Chemical arms moved to Republican Guard, Iraqi POWs say

NYT via Star Tribune ^ | Mar 28, 2003 | Bernard Weinraub

[Diddley]

Statements from Iraqi prisoners of war and electronic eavesdropping on Iraqi government communications indicate that Saddam Hussein has moved chemical weapons to the Medina Division, one of three Republican Guard divisions guarding the approaches to Baghdad, Army officials have said.

[Professional]

Re Blix Resignation: Today, but it's not effective until July.

Even resignations are slow in gvt work!

[Diddley]

Thanks for the clarification.
:)

[Happy2BMe]

"No wonder Hans Blix decided to resign."

Any bets on how much blix will make on his book?

Who will endorse it? (Bill, Hillary, Dasshole, Bert n' Ernie?)

[RockChucker]

Maxamillion: a "thousand snipers" would actually be called an Infantry Division.

[maxamillion]

Well send in nine hundred or whatever, once these people start falling dead in the night, they're going to get real jumpy. Hell send in the seals, these guys don't even like fish...

[Diddley]

If that happens I will join DU with you.

[TShaunK]

Fill some cluster bombs with ham sandwiches, hold the mustard... gas.

[laz17]

Windsun signed up 2003-03-16.

Ahem. Reports that WMD are being moved to the Medina Division dovetail very nicely with what Fox's Rick Leventhal reported tonight. I believe the area he's currently in is near where the Medina is located, so those chemsuited guys unloading drums that he talked about must be Medina. Just put two and two together, and maybe you'll get four.

[Travis McGee]

Gee, ya think Saddam has just bought thousands and thousands of brand new top quality gas masks, atropine injectors etc just as a big fake out? To make us think he is preparing to use CW that he really doesn't have?

Go back to the kiddie waiting room now. Nice try though.

[laz17]

No wonder Hans Blix decided to resign.

Yup. He knows his goose is cooked. Just a few days ago, he and Kofi were arrogantly claiming inspections would continue after the war. Now Blixie's out of the picture. I predict he'll withdraw all the money Saddam and the UN pumped into his back account and disappear to some tropical island somewhere.

[geopyg]

"Just put two and two together, and maybe you'll get four."

Unless it's biological - then it would be more like 4,000,000.

[laz17]

And, as a psychopath, he would believe this.

And since his leftist supporters worldwide are deranged, he could get away with it, as far as they're concerned. If he uses WMD, they'll leap right over the fact that they were wrong in claiming he didn't have them and switch to their next talking point: that the poor underdog and victim of American imperialism had no choice but to defend himself with all means available. Hey, if they can rationalize and justify Akbar's fragging by claiming he was mistreated and pushed into doing it, they can rationalize anything.

I have no doubt that leftists actually consider Satan to be a victim of the bully God.

[laz17]

If we get hit with WMD out of Baghdad, we cannot retaliate "in-kind"

How about a small nuke in an unpopulated area of the desert? A demonstration of our wrath, with the implicit message that the next one would hit Baghdad.

[laz17]

Saddam exposed as liar, immediately offers to turn himself in?

Yup. And then he'll be invited on Oprah's show, to tearfully explain to the soccer moms what a rough childhood he had. I can see it now.

[American in Israel]

If we get hit with WMD out of Baghdad, we cannot retaliate "in-kind"

At least not ON Baghdad.

Why not? Drop 4 nukes, north, south, east and west. Then broadcast they have 24 hours till one is dropped in the center.

Game over.

We gotta sterilize the contaminated areas right?

[antienvironmentalist]

How embarrasing will it be to the US if no WMD's are found and Blix was right?

Just as embarassing as if Nicole Brown Simpson's murder is found and OJ was right.

Say hello to the worms at DU for me.

[rintense]

Bush should make it clear that any Chemical Attack and from this point on we dip all bullets in pig's blood and no Iraq soldiers is going to Paradise.

Bush has stated that ALL options are on the table, including nuclear. Stories published in the NYT, etc. have also stated that if Iraq uses WMD, tactical nukes were a likely response.

[Zebra]

Absolutely. If the reports about deployment of chemical or biological warheads with the Medina Division are true and if some lunatic executes an order delivering any such weapons on coalition forces, the Iraqis should expect a tactical nuclear (low kilotonnage/low yield) response that would essentially annihilate all hostiles attached to the Division. This would be folowed up with an immediate demand for unconditional surrender or the remaining Republican Guard Divisions would be subjected to the same.

Do not underestimate the importance of maintaining the absolute certainty of the doctrine of nuclear deterrence. Relaxing it in even one instance may embolden the next Saddam. Can you imagine a field subordinate executing a deployment order of WMD if it is a certainty that the release will be met with an immediate and catastophic nuclear response? Neither can I.