Frustrated, U.S. Arms Team to Leave Iraq

The Washington Post ^ | 5/11/2003 | Barton Gellman

[Mitchell]

As I suggested to you the other day, the time has come to change the subject.

Maybe the anthrax came from Iran. That would have been quite the trick, wouldn't it?

[wardaddy]

I never liked the Bekka valley anyhow...crappy hashish and mean people.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I stand corrected.

[rvoitier]

I heard that, too.

[I_dmc]

75th Exploitation Task Force is returning home, however a much larger Iraq Survey Group will continue the work.

[FairOpinion]

And the Bakaa valley is alos the location of some major terrorist training camps for the Hizbolla and others.

[wardaddy]

I was being sarcastic.

[FairOpinion]

I don't understand people's impatience with this. The UN inspectors worked for years and couldn't find things. Even recently they worked for several months and the UN asked for more time for them.

The war barely ended a month ago, so why was everyone urging patience and more time for UN inspectors, while having zero patience with us?

[Bobber58]

Demonrats won't jump on "where're the WMD???" BANDWAGON...
time to turn the heat up ...

strategery

[Pan_Yans Wife]

WHY haven't the Democrats jumped on that bandwagon, yet?

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Washington Compost, not to worry, with they and the NY Times truth is never a priority.

[RusIvan]

"I don't think we'll find anything," said Army Capt. Tom Baird, one of two deputy operations officers under McPhee. "What I see is a lot of stuff destroyed." The Defense Intelligence Agency officer, describing a "sort of a lull period" in the search, said that whatever may have been at the target sites is now "dispersed to the wind."++

Time to tell that it was there but got "dispersed to the wind."

[billl]

how did they get this capt on record?
I assume they told him it was off the record and then lied.
if the powell-to-syria demands are true, then the capt just undermined the secy's negociating position, turning "we have the evidence and we want the whole package with your cooperation" into "we have nothing and we are blustering to get you to provide us something". if syria and aziz and the rest of the deck keep stonewalling, we might not have a case. I am willing to wait, but come prez primary time, some Demo will raise it if the evidence isn't out there ...

[Godfollow]

Does everybody not remember the "bogging down of the war" story just before the huge victory two weeks later? And have you not heard GW say that they will stay till all is known about WMD. Relax... it's bogus.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

That is obviously a -l-i-e.(stretch)(BS) (whatever)

Wanker reporting. Add it to the growing list of "corrections" and apologies owed our military, the Bush Admin., the free world, the Iraqi people, professional journalists (and journalism students) by a mainstream newsmedia still working to undermine our efforts and our victory in Iraq.

 gellmanb@washpost.com

[optik_b]

"Wonder what this will mean."

It could mean the CIA and other intelligence agencies have completely blown it.

[optik_b]

"Add it to the growing list of "corrections" and apologies owed our military, the Bush Admin., the free world, the Iraqi people, professional journalists (and journalism students) by a mainstream newsmedia still working to undermine our efforts and our victory in Iraq. "

I don't understand how reporting the fact that we have not found WMD yet is some subversive activity that if reported means one owes an apology to the military. Who is saying anything bad about the military? Right now it appears to be a massive screw up at the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

This is no honest article about the search for WMDs. We are deliberately, carefully and professionally going about the complex work...having secured Iraq in less than 2 months. We've already done more in 2 months than the UN and all the accusers did in 12 years. No, it's a daily exercise in dishonesty from a press engaged in rewriting history, undermining our victory and efforts in Iraq. Their deceit is verifiable and ongoing - and destructive.

Our combat ops ended less than a month ago in a nation oppressed for 24 years. It is day 53 of Operation Iraqi Freedom. CENTCOM and the Pentagon must be holding briefings for blind and deaf reporters, because the reporters aren't listening to the experts. Most of their accusations are groundless. This press doesn't seem to know that "we the people" have access to the briefings and transcripts.

Our troops have performed near-miracles in Iraq and it isn't enough for the bitter (VLWC) partisan press. It will never be enough. Let 'em accuse - away from those who are actually doing the hard work, out of OUR earshot - send them to Elba, or something. We the people, people with common sense are not yelling "are we there, yet?!" at our men and women doing this hard work in Iraq, risking their own lives to clean up after Kofi and co. We are not demanding instant gratification from our professional and honorable military. I have as much sympathy for this group of daily accusers as I do for Goebbels, Scott Ritter and Tariq Aziz. Who elected them to speak for the free world? Who holds them accountable for their lies?

[arasina]

Read the article:
The hunt will continue under a new Iraq Survey Group, which the Bush administration has said is a larger team.
Frustrated, U.S. Arms Team to Leave Iraq

The article's title is VERY misleading.