Iraq Said to Try to Buy Antidote Against Nerve Gas

The New York Times ^ | 11/12/2002 | JUDITH MILLER

[Mitchell]

There's something I don't understand about reports like this, and also about the reports regarding Iraq trying to purchase the metal tubing required for a nuclear weapon. Why wouldn't Iraq have built the required infrastructure to make such things themselves? Doesn't Iraq have chemical manufacturing factories and metal machining facilities? Wouldn't these be a high priority for any country, whether aiming at a peacetime economy or a wartime economy?

[WarSlut]

And to think the lame duck Democrats still haven't givin the President a homeland security measure. They still want the union vote ahead of the lives of American citizens.

What's really funny is the way the Dims were SCREAMING for Union "protection" for Homeland Security positions, and at the same time, ordering their Unions to send dock workers on strike (to damage the economy, and Bush).

The first thing people think of when you say "Union" is "strike". Which is the last thing you want to hear when you're talking about Homeland Security.

Shot themselves in the groin on that one, didn't they?

[MHGinTN]

I'm wondering, does Saddam have people who're willing to die for him, people who don't have their family being held hostage? I mean, are there true fanatics willing to give all to/for Saddam like martyrs for Islamism?

[Scully]

Info ping!

[MHGinTN]

Shows their arrogant disregard for the intelligence of the American people ... people who voted hard against them on Nov 5th, but don't let that secret out.

[Dan Day]

"The Iraqis must know that we are not going to use such agents against them, because we don't have chemical weapons," Dr. Franz said.

Excuse me Doc, but you just don't seem to get the point. They want this because they are going to use such agents against US.

I believe that *was* his point.

He was saying, "since Iraq wouldn't need nerve agent antidotes for defense against us, his ordering the antidotes is pretty clear evidence that a) he's got nerve agents himself, and b) he intends to use them."

[Colonel Jim]

Good Lord! He is going to use nerve agents, swell!

[RadioAstronomer]

Thanks for the ping! :-))

[Augie]

Shot themselves in the groin on that one, didn't they?

LOL! It would have to be an accidental shooting from point-blank range for any dimbulb to hit a target that small.

[river rat]

QUICK!
Someone call Scott Ritter and ask HIM what he thinks this means....
Semper Fi

[HiTech RedNeck]

atropine and obidoxime are antidotes for organophosphate insecticide poisonings. however when we said we would raid iraq, i don't think we meant spray it with.

[Humidston]

I like your style!

But what would the U.N. say??

/sarcasm

[Hemlock]

Dave Franz, a former director of the Army's bio-defense lab at Fort Detrick, Md., and Frederick R. Sidell, a chemical agents expert who worked at the Army Medical Institute of Chemical Defense, agreed that Iraq's orders raised concern because there were virtually no peaceful uses for that much atropine.

Well, you can get pretty stoned off atropine. It's an antispasmotic/muscle relaxant. Well, those assholes are gonna need some muscle relaxants after we drop our stinky load all over their pitiful excuse for a country!

Along with scopalomine and other alkaloids, atropine is found in both Jimson Weed and Belladona. Atropine was once widely used to treat asthma.

[rightwing2]

The Iraqis must know that we are not going to use such agents against them, because we don't have chemical weapons," Dr. Franz said.

As I predicted months ago, we are going to take lots of casualties from Saddam's CBR arsenal unless we give him "an out"--meaning, that we guarantee him amnesty and immunity from prosecution in return for his acceptance of permanent exile in the country of his choice. As Rummy has since stated, buy him a plane ticket. However, thus far the US has refused to give him the guarantees from prosecution that he would require before even considering taking us up on this offer. The Administration should act immediately to give him such guarantees as the surest and swiftest and least costly way in terms of men and material to achieve regime change in Iraq.

[aShepard]

"Vee half no weapons of mass destruction, so we reject you access to Presidential palaces. And if you step foot in our country, vee ville gas all of you, dead!"

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up to your views!

[Nogbad]

Why wouldn't Iraq have built the required infrastructure to make such things themselves?

I can't answer that,
but here is something I just heard now.
Three months ago
(that is, in August)
Pakistan provided North Korea with centrifuges
to help them produce Plutonium.

Did any of you know that??

[TheLion]

Coming from the New York Times, this sounds more like scare hype, designed to frighten the troops and give the anti-war troops some ammunition.

[Mitchell]

Three months ago (that is, in August) Pakistan provided North Korea with centrifuges to help them produce Plutonium.

Thanks; I hadn't seen this yet. It turns out that there's a Washington Post article on it; here's a link. But that article doesn't mention centrifuges; in fact, it goes out of the way to say that there's no specific evidence, no "smoking gun." Where did you hear that centrifuges were involved?

[Nogbad]

Source is John Batchelor of WABC:
who got it from the Washington Post website,
but added that the aid consisted of gas centrifuges
to make plutonium.
He did not indicate where he obtained this information.