Disconfirmations Disconfirmed: Saddam Had Nuke Program

American Thinker ^ | July 06, 2008 | Randall Hoven

[neverdem]

The media have been telling us for years that Saddam had no WMD, so "Bush's War": was based on a "lie." And those who believed Saddam did have WMD or WMD programs were delusional or worse.

But today, on July 6, 2008, the Associated Press that:

• Saddam Hussein had a nuclear program
• At the Tuwaitha nuclear complex just south of Baghdad
• Which included 550 metric tons (over 1.2 million pounds) of "yellowcake", or concentrated uranium
• And multiple devices that could be used in a nuclear weapon. 

The AP does not say alleged nuclear program.  It does not add "according to military experts."  It simply says "Saddam Hussein's nuclear program."

That's pretty big news, isn't it?

For about five years now, those of us who thought Saddam Hussein probably had at least WMD programs, if not WMD themselves, have been called not only wrong, but illogical and insane.

One example was an article by Sharon Begley in the Wall Street Journal  titled People Believe a 'Fact' That Fits Their Views Even if It's Clearly False  .  (Her article series is called, without irony, the "Science Journal".)  Ms. Begley reported that "six months after the invasion, one-third of Americans believed WMDs had been found, even though every such tentative claim was discomfirmed [sic]."  She cited psychologists to explain this strange behavior.  They used terms like "world views" and "mental models."

Jim Lobe at CommonDreams.org (Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community)  reported that "Three out of four self-described supporters of President George W. Bush still believe that pre-war Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or active programs to produce them."  He went on to quote the director of the polling company as saying

"To support the president and to accept that he took the U.S. to war based on mistaken assumptions likely creates substantial cognitive dissonance and leads Bush supporters to suppress awareness of unsettling information about pre-war Iraq."

These findings on people's beliefs were based on a survey that asked people if they believed Saddam had WMD or WMD programs .  Apparently, Sharon Begley, Jim Lobe and a whole lot of other people not only believed Saddam had no WMD programs, but that anyone who did believe such a thing was clearly illogical or insane.  In fact, the only interesting question to them was what is wrong with our minds.

World views.  Mental models.  Cognitive dissonance.  Suppressed awareness.

Fast forward to today.  Now we hear from the Associated Press that "The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program -- a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium -- reached a Canadian port."  That last "remnant" was 550 metric tons of yellowcake uranium.  That is over 1.2 million pounds of yellowcake!  Also, the military had previously withdrawn "four devices for controlled radiation exposure ... that could potentially be used in a weapon."  All this was located at "the former Tuwaitha nuclear complex about 12 miles south of Baghdad."

The AP even reminds us that

"Accusations that Saddam had tried to purchase more yellowcake from the African nation of Niger -- and an article by a former U.S. ambassador refuting the claims -- led to a wide-ranging probe into Washington leaks that reached high into the Bush administration."

By the way, is it illogical or insane to think that Saddam could not possibly obtain yellowcake, and did not even try to, because one former ambassador went to one country in Africa and said he couldn't find it there?  What about after they found over a million pounds of it just south of Baghdad?  Is it now considered reality-based to think Saddam "sought" yellowcake, just as President Bush said in his 2003 State of the Union address ?

Should psychologists study Sharon Begley's brain now that the disconfirmations have been "discomfirmed"?  Should the CIA send Joe Wilson to Canada to monitor the destruction of the yellowcake he could not find in Africa?

[South40]

I seldom believe the AP. This is a rarity.

[4integrity]

‘And stayed tuned because any minute now the MSM will report this....’

phew! ....thought I missed the reports on this....I’ll stay tuned, but, won’t hold my breath...

my first reaction too....so where are the reports on this??

[Parley Baer]

It depends on when the yellowcake was bought. I sure it was bought over a period of time but when were the last quantities purchased? Was the whole 550 metric tons known or was there just guess work. Did some of the yellowcake come from Niger after the visit by Joe?

[John123]

Relatively speaking... anyone know if 550 metric tons of yellowcake enough to seed a nuclear weapon enrichment program?

[Strategerist]

This particular Yellowcake was all pre-1991.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I just posted this, in full, to Craigslist politics. Let the hippies mull it over...

[cookcounty]

"As everyone knew. All of the yellowcake was a remnant of the pre-1991 Iraq program, which was identified and regularly inspected by the IAEA. There are innumerable pre-Gulf War II press articles and documents mentioning it.

"This has nothing to do with Joe Wilson. And had nothing to do with the WMD justification for the war."

