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To: mark502inf
Well, I think you need take #1 off your list.

If they were destroyed (assuming they existed in the first place), then technically he fulfilled the terms of the UN Resolution and could have saved his bacon simply by showing inspectors.

If you're thinking they were destroyed after the war (again, assuming they existed in the first place), why didn't he use them? Why would Saddam let himself and his regime perish protecting weapons he did not intend to use?

#2 and #3 are still a possibility.

It would be terribly ironic, however, if it was #4 and the war that was about saving us from WMD's actually sent them to terrorists' hands.
68 posted on 06/04/2003 6:09:54 PM PDT by bob808
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To: bob808; kosta50
I think it highly likely at least some chem weapons were destroyed as war became imminent or soon after it began. Put yourself in the shoes of the Iraqis in charge of those stocks--the best thing for you personally is to make that stuff disappear! And, if you recall, there were reports of traces of mustard agent found in the Euphrates--dumping it in the biggest river around makes sense to me! (Bob--it is not an assumption that they had the stuff; the UN inspectors had seen it, the Iraqis admitted it, and even Al Gore and the French said they had it). The question is not whether or not they had WMD, but what happened to it?

Kosta, you give our surveillance capability too much credit--first, we don't have enuf to even cover all of Iraq with actionable levels of resolution. Then when you add in the competing demands in Afghanistan, supporting the search for our downed airmen in Colombia, trying to identify Abu Sayef boat traffic in the Philippines, etc, etc; that leaves even less for Iraq.
-second, darkness, rain, cloud cover, & sandstorms all degrade our surveillance capability.
-third, Iraq has played this game for years & knows our capabilities very well: we can't see through roofs or trees or underground or even through the canvas tops of cargo trucks. There is a lot of normal military and civilian traffic and activity that can be used to disguise WMD movement. Again, put yourself in the shoes of an Iraqi who has been told to surreptitiously move some WMD--you could easily figure out a way to do it & so could they.

Bob, I don't know why Hussein did not use what he had while we were building up and concentrated in Kuwait--at that time we were a large, stationary target. One theory is that he had moved the stuff out of the country and/or hidden it very well with the expectation that the UN/international community would prevail on the USA/UK not to invade and all he had to do was to wait out the next round of weapons inspectors. Then when the invasion came, he wasn't ready. Who knows for sure? Time will tell.

It wouldn't just be ironic, but tragic if some Iraqi bugs & gas is floating around in the hands of international terrorists/criminals because Rumsfeld, in his arrogance and hubris, did not allow the operational commander sufficient troops to quickly and adequately secure the country. There are STILL some places in Iraq where no American troops have gone, much less searched or established positive control.
69 posted on 06/04/2003 8:45:48 PM PDT by mark502inf
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