United States: 'Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction'

Sunday Herald ^ | May 4, 2003 | Neil Mackay

[Rebecca Silhavy]

The Bush administration has admitted that Saddam Hussein probably had no weapons of mass destruction. Senior officials in the Bush administration have admitted that they would be 'amazed' if weapons of mass destruction (WMD) were found in Iraq.

According to administration sources, Saddam shut down and destroyed large parts of his WMD programmes before the invasion of Iraq.

Ironically, the claims came as US President George Bush yesterday repeatedly justified the war as necessary to remove Iraq's chemical and biological arms which posed a direct threat to America.

Bush claimed: 'Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. We will find them.'

The comments from within the administration will add further weight to attacks on the Blair government by Labour backbenchers that there is no 'smoking gun' and that the war against Iraq -- which centred on claims that Saddam was a risk to Britain, America and the Middle East because of unconventional weapons -- was unjustified.

The senior US official added that America never expected to find a huge arsenal, arguing that the administration was more concerned about the ability of Saddam's scientists -- which he labelled the 'nuclear mujahidin' -- to develop WMDs when the crisis passed.

This represents a clearly dramatic shift in the definition of the Bush doctrine's central tenet -- the pre-emptive strike. Previously, according to Washington, a pre-emptive war could be waged against a hostile country with WMDs in order to protect American security.

Now, however, according to the US official, pre-emptive action is justified against a nation which simply has the ability to develop unconventional weapons.

[jriemer]

"The Viking Kittens are crushed! I, Rebecca Silhavy, have dispatched their coffins to Valhalla! My account is not banned or suspended!"

The Cult of the Viking Kitties is thoroughly amused by your humor. They only wish it were true...

[Poohbah]

We're finding a LOT of trolls all of a sudden, eh?

[bobsatwork]

Time we all accepted the truth. Iraq can absolutely prove it destroyed every one of the weapons it never had. Can't deny it any more.

[jriemer]

We're finding a LOT of trolls all of a sudden, eh?

Someone fed them after midnight and got them wet, it happens every time....

[katana]

Sorry, this doesn't pass the smell test. Could be wrong, but I still have the very strong feeling that a comprehensive report listing the chemical, bio, and nuclear items already found will in a number of weeks be presented to the UN and the world press. The pattern with this administration is to quietly let their opponents stake out positions and then sharply pull the rug out.

There have been lots of reports of buried chemical drums, geiger counters going off-scale, and bio materials showing up in the oddest places (like Egyptian cargo vessels off the Canadian coast) and then no follow up information. Something is going on and I highly doubt that it involves Saddam Hussein being given a "clean bill of health".

The press seem to expect that the administration will wave a big red flag every time they come across WMD materials. After all, that is exactly what Clinton would have done. I think they still have no understanding of just how clever the crew now in the White House (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, and even Powell) is.

[ChuckHam]

But we just put them into the light and they go poof.

[AFPhys]

Your post cries out for a repeat:

In the News/Activism forum, on a thread titled United States: 'Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction',

Some of the Freepers like those in this group can spot these phoney stories faster than a Greyhound can catch a crippled rabbit trying to run on two bad legs.

If we had been around, Woodward would not have gotten by with his deepthroat bs. That was a lie just like this article was re the unnamed sources.

The big NY Slimes lie about the artifacts being stolen in Baghdad while trying to blame on our Marines for not guarding it was shredded by Freepers in the first day.

Just a few minutes ago FNC pointed out that only about 30 items were missing. That was more than likely due to an inside job by the Iraqis in charge of the museum.

This is why they hate Free Republic, Fox news and conservative talk radio.

Hoo!!! Haa!!!

[armymarinemom]

Have you ever wondered if the reliable sources and Senior officials that are spoken about in these types of stories are just restroom attendants wanting to make a buck?

[Grampa Dave]

You posted, Have you ever wondered if the reliable sources and Senior officials that are spoken about in these types of stories are just restroom attendants wanting to make a buck?

The reality, when it comes to these articles from the left wing mediots is that there was never even a restroom attendant.

The editor/publisher assigns the whacked out person pretending to be a reporter to come up with a GW hit piece.

In a veiled attempt to make their fantasies appear to be legit, they have these undisclosed sources. Like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, these undisclosed sources are the so called legitimizers of their fiction as it appears to be news.

The NY Slimes, Washington Compost, Reuters, AFP and the left wing fishwraps from the UK use this slimey technique 24/7. Then when they publish their fairy tales, ABCNNBCBS run these lies as news.