DECEMBER 1998 : (US CHEMICAL WEAPONS INCINERATOR INCIDENT : SARIN GAS RELEASE) "Army officials downplayed the threat posed by the spill of 140 gallons of the deadly nerve agent Sarin at the first chemical weapons incinerator in the continental United States.." - From Freeper Brian Mosely AP 12/15/98 via - ALAMO-GIRL'S DOWNSIDE LEGACY AT TWO DEGREES OF PRESIDENT CLINTON ; SECTION: BREACH OF TRUST; SUBSECTION: TERROR; Revised 1/8/01
DECEMBER 1998 : (IRAQI HIJAZI TRAVELS TO AFGHANISTAN) Iraqi Farouk Hijazi to travel to bin Laden's Afghanistan hideouts in December 1998. - "The Clinton Intel Record Deeper failures revealed. ," by Mansoor Ijaz, National Review Online, 4-29-2003
DECEMBER 1998 : (CLINTON USES UN RESOLUTION 1154 TO JUSTIFY ATTACK ON IRAQ) May I direct your attention to Operation Desert Fox, the poorly named military campaign begun under President Clinton in December of 1998, against Iraq? What did President Clinton use to justify that fruitless engagement? Resolution 1154, of course. At that time, there was no hue and cry from Democrats in Congress. They supported President Clinton throughout his ineffectual three days of bombing. The general sentiment was not doubt and hesitation, but action and righteousness. - "President Bush's Authorization to Use Force Against Iraq," http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/redirect?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.american-partisan.com%2Fcols%2F2002%2Frazzano%2Fqtr4%2F1009.htm | October 9, 2002 | LPR from "Precedent? I’ll Give You A Precedent," by Linda A. Prussen-Razzano, Dallas Bureau Chief , The American Partisan, October 9, 2002
DECEMBER 1998 : (IRAQ, UNSCOM DISMANTLES GERMAN CENTRIFUGE INSTALLATION) The Times of London interview with Hamza notes another possible clue tog the nature of Brazil-Iraq relations in the early 1980s. Before leaving Iraq in 1998 -- just days before U.S.-led air strikes -- U.N. weapons inspectors had dismantled an illegally imported German centrifuge installation that had been used to refine progressively natural or low-enriched uranium until it became suitable for weapons, the Times reported. - "Brazil uranium sales to Iraq stir debate ," by Carmen Gentile, United Press International 9/25/02
DECEMBER 1998 : (BILL CLINTON ON IRAQ) Bill Clinton was firm, resolute and uncompromising in explaining to the nation why military action against Saddam Hussein had proved necessary: "This situation presents a clear and present danger to the stability of the Persian Gulf and the safety of people everywhere," he said. "This is a question of action. Iraq has abused its final chance." Indeed, he warned, "Overwhelming force remains an option." Delaying such action "for even a matter of days would [give] Saddam more time to disperse his forces and protect his weapons." Even with nations such as Russia, China and France disagreeing with the use of armed force, he said, "we remain ready to act." Bill Clinton issued those threats and later acted on them (albeit briefly and tentatively). - "DEM DOUBLE-TAKE (or...Hypocrites On Parade), " by ERIC FETTMANN, New York Post October 10, 2002
DECEMBER 1998 : (KERRY ON IRAQ) "Saddam Hussein's objective is to maintain a program of weapons of mass destruction," said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) back then. (December 1998) "It is important to hold him accountable by force. No one will question that it is Mr. Hussein who has precipitated this confrontation and no one else." In 1998, Kerry insisted "I would go beyond mere containment." But in 2002, when George W. Bush became commander-in-chief, Kerry (who'd dearly love to move into the White House himself) wants to know why America isn't pursuing a policy of containment. - "DEM DOUBLE-TAKE (or...Hypocrites On Parade), " by ERIC FETTMANN, New York Post October 10, 2002 - "DEM DOUBLE-TAKE (or...Hypocrites On Parade), " by ERIC FETTMANN, New York Post October 10, 2002. A true partisan, Kerry would change his tune under President Bush in 2002 as Democrats struggled to gain supremacy in the 2002 election cycle.
