[b4its2late]

Tick, tick, tick,...............

[tet68]

IRAQ is using pirated copies of German equipment to process nuclear material in an assembly line that
will regularly produce nuclear weapons,

“The amount of uranium it already has — conservatively estimated in a German intelligence report at ten
tonnes of natural uranium and 1.3 tonnes of low-enriched uranium — is enough for three nuclear
weapons,” Dr Hamza said.

Before their expulsion, the inspectors dismantled an illegally imported German centrifuge installation

The key was provided, he said, when the German Karl Schaab smuggled in the centrifuge in 1989 and
later helped Iraq to build a second. “We videoed as it was put up, so we could build identical ones. Then
he also provided 130 classified documents and charts detailing every aspect of the construction. When the
inspectors took away the original centrifuge, we already had the know-how. I believe there are probably
hundreds of copies today,”

I believe the Germans are up to their necks in all this.

[tomahawk]

This cannot be. Tom Dasshole has assured us that Iraq poses no threat to us or Iraq's neighbors. And Dasshole is a genius, so we can disregard whatever our intelligence services and Iraqi nuclear engineer defectors report.

[widgysoft]

Now he’s well on the road, his game will be to stall and stall — if America lets him.

i.e Send out a press release inviting inspectors then denying them at the last minute.

[backhoe]

Cross-link:

IRAQ- some links to terror

[tomkat]

Dr Hamza said that it would be suicidal for the West to wait much longer before eliminating Saddam’s regime. “Inspectors going in now will have an almost impossible task to discover what’s going on in the nuclear field,” he said. “Since the inspectors left, Saddam has had four years at least to hide what needs to be hidden. Now he’s well on the road, his game will be to stall and stall — if America lets him.”

those Americans with even a lick of sense already understand this.

those who do not, or feign not too,
are either militantly ignorant or, quite simply, stupid.

[tomahawk]

Every day that Tom Dasshole delays a vote on the use of force on Iraq, he comes closer and closer to crossing the line into being a traitor to his nation. Our sworn enemy is about to go nuclear, and he wants to avoid a vote because he fears it will help Republicans in November. What a pathetic piece of sh*t he is.

[Gritty]

Now he’s well on the road, his game will be to stall and stall — if America lets him.”

No doubt the Doofuses in the UN and the usual fifth-column Democrats will promote this stalling so they can delay meaningful action, all the while trying to make political points.

But, if one or more of these nucs goes off in America, they will have a hey-day blaming Bush. Bush can't win dealing with either Saddam or any of these people. He may as well do what needs to be done for the good of America.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Now we know why the terrorist enablers like, Daschole, Graham, Kerry, et al, want to wait a few months before we do anything.

Once Saddam has the bomb, then they finally have the excuse to vote against action.....Too dangerous.

[SEGUET]

"IRAQ is using pirated copies of German equipment to process nuclear material in ..."

Why would they need pirated copies of anything - when all you need is a library card or access to the internet - no big deal about specs for centrifuges.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The timing is a little to convenient. Sounds like government propaganda to drum up support for the coming war.

[PsyOp]

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Ritter!

[JasonC]

He says "I believe there are probably hundreds of copies today". But then why are they paying the highest prices for imported German ones? The answer is they have not made them successfully themselves. Being shown one does not mean you can make them. High speed centrifuges are not bricks. They generate enourmous physical forces on the material, and have to spin exactly right or they wobbly uncontrollably and break apart. They therefore have to be machined with extreme precision. Notice how this guy does not claim that he -knows- there are domestically produced copies that work. And the obvious reason they are still trying to buy them abroad, is they have -not- succeeded in making them domestically.

Also, notice his "hypothesis" about "switching" the precision required? Implausible. Lower precision centrifuges can't be spun as fast. But they are adequate for most civilian uses. But to make U-235 behave differently from U-238 - a tiny weight difference per atom in a dense material - you need the enourmous forces only available at high speeds, only available with very close to perfect alignment. If an importer changes the spec to extreme levels "at the last minute", it is a red flag about the intended use.

We know such shipments are attempted, but also that they are intercepted. And recently. The balance of the evidence, as opposed to this guy's sheer speculation, is that they do not yet have working high tolerance centrifuges in any quantity, but are trying to get them abroad by hook or by crook. It is therefore quite unlikely they have succeeded in enriching their uranium - the hardest step by far in making a bomb. Left alone for long enough, would they succeed? Yes, of course. Have they probably done so already? No.

[alancarp]

Just in case the full impact has been missed: from all accounts (of the dissident doc, as corroborated by our VP), the Iraqis aren't satisfied with simply spreading radiation around with a "dirty" bomb: they are going for the really big enchilada.

I think it may be time to start getting scared, Mr. Daschle.

[aquawrench]

We cant wait for the UN.

[SSN558]

Unless Iraq has a very advanced cooling and air filtration system, the operations would leave a very noticable thermal and radiological signature. It the NSA holding an ace up their sleave ?

[Byron_the_Aussie]

...an assembly line that will regularly produce nuclear weapons...

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

IRAQ is using pirated copies of German equipment to process nuclear material in an assembly line that will regularly produce nuclear weapons,

I wonder if the prospect of finding German, French, Chinese, etc. equipment in use in Iraqi nuke/WMD production operations has anything to do with the reluctance of these countries to back the USA in the upcoming assault. Whistling past the graveyard?

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

I have a question for you all. Lets suppose that after the huge build up of troops and weaponry that right before we strike, Saddam lets off a nuke in the Iraqi desert and anounces to the world that Iraw has "the bomb" and will use it if necessary to "defend" his country....do you think we would still attack Iraq knowing this?

[unending thunder]

Old Sad Bastard Hussein has a VERY smart procurement executive. Remember the BIG gun. Lookee this mister, big gun go BIG BANG you pay plentee munni.

Now it's Germans selling desk top centrifuges that won't separate an egg.

The equation is simple, it's called OIL. US wants and gets control. The people who need to worry are the sick old King and his playboy princes.

Those troops(US/UK aka UN)are going nowhere. An army of occupation which is what Mubarak, Assad, Faisal Saddam don't want but have been sold the dummy. (UK Rugby expression - show the ball, crayfish it (as GWBsays) and go for goal.

Cui Bono? the Emirates, OK they get bases, a CIA run Al Jazz TV but left to sodomise their goats without interference.

Mean while back in Libya....... 100 Rodong (1,300KM range) missiles later.