The missing Iraqi explosives: was it LIHOP?

[milkyway]

bush/cheney/rumsfeld seem hell-bent on achieving a state of neverending war. Salon has just posted an important article by a U.S. counterintelligence agent that was stationed in Iraq last year. He found out about a huge weapons dump, but his repeated requests to his superiors to guard it were ignored--the weapons have since been looted. This, apparently, was commonplace. Insurgents and terrorists are armed to the teeth with tons and tons of weapons, and perhaps parts needed to make nuclear weapons have made their way to Iran.

I have been having a hard time believing that our military people would not know enough to secure these weapons. It almost seems like some people high up wanted it to happen. A neverending war in the Middle East will feed the BFEE's war profits machine and establish military control of Middle East oil. But for that we need bad guys, and the bad guys need weapons.

So we are left with the same question as we are for 9/11--was it simply monumental incompetence, or was it something far more sinister?

See the thread for the Salon article here, particularly post #6 by berni_mccoy.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1208697

[Indiana_Dem]

1. It HAD to be LIHOP!

Why would anybody with a normally functioning brain have allowed that stockpile to just sit there unguarded after it was found and known about!?!?!

I'm not even the slightest bit military but that would've been one of the FIRST things I would've secured. That is too fishy to be a mistake.

[RafterMan]

7. Uh...

"Why would anybody with a normally functioning brain have allowed that stockpile..."

Well, there's your answer.

With all of the collosal fuckups in the post-war planning, this is the one that strains credibility?

[gavodotcom]

13. There weren't enough troops to secure all the munitions.

That's all I can think of. They were looking for radiation, or skull and crossbones stickers, or other evidence of WMD, they simply skipped over it because they needed the manpower.

I remember many people thinking the Battle for Baghdad was going to consume hundreds of American lives.

But, no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, so there you go. As for conspiracies to let this happen, I'd surely doubt it. Why continue the war?

The plan was to have Iraq up and going within six months, and bring the troops home. The removal of Saddam nets you a friendly government with a US military presence over 1/4 of the M.E. oil fields, and means you are the northern border of S.A., which is set for some internal strife if not civil war, and high approval ratings back at home for being such a great CiC.

Terrorism doesn't get you elected, the threat of terrorism might.

It's obvious he wanted to go after Iran and N. Korea as soon as Iraq was over. As someone funny said, "Diplomacy is the art of patting the dog on the head until you can find a stick."

To have the political capital, as well as financial capital, to do so, he'd have to have a cheap, effective war with few casualties in Iraq, to be able to move up to the next one. Iraq (quick, cheap, easy), Iran (pretty easy, not as cheap, might take a year), and then N. Korea, the whole kit and kaboodle. That solidifies US interests in the middle east, gives us hegemony over China's oil interests, and actually gives us a place to butt up against China, who we can then demonize.

Then a new cold war and the defense industry & Halliburton profit.

This is a lesson for our children and grandchildren. In some ways, thank God we're in the mess we're in now.

[milkyway]

16. Come on, it's more fun to think of it as a sinister plot, rather than that

they are just a bunch of fuck-ups. :)

You make a well-reasoned and convincing argument.

[GreenPoet64]

2. I'm still relatively new here. . . what is LIHOP . . .

have also seen another abrev. that starts with an "M" and HOP. Forgive my ignorance. Thanks in advance!

[Seldona]

3. 'Let it happen on purpose' I believe.

Not sure of the other one.

[GreenPoet64]

5. Thanks--I get it now.

[Maiden England]

4. let it happen on purpose

and made it happen on purpose

Originally theories as to the level of involvement of the BFEE (bush family evil empire) in the events of 9/11

[GreenPoet64]

6. thanks again!

:kick:

[JohnyCanuck]

8. Let It Happen on Purpose

Usually used in reference to the 9/11 attack, ie. LIHOP= the Bush gang new about the 9/11 attacks and allowed them to go ahead in order to take advantage of a riled up populace to get support for launching a war in Afghanistan and Iraq (and possibly other Middle Eastern countries as well, e.g. Syria, Iran etc). MIHOP = Make It Happen on Purpose, ie. elements within the Bush administration had a hand in actually preparing and/or intentionally facilitating the 9/11 attacks.

[patrice]

9. Let It Happen On Purpose + Made It Happen On Purpose. n/t

[milkyway]

11. LIHOP: Let It Happen On Purpose. MIHOP: Made It Happen On Purpose.

These have been used frequently in reference to 9/11. Many people don't believe the official version of the events of 9/11. Instead, they think there was U.S. government complicity--9/11 became the bush admin's justification for many policies that they came into office wanting to implement (i.e., invasion of Iraq).

LIHOP means there were government officials who let 9/11 happen by not taking action when they would be expected to do so. MIHOP means there were government officials actively involved in planning and/or executing the events of 9/11. To some here at DU, this all seems far-fetched. To others, it seems rather obvious.

[snowbear]

10. This is the story rolling across AP right now..

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/10/29/build/world/50-un-explosives.inc

[leftofthedial]

12. yes

possibly MIHOP to ensure a protracted resistance.

[AnIndependentTexan]

14. Could this be why Cheney said a attack on US would happen if Kerry is

president? Were they planning a attack as a last resort?

[mark414]

15. not LIHOP, just complete fucking incompetence