Yes and no. Remember that the administrations claim was that Saddam had SOUGHT uranium in Africa, not that the purchase had necessarily been made.

The fact is Iraq DID buy yellowcake (lots of it) from Africa pre-1991 (in fact, from NIGER), and when, 10 years later, Saddam sent a trade mission to Niger which included nuclear experts, ...only Wilson, Democrats, and the Jurnilists are stupid enough to believe they went there looking to buy peanuts and goatskins.

[TigersEye]

Ms. Begley reported that "six months after the invasion, one-third of Americans believed WMDs had been found, even though every such tentative claim was discomfirmed [sic]." She cited psychologists to explain this strange behavior. They used terms like "world views" and "mental models."

Here is another psycho-babble term Mizz Begley should be familiar with.

Projection.

[raptor29]

“This particular Yellowcake was all pre-1991.”

Who the hell cares. The article goes on to say that the removal was done in secret given the U.S. “worried that the cache would fall into the hands of insurgents or Shiites hoping to advance Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions”.

So Hussein had 550 tons of material that could “also be enriched for use in reactors and, at higher levels, weapons”, 550 tons of it, and we are repeatedly told that they had no WMD.

Something really stinks in this whole thing.

[Kimberly GG]

Thanks....that’s what I keep thinking. If it’s all pre-1991 and the same stuff we already knew existed, what’s the big hoopdedoo?

[Riley]

Surprisingly- I heard it on ABC Radio News today. No caveats or buts or wriggles. They just reported it. I was listening to Bob Brinker’s show, which had some leftoid filling in for Bob, going on about how Congress should tack a huge tax on gasoline, so that we’d all be forced to ‘do the right thing’ and buy more fuel-efficient cars. Because that’s how they do it in Europe you see, the fountain of all that is sweetness and light.

It was really weird to hear sense on the ABC news and nonsense on Brinker’s show. The audience *slammed* Brinker’s fill-in. :-)

[raptor29]

I couldn’t care less that the Russian nuclear arsenal and the materials and program were all pre-1991 either, they remain a huge issue for the world to be concerned about. What the hell difference does it make WHEN Hussein first secured this material, the facts are HE HAD IT and he could have used it for a nuclear program. Nice try, pal.

[Riley]

I just posted this, in full, to Craigslist politics. Let the hippies mull it over...

They won't. When you hit them square between the eyes with an irrefutable fact that they don't like, their eyes will briefly become unfocused, they'll stare for a moment, then change the subject and begin shouting. I've seen this in in-person arguments over and over again.

There are none so blind as those who will not see.

[iopscusa]

How about a bit o documentation for your Yellow Cake claims?
IMO this is only the tip of the iceberg re: GD Saddam’s ability to constitute WMD...he was a danger when Israel bombed his nuke plant, when he invaded Kuwait, suborned the UN inspections, gassed the Kurds, etc. Commonsense says there is a lot more to this and we will find out one way or another...see Bekaa Valley & Syria.

[lepton]

This has nothing to do with Joe Wilson.

That's not true. The CIA group that Plame was associated with thought the idea that Hussein was attempting to obtain (more) yellowcake (from Niger) was ridiculous, justified that by arguing that because he already HAD this huge quantity they couldn't see him wanting more.

[Gritty]

How's Scooter Libby getting along?

Has he managed to pay his huge fine yet or has the court just decided to throw him in jail instead?

[lepton]

I sure it was bought over a period of time but when were the last quantities purchased? Was the whole 550 metric tons known or was there just guess work. Did some of the yellowcake come from Niger after the visit by Joe?

This batch was pre-1991 (Gulf War round 1). Do keep in mind though, that the U.N. hadn't removed it or allowed anyone else to remove it from Iraq. Keep also in mind that they hadn't made Iraq destroy the special explosives (MDX and RDX) needed to make nuclear weapons that they also had in semi-sealed bunkers (and that they decided to throw a fit about right before the 2004 elections).

[YankeeMagic]

btt

[lepton]

...only Wilson, Democrats, and the Jurnilists are stupid enough to believe they went there looking to buy peanuts and goatskins.

Actually, not even Wilson was. He reported back that the Niger GOVERNMENT said they weren't selling...and also that those same government officials who said they weren't selling were concerned about sales from groups within their country not under their control, and further that Iraqi officials were in fact looking.

[TigersEye]

What kind of control did the UN have after UNSCOM inspectors were removed from Iraq in 1998?