After Deaths of Saddams Sons, There Has Been a "Surge of Tips" about WMD

tbo.com ^

[GulliverSwift]

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. agents have reportedly found some evidence of a weapons program in Iraq, but the CIA refused to discuss any details with lawmakers.

Democrats, critical of the searches that have thus far proved to be fruitless, questioned President Bush's reasons for ordering the U.S.-led invasion.

"There was no imminent danger, and we should never have gone to war," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

CIA adviser David Kay, who is serving as a special adviser for the weapons search, told lawmakers on Thursday that inspectors have found physical evidence of Iraqi activity on weapons of mass destruction. Without offering any detail, he said investigators had made a "tactical and strategic decision" to focus on biological rather than on chemical or nuclear programs.

"Those are the areas that we're principally talking about progress," he said.

The Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, expressed concern that the searches are being diverted away from finding actual weapons.

"Signs of a weapons program are very different than the stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons that were a certainty before the war," Rockefeller said. "We did not go to war to disrupt Saddam's weapons program, we went to disarm him."

"It's looking more and more like a case of mass deception," Kennedy said after Kay briefed the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Those concerns surfaced as the Bush administration approved payment of $30 million to the informant who helped troops find Saddam Hussein's two sons, the largest reward ever made under a U.S. program.

"It's actually for services rendered," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "It's a lump sum payment of $30 million."

The informant's tip led to the death of Odai and Qusai Hussein in a firefight July 22 in a villa in Mosul in northern Iraq. For his protection the tipster was not identified by the government.

Secretary of State Colin Powell gave final approval to the award of $15 million each for the sons.

Boucher said the informant had provided the critical piece of information that led to the brothers and "took a risk in what is a very important development."

The reward offered for Saddam is $25 million, and Boucher urged anyone who knows where he is to turn him in.

Kay told reporters after talking in secret to the Senate Armed Services Committee that there was a "truly amazing" deception program to throw U.N. weapons inspectors off the trail.

"We have people who participated in deceiving U.N. inspectors now telling us how they did it," he said.

The U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division is hunting for Saddam with tanks, satellites and flying robots. The soldiers also are using more traditional, low-tech search methods. Patrolling soldiers and interpreters are collecting trips from residents.

Since the death of the sons there has been a surge of tips.

The CIA, meanwhile, has determined a recent audio message purportedly from Saddam - in which he refers to the death of his sons - is most likely authentic, according to a CIA official.

The tape was played Tuesday on the Al-Arabiya satellite channel, which broadcasts across the Middle East, including Iraq.

A new audiotape attributed to Saddam aired Friday on the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television station and urged his supporters to continue the uprising against U.S. forces.

It was not possible to immediately authenticate the tape.

[GulliverSwift]

Sorry, libbies in the media and Democrats. You know, they'll actually be sad when we find weapons. Kind of sick, but so are they.

What does WMD stand for? Whiners in the Media and Democrats.

Weapon of the Media and Democrats.

That one's descriptive. Complaining about Bush's SU speech is utilizing the Weapon of the Media and Democrats.

[Those_Crazy_Liberals]

"Those concerns surfaced as the Bush administration approved payment of $30 million to the informant who helped troops find Saddam Hussein's two sons, the largest reward ever made under a U.S. program.

"It's actually for services rendered," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "It's a lump sum payment of $30 million." "

The tipster is now in America and planning on doing comedy. 'Vat a country'

[Coop]

"We did not go to war to disrupt Saddam's weapons program, we went to disarm him." [said Plastic Man]

And we did, Einstein!

[The_Media_never_lie]

"There was no imminent danger, and we should never have gone to war," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

You were not in imminent danger and you should have saved Mary Jo Kopeckne!

[kevkrom]

Those concerns surfaced as the Bush administration approved payment of $30 million to the informant who helped troops find Saddam Hussein's two sons, the largest reward ever made under a U.S. program

Of course, our troops found $50 million in the place where Uday and Qusai bought the farm...

