Bush Cites Hussein's Potential Weapons

[Khephra]

Officials Echo Draft Of Iraq Survey Group

By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 18, 2004; Page A03

President Bush and other senior administration officials yesterday defended their decision to invade Iraq despite errors in prewar intelligence, echoing findings in a draft report by the top U.S. weapons inspector, who concludes that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction but hoped to someday reconstitute programs to develop them.

"We didn't find the stockpiles we thought would be there -- that we all thought would be there," Bush said at a campaign rally in Washington. "But Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons, and he could have passed that capability on to the enemy. And that is a risk we could not afford to take after September 11, 2001. Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision."

The 1,300-page draft report by Charles Duelfer, the CIA's top adviser on Iraqi weapons and the leader of the Iraq Survey Group, has been reviewed by acting CIA Director John E. McLaughlin, according to one U.S. intelligence official. McLaughlin asked the team to answer questions not addressed in the report and has sent it back for further work. The official said the team has thousands of boxes of documents that it has yet to read, so changes are possible. The draft conclusion of Hussein's intent was based largely on documents written by senior Iraqi leaders and on interviews with former Iraqi scientists and top officials, the official said.

U.S. officials familiar with the classified draft report, whose contents were first reported by the Associated Press Thursday night, said it broadly mirrors the findings of Duelfer's predecessor, David Kay. He told the Senate Armed Services Committee in January that the U.S. intelligence community was "all wrong" in concluding Iraq possessed banned weapons, a finding that the administration had used as a primary public justification for the invasion.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29996-2004Sep17.html

[pinniped]

1. Man, I knew these creeps would be all over this "dormant weapon program"..

crap line.

Someday we can only hope these criminals are brought to justice for their crimes against humanity.

[Kitsune]

2. Kitsune cites B*sh's potential brain *nt*

[Carolab]

3. "Changes are possible"

McLaughlin asked the team to answer questions not addressed in the report and has sent it back for further work. The official said the team has thousands of boxes of documents that it has yet to read, so changes are possible.

Yeah, as soon as CHENEY makes them.

[TrogL]

4. Out of what? Sewer pipe?

You couldn't even make a good cannon out of the materials they've been proposing as WMD's.

[liberalmuse]

5. Those conservatives sure like their 'potentials'.

'Potential' weapons. I like how CNN spun the story about there being absolutely no WMD's in Iraq. Oh, but Saddam Hussein was 'thinking' about a weapons program. He could 'potentially' have made dangerous weapons. I suppose that is enough to massacre a people over and send more than 1,000 men and women to their untimely deaths for.

And then there's the 'potential' humans (i.e. 'fetuses') so revered by right wingers. In the meantime, real human beings are dying, real children are flooding social services and real people with families to support are standing behind the wealthiest 2% when it comes to their share of the public treasury. Somebody needs to shake the 'pubs out of their self-induced oblivion.

[Poiuyt]

6. Linking Saddam Hussein and 9/11, as usual

So Bush would have still invaded if he knew what he knows now. Do you think ANYONE would have supported him? Besides Cheney and Chalibi, that is?

[Just Me]

7. We hold our children to higher standards than this,...

,...bullshit. Bottom line: Did the country of Iraq threaten our country?

Bottom line: Iraq was the easiest wealth-producing (oil) country to defeat per (not only billions of tax-payer supported intelligence) the neocon assessment towards their NWO,...which NO American or other citizen would approve,....hence,...

THEY DECEIVED AND MANIPULATED THE GOOD-WILL OF HUMANITY,...in order to serve their megalomaniac evil weaknesses.

They deserve a prolonged suffering and I, for one, will not wait for them to admit their "sins" before they die. I am way too busy trying to compensate!!!

[grytpype]

8. The report said he had no capacity to make WMD!

All he had were dormant programs he hoped to revive someday!

Can you tell me why we had to invade in a big fricking hurry?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. What should be done with potential liars?

Tell us, Georgie, and seal your own fate.

[yellowcanine]

10. That does it! I am making a preemptive strike on my neighbor. He

bought a bag of nitrogen fertilizer and with that can of fuel he keeps in his shed he has a potential bomb. No way am I going to wait until there is a mushroom cloud where my house used to be.

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. Without this bush's case for war doesn't exist

He now says he would have done it anyway. Which is what he really did do. However, nobody would have go along with it. This should be enough to at least impeach the bastard. I'm afraid however, that this will happen only after another couple of years of the ass.

[amber dog democrat]

12. There is no point in hearing anything he says

Its all lies. all lies. lies.
This is all he has to prop up a criminal folly of gigantic proportions.
We've been stampeded, robbed and hoodwinked.
I look forward to when this second rate dick-tater is held accountalbe.

[shockingelk]

13. DON'T buy or argue with the "stockpiles" thing

That's letting them frame the issue.

The real argument for war with Iraq was that they were constantly building more WMD including nuclear bombs and they must be stopped.

It was not about what happened to materials that existed in 1991, it was about nuclear bombs being built in 2003. Here is a PHOTO of a "CURRENTLY ACTIVE" alleged uranium refinery:

... more here http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2002/g021008-D-6570C.html transcript of briefing: http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2002/t10082002_t1008dia.html

This "stockpiles" stuff is a lie on top of a lie on top of lies.

[kysrsoze]

19. Wow, Iran is practicing the same kind of nasty deception

What a coincidence! :P

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. Lying SOB.

[truthisfreedom]

15. bush's digestive system operates in reverse. it's just like being behind

a cow when a pie is being delivered.

[Rex]

16. So when do we go after

Iran
Pakistan
India
Israel
North Korea
France
Germany
China
Russia
England
Many more...

Afterall, these countries could also give nuclear secrets to anyone they want to have them. If this is the NEW standard then we better start drafting people for WW III, and soon!

[teryang]

17. "Memo sent back for further work"

Sounds like the Kean Commission Report.

"Get back to me after November."

[doc03]

18. Any country in the world has a potential of making WMD's, if they

have a water treatment plant and have Chlorine you could say that. Hell I have some Clorox and Drano.

[screembloodymurder]

20. We all have the potential

to choose reconcilliation not revenge, peace not war.

[mike_c]

21. air WMDs....

(Makes gun with fingers) Pshewww, Pshewww! Gotcha!