America targeted 14,000 sites. So where are the weapons of mass destruction?

The Independent ^ | April 13, 2003 | Andrew Gumbel

[leftiesareloonie]

They were the reason the United States and Britain were in such a hurry to go to war, the threat the rank-and-file troops feared most.

And yet, after three weeks of war, after the capture of Baghdad and the collapse of the Iraqi government, Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction – those weapons that President Bush, on the eve of hostilities, said were a direct threat to the people of the United States – have still to be identified.

Many influential people – disarmament experts, present and former United Nations arms inspectors, our own Robin Cook – have begun to wonder aloud if the weapons exist at all

[leftiesareloonie]

Could it really be that there aren't any WMD in Iraq, that the programs were abandoned after 1991?

I doubt it, seriously. But I do wonder why nothing significant has been found. Bush and Blair acted as if Iraq had massive programs to build WMD. Whatever the case, it SEEMS unlikely that there are WMD on a MASSIVE scale hidden somewhere in Iraq.

If there are no WMD, will that undermine the legitimacy of this war in the public mind? Or will people shift their focus to the other benefits of overthrowing Saddam?

Actually, hardly anyone talks about WMD these days. So perhaps they are a non-issue here at home.

I do fear though that the Ruskies, French fries, Arabble, and Krauts will have a field day if it turns out that there are no WMD.

[Support Free Republic]

PLEASE SUPPORT FREE REPUBLIC

Donate Here By Secure Server

Or mail checks to
FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794
or you can use
PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com

STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD-
It is in the breaking news sidebar!

[Victor]

They are probably all over in Syria.

Saddam wasn't so stupid to get caught red-handed.

Next stop: Syria/Lebanon/Hezbollah (sp?)

[SwinneySwitch]

"If the Bush administration should ever seek to turn its military wrath on Damascus, the weapons of mass destruction it is failing to find in Iraq might just provide the excuse once again."

Amen!

[apackof2]

They are probably all over in Syria.

Agreed, France, Germany and the U.N. gave Saddam plenty of time to move 'em

[Puppage]

So where are the weapons of mass destruction?

IT'S BEEN 3 WEEKS, FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!

Geez, give it some time, will ya?

[shhrubbery!]

This would be hilarious if it weren't so...series.

C'mon, after three weeks we're supposed to have found stuff that Saddam has had YEARS and YEARS to hide? Perhaps buried deep underground with sophisticated German technology?

These carpers will have the proverbial egg on their faces.

[an amused spectator]

The Independent is the employer of Robert Fisk.

That is all that I have to say. ;-)

[backhoe]

-IRAQ- some links to terror--

-All Terror, All the Time-- FR's links to NBC Warfare, Terror, and More...--

[UCFRoadWarrior]

If there are any indications they may be in Syria.....its time to light up Damascus

The liberals are looking for anything to diss this great campaign.

The WMD will be found.....and the countries hiding them will get a Tomahawk house-call

[lainde]

I see a win-win situation. If we find them we're "vindicated"...If we don't, Syria is next

[backhoe]

If we find them we're "vindicated"...If we don't, Syria is next

I believe you are correct!

[Paraclete]

If there are WMD, we have already found some or have increasing evidence that they exist. If evidence hasn't been found by now, we will have egg on our face.

Some may have been transferred to Syria. Nonetheless, there will be witnesses and material evidence left behind.

[CPOSharky]

**These carpers will have the proverbial egg on their faces.

The carpers never look back to see that they got "egg on their face." There is nothing a conservative administration can do that will not get the carpers b***hing at full throttle. If - make that WHEN - they are wrong then pick something else.

[geedee]

NO BLOOD FOR OIL! QUAGMIRE! TARGETING CIVILIANS! LOOTING! RAPE! TORTURE! GW=HITLER! ANTI-AMERICA HYSTERIA SWEEPS THE GLOBE!

PSST, HEY, JACQUES, HAVE I LEFT ANYTHING OUT?

[SteamShovel]

The WMD's exist, and they will either be found or the evidence will be found but the WMD's have been moved. All we have to do is find just ONE WMD that was undeclared and that's all we need. Things like loaded poison gas shells are like mice. If you find one, you can bet there are many more hidden. These peace whiners seem to forget that these are WMD's, meaning a small device can do great harm.

Small things in a LARGE country with many underground labs and tunnels AND neighbors & terrorist organizations more than willing to smuggle the stuff out of the country prior to conflict are very easy to hide.

Oh, and the WMD's were not an EXCUSE to spank Iraq, they were one of MANY REASONS including WMD's, Terrorism, violation of the 1991 Gulf War Cease Fire agreements, continuous violations of UN sanctions (oil for food going into weapons instead), lies in his UN-1441 declarations, Hitler scale attrocities against his own people, among others I can't even think of right now.

Steam

[Monitor]

How many YEARS did U.N. inspection teams play hide-the-NBC-weapon with Iraq?

How many months has Hans Blix been stumbling around Iraq? (hint - inspections resumed November 27, 2002)

How many more days/weeks/months/years did the nay-sayers think we should give to Blix?

And now they're getting impatient and asking why we haven't found in three weeks what Blix couldn't find in four months.

Here's a hint for you naysayers, who had an infinite amount of patience for Blix, yet none at all for our troops - Saddam's regime has had plenty of practice hiding things so they wouldn't be found.

[holden]

If we find them we're "vindicated"...If we don't, Syria is next

I believe you are correct!

-----------------------------------------------------

Well, we'll find some drips and drabs, probably no obvious cache. Those drips will prove their existence and that Saddam's regime lied and hid volumes from vast, advanced programs somewhere. Then there will be testimony from a number of former officials, who'll produce a few orders which we'll be able to lay our hands on, via tapes if necessary, indicating they went to Syria.

Then the Oracle of Damascus will be fulfilled within our view.

HF

[the_rightside]

I would say Saddam was the WMD!

[Nick Danger]

These articles are indistinguishable from the ones we saw two weeks ago that said, "It's been four whole days, how come we haven't taken Baghdad yet? We're bogged down, it's a quagmire, blah blah blah."

Now it's that soldiers who have been racing through the desert, in sandstorms and gunfights, have not done Hans Blix's job in their spare time.

I checked, and there are precisely 27 people worldwide who are so stupid that they think this author is making a useful point. Everyone else thinks he's a crank.