[day10]

Those concerns surfaced as the Bush administration approved payment of $30 million to the informant who helped troops find Saddam Hussein's two sons, the largest reward ever made under a U.S. program. "It's actually for services rendered," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "It's a lump sum payment of $30 million."

Surely we wouldn't pay out this lump sum tax free would we?

[appalachian_dweller]

>> "There was no imminent danger, and we should never have gone to war," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

You were not in imminent danger and you should have saved Mary Jo Kopeckne! <<

Bump!!

[Wacka]

"Signs of a weapons program are very different than the stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons that were a certainty before the war," Rockefeller said. "We did not go to war to disrupt Saddam's weapons program, we went to disarm him."

With biological weapons, it can be dispersed by aerosol or dropped in water. You don't need projectiles. Take a vial out of the -80C deep freeze and in 2-3 days you have gallons and gallons of it.

It looks like more evasive hair splitting by the rats.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Never mind that this is another mischaracterization of Bush's statements on the war.

[Jmouse007]

This is true and something the media has refused to acknoledge: the 30 million dollar payday was paid out of the money that we found with Sadmans two dead vipers! The wonderful irony is the two dead sons/snakes paid the man who had them killed with their OWN (in reality the Iraqi people's) money! The good news is, there was more than 30 million dollars recovered and I guarantee you those funds will go to paying the 25 million dollars that someone is GOING TO COLLECT for turning in the father of these two snakes.

God has a great way of catching up with people. I believe He has been giving Sadman time and an opportunity to repent and be delivered from the ultimate consequences of his sin (joining his sons in Hell) through faith in His Son TLJC, but Sadman steadfastly refuses. Therefore, the very funds he and his sons robbed from their people will pay for his death!

[ErnBatavia]

You were not in imminent danger and you should have saved Mary Jo Kopeckne!

Quote of the day nomination pingerootus!

[pepsi_junkie]

"It's looking more and more like a case of mass deception," Kennedy said after Kay briefed the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Kennedy went on to say that "the Bush administration's irresponsible acts, taken together, are having the cumulative effect of driving the country off a bri...errr, that is to say, are bad."

[Coop]

I'll drink to that! [hiccup]

[Cobra64]

You know, they'll actually be sad when we find weapons.

And Tommy Daschle will be, "deeply saddened."

[Heff]

Surely we wouldn't pay out this lump sum tax free would we?

Why not??? The poor...eerh... I mean rich bastard will have to hire someone to start his car every morning and will always live in fear.

[Republican Red]

President Bush never said IMMINENT DANGER. Clinton said it in his 1998 speech.

What Bush said was:

From the State of the Union, January 2003:

Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option.

[George W. Bush]

U.S. agents have reportedly found some evidence of a weapons program in Iraq...

Duh!

We've known that they had programs for fifteen years. We know they had WMD and had used them in quantity until '91. We were sure they were trying to make WMD and were continuing their programs ever since '91.

This isn't news. Finding WMD will be news.

Since the premise is so stupid, I assume the article is just some free political advertising for Dims to attack BushCo.

[marron]

There was no imminent danger, and we should never have gone to war," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

If Kennedy was in charge Saddam would still be in his palace and the boneyards would still be growing by thousands of new bodies each month. His sons would still be shreading people for their distorted pleasures, their police would still be torturing and killing people to collect their bonuses. Children would still watch their parents being beheaded, parents would still watch their children killed before their very eyes, young women who dared to resist rape would still be cut into pieces and deposited on their mother's doorstep.

But, thanks to God, Kennedy and his gang of moral imbeciles are not in charge, and Saddam is hiding in a closet somewhere, the killing has ended, and Saddam's goons now can only attack tough young men who know how to shoot back.

For Saddam and the Baathists, the only hope for survival is for GW to be driven from office.

[FairOpinion]

"There was no imminent danger, and we should never have gone to war," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

Sure, we should have waited until we had "evidence", such as a mushroom cloud over Manhattan, or thousands dead of smallpox in NY, Washington DC or elsewhere.

[FairOpinion]

This was to be expected by most sensible people -- but nobody can accuse the Democrats of being sensible.