairo next week.

The approval of Hamas and the less influential group Islamic Jihad, which are both dedicated to Israel's elimination, would be crucial for the success of a cease-fire deal.

Islamic Jihad has said it is ready to stop attacks against Israeli civilians if Israel stops attacking Palestinians.

Both groups said they welcomed the Egyptian invitation but said their positions remained unchanged.

 

Palestinians rally in support of Iraq

Palestinian Authority not playing major role in demonstration

From Kelly Wallace
CNN
Friday, January 17, 2003 Posted: 10:50 AM EST (1550 GMT)

	Palestinians march Friday in Gaza City, in a demonstration of support for the Saddam Hussein regime.

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	RELATED TIME.com: The Saudi Push for an Iraq Coup
	SPECIAL REPORT • Interactive: U.S. military deployments • Timeline: • Maps: • Map: Potential U.S. military bases • Latest developments: Iraq Tracker • Document: Iraqi weapons declaration

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Several thousand Palestinians -- waving flags and carrying placards -- demonstrated Friday in support of Iraq, part of a weeklong series of rallies planned to show solidarity with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

A number of radical Palestinian groups -- including Islamic Jihad, Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- took part in the demonstration.

President Bush has threatened possible military action against Iraq if it refuses to abide by U.N. resolutions calling for it to disarm. Baghdad repeatedly has denied possessing weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, nuclear or biological ones.

The Palestinian Authority, which has said Saddam should comply with U.N. resolutions, did not play a major role in Friday's demonstration, but some members of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's Fatah Youth Movement participated.

Demonstrators, many with their faces covered, marched through Gaza City carrying displays reading, "No, no to attack" and "Salute to Iraq."

Other placards read, "Where is Arafat? He's sold us to the U.S." and "Bush -- he's like a cancer."

Demonstrators said the rally was intended to show solidarity with Iraq, which has provided financial support to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

Hamas leader Abdelaziz Rantissi said he stands by remarks from a rally last week in which he said that Iraq should train and use suicide bombers against Western troops if its country is attacked.

Friday's rally, on the Muslim day of prayer, followed one Thursday by about 1,000 Palestinians.

Demonstrators at that rally chanted, "Saddam, Saddam our response will come in Tel Aviv."

[Sam's Army]

My mistake; apparantly it was not started by you; but it is on your homepage for some reason.

[texasbluebell]

Have you read this article? I wonder how many have taken Saddam up on his offer?

Grim truth about to emerge in Iraq

Snip

I can add some further detail, which is somewhat better than anecdotal. A very senior former inspector, who is a highly-regarded international civil servant, told me that he had been offered his own personal Swiss bank account by a top official in Saddam's government, on condition that he produced a favourable report.

HE declined the offer, which he later discovered had been accepted by some junior members of his staff.

The Iraqis later tried to poison his food, which he had to have flown in from Bahrain thereafter.

[philosofy123]

Ritter is a decorated veteran. He is an expert, and knows lots of stuff. When he was talking about the empty shell canisters, he said it can have dual usage, and specifically named the other use. He makes a lot of sense, and no one should impugn hiss patriotism.

His exchange with the host and the talking heads illustrated that he was not going to be railroaded. He screamed, you asked me a question, and you have to allow me time to answer!

[Catspaw]

Actually, he had spoken. Greta addressed the question to the General and Ritter interrupted not once, but twice. When he interrupted the General for the second time, Greta had his mike shut off. Ritter's mike was turned on later when a question was addressed to him and Greta allowed him to answer.

[Sam's Army]

"His exchange with the host and the talking heads illustrated that he was not going to be railroaded. He screamed, you asked me a question, and you have to allow me time to answer!"

He also accused Greta of putting an "inflammatory statement" on the screen. Of course it was his own words that he found so imflammatory.

[philosofy123]

Actually, he was trying to say that his 1998 statement was a part of his protest for not given enough freedom to conduct his weapon inspections. He asked her to take all his statements in consideration, rather than one paragraph.

The thing about Scott, he gets very offended by the “political party line thing”! This guy can make a hell of leader that does not bow to pressures?

[Sam's Army]

That pressure wouldn't include a payoff from the Iraq gov't would it?

I dunno; the guy just seems to not have a compass when it comes to his views.

[Nephi]

For the most part, I don't disagree with your post. Even your characterization of Ritter's anger is fairly accurate, but heck, I get angry, too.

I'm only defending Ritter because he is willing to go on Fox (not a network known for being anti-Bush) and face the tough questions. He could confine his appearances to any number of networks that everyone knows hates Bush, but he doesn't. You have to respect that. (Unless you're a spineless weasle who talks tough from behind your keyboard. Good thing, too, because if you talked to me like that in person, you'd be crying like a little school girl, right now.)

Perhaps, Ritter didn't answer the questions to the liking of some Bush supporters, but he did answer them and in the next few days the validity of his answers will bear out. Just as his explanation for the alleged film deal seems to have.

Even last night, Ritter acknowledged that if a hidden cache of chemicals are discovered or if the inspectors are kicked out - it's a different ballgame. I agree with that.

In the mean time, the inspections continue, questions remain and no American lives have been lost in Iraq.

[Eva]

It was revealed some time ago that Ritter is being paid to be a PR man for Iraq. It's no secret.

[Egg]

Was yesterday's discovery a smoking gun? No.

I guess it all depends on how you define a smoking gun. No doubt some would rather wait until a hundred mustard gas cylinders are set off on the East Coast, and then, only if they had Saddam's signature on them, they'd be willing to allow others to defend their freedom.

But most of us understand that Saddam had no margin of error to begin with, and he's just been verifiably caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Enforcement of the UN resolution is long overdue.

[Nephi]

Quick question: Do you think Saddam's payment of 25k to the families of suicide bombers in Isreal is admirable?

If that is true, and I have no reason to dispute it, why doesn't Israel attack Iraq?

Also, if you continue with your reasoning, we should bomb the Saudis, too. Actually, based on your reasoning there is more reason to bomb the Saudis than Iraq.

(Also, the post you accuse me of starting is not mine. Good try.)

[Nephi]

Ritter is a decorated veteran. He is an expert, and knows lots of stuff. When he was talking about the empty shell canisters, he said it can have dual usage, and specifically named the other use. He makes a lot of sense, and no one should impugn hiss patriotism.

His exchange with the host and the talking heads illustrated that he was not going to be railroaded. He screamed, you asked me a question, and you have to allow me time to answer!

My thoughts exactly. It was invigorating tv, especially for Greta.

[Sam's Army]

Yes, I noticed after posting it wasn't yours...but I am intrigued that it is on your homepage.

Isreal would have no problem with attacking Iraq, but it is the US making them stay their hand. Remember the nuke plant bombing in the early 80's?

I agree that the Saudi's are probably more deserving; but they havn't threatened to invade any of their neighbors as far as I can remember.

[Nephi]

It was revealed some time ago that Ritter is being paid to be a PR man for Iraq. It's no secret.

It may have been "revealed," but it hasn't been proven and I've seen Ritter face this accusation. Have you got proof no one else has?