retired_the gizmo

no. </BLOCKQUOTE>

They found WMDs. They knew Iraq had the people and the materials. No one would've been surprised if they'd had WMD. Not even Saddam would've been surprised. </BLOCKQUOTE>

please find information more recent than gulf war I

retired_kimmymarlo

CANT HAVE DNA DATABASE, THEY WILL FRAME ME ROFL LOLZ </BLOCKQUOTE>:/ you lose.

retired_ks reddy

How's that? You think the civil war would not have happened when Saddam died anyway? </BLOCKQUOTE>

No I don't. The environment had to change considerably for a civil war to break out and I don't think the death of Saddam would have been enough. It needed his death, the destruction of the infrastucture, army, police etc. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, Moqtada et al were just nobodies before we came along. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, that's just what I said. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Well they weren't. Iraq was hardly stable and uprisings were not uncommon. They were the crimes Saddam was tried for, remember?

retired_autumn

The article says Bush was informed of this intel, and chose not to believe it. Vested interests played a big part for some people, but fear after 9/11 made a lot of other people decide not to risk being wrong about Iraq's WMD. Say you decide to stake your career on the fact that Saddam's Foreign Minister, who probably has a strong interest in preventing an invasion, was right. And we listen to you, the invasion gets held up while we work through this intel, but in the meantime, Saddam slipped some gas to some jihadis and now 500 people are dead in the Sears Tower. Anyone want to risk their pay grade on that?

At the time, we expected to be hit with the terrorist kitchen sink every other week. Gotta move fast.

So these guys learn that the President wants to go in? OK, I'll let the Decider take the weight for the decision. Saved them having to worry about what was right. And from a political standpoint, it's much easier to defend being wrong about Saddam than it is to explain why you let him slip the WMD that just detonated in Boston to some terrorists.

retired_ks reddy

no. </BLOCKQUOTE>

They found WMDs. They knew Iraq had the people and the materials. No one would've been surprised if they'd had WMD. Not even Saddam would've been surprised. </BLOCKQUOTE>

please find information more recent than gulf war I </BLOCKQUOTE>

I did. Al Hakem. See my link.

retired_the gizmo

since al hakem linked only to that article and the fantastic works of william safire, I perservered and came up with the actual name, al hakam.


At Al Hakam, production of botulinum toxin for weapons purposes began in April 1989 and anthrax in May 1989. Initially much of the fermentation capacity for anthrax was used for the production of anthrax simulant for weapons field trials. Production of anthrax itself, it is claimed, began in earnest in 1990. In total, about 6,000 litres of concentrated botulinum toxin and 8,425 litres of anthrax were produced at Al Hakam during 1990.

In May/June 1996, a Commission team (UNSCOM 134/BW 31) supervised the destruction of the extensive buildings, equipment and materials. All structures and equipment at Al Hakam, except for a few items, were explosively demolished and the remnants were buried. The equipment at Al Manal and Al Safah, two other known facilities that had been used in the proscribed programme, was transported to Al Hakam and destroyed there. The air handling system for high containment at Al Manal was inactivated. The growth media purchased for the proscribed activities was also destroyed. [S/1996/848]



so wp facility that was destroyed 6 years before the war.

retired_the gizmo

wahey


From 1992 to 1994, Iraq greatly expanded the capability of its Al Hakam facility. Indigenously produced 5 cubic meter fermentors were installed, electrical and water utilities were expanded, and massive new construction to house its desired 50 cubic meter fermentors were completed.

With the economy at rock bottom in late 1995, ISG judges that Baghdad abandoned its existing BW program in the belief that it constituted a potential embarrassment, whose discovery would undercut Baghdad’s ability to reach its overarching goal of obtaining relief from UN sanctions.

In practical terms, with the destruction of the Al Hakam facility, Iraq abandoned its ambition to obtain advanced BW weapons quickly. ISG found no direct evidence that Iraq, after 1996, had plans for a new BW program or was conducting BW-specific work for military purposes. Indeed, from the mid-1990s, despite evidence of continuing interest in nuclear and chemical weapons, there appears to be a complete absence of discussion or even interest in BW at the Presidential level.

retired_princess160

Wow, surprising. Bush = warcriminal. No sh|t.

Too bad it took many years and at least over half a million lives for some people to start speaking out/deserting the sinking Bush-ship.

This would really require a trial to put the Nürnberg ones to shame. Hundreds of warcriminals put away for life.

Ain't gonna happen.

retired_ks reddy

And? Iraq was continuing to cover up their production of NBC weapons. Would you have bet they wouldn't try it again?

Bet yer life?

retired_ks reddy

Who's speaking out?