Posted on 07/12/2003 11:27:50 AM PDT by yonif
The Bush administration may already have hard evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction that it is not sharing with the public, said Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Thomas McInerney, a military commentator for Fox News.
"The administration is willing to take the heat for now," McInerney yesterday told The Jerusalem Post, "then release the information next August." Doing so would put the Democrats who have been critical of the US president's policy on Iraq at a distinct disadvange in the run-up to the presidential election in November 2004.
Along with TV military commentators Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Paul Vallely and Col. (ret.) Jack Jacobs, McInerney came to Israel on Tuesday for a six-day study mission. The program was organized by the Foreign Ministry, the IDF Spokesman's Office, and the America-Israel Friendship League.
On Wednesday, the three commentators met with Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim. They are also scheduled to meet top IDF brass and tour the separation fence the goverment is building along the West Bank.
When the evidence of WMDs finally sees light, McInerney predicted that a number of countries, including France and Germany, will finds themselves in an uncomfortable diplomatic position.
"We know that these WMDs traveled through Syria," he said. "We know that a lot of these scientists had French passports."
A year before the Bush Administration planned for war in Iraq, McInerney and fellow Fox News analyst Vallely correctly predicted that the invasion would be an air-centered, technologically networked "war of liberation" that would last less than 30 days.
Both were critical of other ex-military officers such as former Army general Wesley Clark, who is now running for the Democratic presidential nomination who, they say, let political opinions paint a dire picture of the war.
"The credibility of CNN went way down," said Vallely.
Journalists traveling with soldiers were not the problem. McInerney said that, when properly used, embedded reporters proved of great value to commentators back in TV news studios.
"The embeds viewed the war through a straw," said McInerney, "but if you gathered up three or four of those straws, you got a general picture of what was going on."
But if one fails to pool together accounts from embedded reporters, the result is stories of a slowdown in the advance on Baghdad and a shortage of ammunition, neither of which happened. McInerney, Vallely, and Jacobs believe that negative coverage of the occupation stems from liberal circles disappointed with the success of the war.
"You have to remember that there's still leftover irritation from the election," said Jacobs, a Medal of Honor recepient and commentator for NBC. "If George Bush came out in favor of worldwide democracy, they would be against it."
Despite Wednesday night's killing of two American soldiers, one near Tikrit and the other near Baghad, Vallely said the occupation "is not going badly."
He notes buses are running, and students have gone back to school. In addition, oil is flowing, and the electrical and water utilities are being restored.
Nevertheless, all three men contend that an Iraqi interim government should have been established before the invasion a position long-advanced by the US Defense Department.
"But the CIA and State Department argued that you first have to get in-country and identify the players," said McInerney.
That Iraqi resistance exists at all, said Jacobs, is due to the rapid collapse of Saddam Hussein's army during the war. Coalition forces simply did not have the opportunity to hammer all his troops. "We are victims of our own success," he said. Jacobs went on to chide the Bush Administration for showing "insufficient ruthlessness" in rooting out pro-Saddam partisans hiding in the "Sunni triangle" of Tikrit, Baghdad, and Fallujah. Private arms held by the population must be confiscated with greater alacrity.
"It is inconceviable that you have people at a funeral shooting their AK-47s in the air," he said.
Vallely warned that Iraq is just one campaign in a larger American war against terrorism. "The next campaign may be against North Korea, Iran, or Syria," he said.
Commenting on Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, McInerney argued that the US-sponsored road map is a positive development but only as a first step.
"Hope isn't a strategy," the ex-USAF officer said. "You still have to go after the terrorists."
If he now says he was waiting until he had rock-solid evidence (checking, re-checking and checking again) until he released his evidence, you all KNOW that whatever Dem du jour is in first place in the Democrat party, assisted by all the mainstream media, will ask why he committed American troops without rock-solid evidence.
So while it may be easier to advise those questioners to get their heads out of their asses, and while it may get giggles from fraternity boys and high school sophomores, it doesn't answer the question.
Matter of fact, I think it will be an omelet this time
I agree. They have been criticizing him for jumping the gun. How could they also criticize him for cautiously rechecking before making an announcement? Of course, we know they will try to hang him on it, but the noose will be on their own necks.
Absolutely. Look what happens when one line from the SOTU speech isn't 100% verifiable. a full week of 'rats calling Dubya a "liar" and nearly demanding his impeechment.
Dubya better make sure any evidence of WMD is 100% accurate. If that means he needs to hold off announcing we found them until mid summer next year I sure won't blaim him.
"If they're fer it, then I'm agin' it!" is about how far their principles go, it seems.
I don't disagree .. but to wait till next August?
I don't think they'll wait that long
So what?
Who in their right mind is going to suggest that we would be better off with Saddam still in charge over there? Bush can say that anyone making that argument is in favor of mass graves, oil money spent on weapons instead of food, and threats against Isreal and other neighboring countries.
Fine, bring that on. I can see Bush's knees quivering over that, for sure.
I think he has a committee looking into whether to jump into the race
I don't think he has filed any papers for being a canidate as of yet
Then the correct day for the release of the entire package of data is the very night the Democratic nominee gives his nomination acceptance speech at their convention. It might actually cause some of the networks to break into the speech to announce the news.
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