1998 : (US : HOUSE RESOLUTION ENDORSING REGIME CHANGE IN IRAQ APPROVED) Were Republicans opposing the Democratic president in 1998? No: A House resolution supporting the attack and endorsing regime change in Iraq passed by 417-5. There was some GOP skepticism - but only over the air strikes' politically suspicious timing: Clinton launched the attack one day before the vote on his impeachment. And he had, until then, consistently backed down when faced with the need for military force against Saddam. Indeed, the White House flip-flopped on its Iraq policy from Day One of Clinton's administration. Clinton repeatedly threatened to go to war over weapons inspections. Later, he secretly undermined those same inspectors' ability to do their job . - "DEM DOUBLE-TAKE (or...Hypocrites On Parade), " by ERIC FETTMANN, New York Post October 10, 2002
1998 : (USA : NY SENATOR LEVINE URGES CLINTON TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST IRAQ) Democratic Senator Carl Levine initiated a letter signed by 26 colleagues urging Clinton "to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction." - "DEM DOUBLE-TAKE (or...Hypocrites On Parade), " by ERIC FETTMANN, New York Post October 10, 2002
DECEMBER 1998 : (BIN LADEN RECEIVES THE FATWA FROM THE HIGH COURT OF AFGHANISTAN PERMITTING THE USE OF WMD AGAINST AMERICAN CIVILIANS) MR. BODANSKY ...The first key event took place in the first days of December last year, in that when bin Laden received the fatwah, a religious decree from the high court of Afghanistan, the leading Ulama -- religious court -- permitting, among other things, the use of weapons of mass destruction against innocents -- against American civilians. Terrorists in the past have had weapons of mass destruction -- never in the quantity and quality of bin Laden's -- and we'll go into that in a few minutes. The important thing is never have they had any authorization to use them. And this is the first time, considering the fact that bin Laden is the guest of the Taliban, he is seeking permission, justification or legitimization to use these weapons from the same group of learned individuals that also guide the Taliban is of extreme importance. ---NATIONAL PRESS CLUB 8/6/99 "...PRESS CONFERENCE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB MORNING NEWSMAKER WITH YOSSEF BODANSKY, AUTHOR; SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM NATIONAL PRESS CLUB WASHINGTON, D.C. 10:00 A.M. EDT FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1999 via ALAMO-GIRL'S DOWNSIDE LEGACY AT TWO DEGREES OF PRESIDENT CLINTON ; SECTION: BREACH OF TRUST; SUBSECTION: TERROR; Revised 1/8/01
DECEMBER 1998 : (UNSCOM) Then, after a brief return to Baghdad, the inspectors reported Iraqi noncompliance and left the country in December 1998 ahead of punishing U.S. and British airstrikes. Since then, many former inspectors have maintained that the only way to disarm Iraq would be to reinstate some of the inspectors' earlier freedoms.
DECEMBER 1998 : (RITTER SPEAKS IN SENATE HEARING) "Even today, Iraq is not nearly disarmed. Based on highly credible intelligence, UNSCOM [the U.N. weapons inspectors] suspects that Iraq still has biological agents like anthrax, botulinum toxin, and clostridium perfringens in sufficient quantity to fill several dozen bombs and ballistic missile warheads, as well as the means to continue manufacturing these deadly agents. Iraq probably retains several tons of the highly toxic VX substance, as well as sarin nerve gas and mustard gas. This agent is stored in artillery shells, bombs, and ballistic missile warheads. And Iraq retains significant dual-use industrial infrastructure that can be used to rapidly reconstitute large-scale chemical weapons production." - Scott Ritter, December 1998
DECEMBER 1998 : (IRAQI FAROUK HIJAZI, A FORMER? SENIOR INTELLIGENCE AGENT & AMBASSADOR TO TUNISIA MEETS BIN LADEN) For example, Farouk Hijazi, a former senior Iraqi intelligence agent and ambassador to Tunisia who was reported to have met bin Laden in December 1998, has been in U.S. custody since late April.[2003] - "Memo shows Iraq, Iran tried to contact bin Laden ," By Eli J. Lake, Washington Times, September 12, 2003
DECEMBER 1998 : (NORTH KOREAN THREATS AND RANTING) "More than 100,000 North Korean soldiers, workers and students demonstrated Friday, vowing an "all-out'' war against the US, an official N. Korean report said. The Stalinist government tightly controls N. Korean society, and Friday's outburst of animosity was believed to have been staged by the government, S. Korean officials said. In the past three days, N. Korea's news media have brimmed with statements claiming the country was "on full alert for war'' in case a dispute with Washington over nuclear inspections in the North intensifies.." - AP/KCNA 12/4/98