WP: Search for Banned Arms In Iraq Ended Last Month

[kskiska]

September Conclusions to Be Final Word

Wednesday, January 12, 2005; Page A01

The hunt for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in Iraq has come to an end nearly two years after President Bush ordered U.S. troops to disarm Saddam Hussein. The top CIA weapons hunter is home, and analysts are back at Langley.

In interviews, officials who served with the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) said the violence in Iraq, coupled with a lack of new information, led them to fold up the effort shortly before Christmas.

Four months after Charles A. Duelfer, who led the weapons hunt in 2004, submitted an interim report to Congress that contradicted nearly every prewar assertion about Iraq made by top Bush administration officials, a senior intelligence official said the findings will stand as the ISG's final conclusions and will be published this spring.

President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other top administration officials asserted before the U.S. invasion in March 2003 that Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear weapons program, had chemical and biological weapons, and maintained links to al Qaeda affiliates to whom it might give such weapons to use against the United States.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2129-2005Jan11.html

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. They should have checked 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

That's where the biggest weapon of mass destruction is located.

[AuntiBush]

61. Really!

[Robbien]

66. They don't have to check the Oval Office

Bush already checked there, even under the desk. We saw the video.

[TahitiNut]

2. Next: Taxpayer Dollars To Be Spent on Global Snipe Hunt

Those lying pieces of fascist shit never had a legitmate reason to invade Iraq. It's even a lie to call it "preemptive."

[mhr]

5. You Mean Those Despicable Craven Assholes - I Agree

eom

[Bok_Tukalo]

3. With much fanfair, it appears

<eom>

[daleo]

4. The election is over

The charade was no longer considered necessary.

[AuntiBush]

62. Couldn't agree w/you more!

Sure... the election is now over. He's got his "mandate!" What the hey now, right! The only comfort I take these days (and it's not much as long as this IDIOT is in power) is that I'm not part of the other half of bushwacked idiots!

My biggest fear is that those freeping idiots will buy into his new scare tactic... the Social Security Crisis. How does he get away with this stuff!

[Newsjock]

6. Does no congressional Democrat have the guts ...

... to go on a full-frontal publicity assault over this, demanding inquiries? If we sit back and let this pass without consequences, we might as well just sign our dwindling bank accounts, careers, and young men right over to the regime now and get it all over with.

[Liberal Veteran]

7. Perhaps we should check again...just to be extra extra

extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra extra sure.

[NYC]

8. Can't look for weapons because of violence.

"...said the violence in Iraq, coupled with a lack of new information, led them to fold up the effort shortly before Christmas."

Something about that intrigues me.

[Robbien]

34. WTF, too violent to search?

This is outlandish. It is equal in audacity to the statement the troops were too busy to guard weapons stockpiles.

[Mokito]

48. No, too violent to plant!

eom

[VegasWolf]

53. Think they remembered to remove the "Made in USA" stickers?n/t

[LynnTheDem]

9. bush & Cartel; ALWAYS WRONG

Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.
-Dick Cheney August 26, 2002

Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.
-George W. Bush September 12, 2002

If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world.
-Ari Fleischer December 2, 2002

We know for a fact that there are weapons there.
-Ari Fleischer January 9, 2003

Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.
-George W. Bush January 28, 2003

We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more.
-Colin Powell February 5, 2003

We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have.
-George Bush February 8, 2003

So has the strategic decision been made to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction by the leadership in Baghdad? I think our judgment has to be clearly not.
-Colin Powell March 8, 2003

Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.
-George Bush March 18, 2003

We are asked to accept Saddam decided to destroy those weapons. I say that such a claim is palpably absurd.
-Tony Blair, Prime Minister 18 March, 2003

Well, there is no question that we have evidence and information that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical particularly . . . all this will be made clear in the course of the operation, for whatever duration it takes.
-Ari Fleisher March 21, 2003

There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. As this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them.
-Gen. Tommy Franks March 22, 2003

I have no doubt we're going to find big stores of weapons of mass destruction.
-Kenneth Adelman, Defense Policy Board , March 23, 2003

One of our top objectives is to find and destroy the WMD. There are a number of sites.
-Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clark March 22, 2003

We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.
-Donald Rumsfeld March 30, 2003

Saddam's removal is necessary to eradicate the threat from his weapons of mass destruction
-Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary 2 April, 2003

Obviously the administration intends to publicize all the weapons of mass destruction U.S. forces find -- and there will be plenty.
-Neocon scholar Robert Kagan April 9, 2003

I think you have always heard, and you continue to hear from officials, a measure of high confidence that, indeed, the weapons of mass destruction will be found.
-Ari Fleischer April 10, 2003

We are learning more as we interrogate or have discussions with Iraqi scientists and people within the Iraqi structure, that perhaps he destroyed some, perhaps he dispersed some. And so we will find them.
-George Bush April 24, 2003

Before people crow about the absence of weapons of mass destruction, I suggest they wait a bit.
-Tony Blair 28 April, 2003

There are people who in large measure have information that we need . . . so that we can track down the weapons of mass destruction in that country.
-Donald Rumsfeld April 25, 2003

We'll find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so.
-George Bush May 3, 2003

I am confident that we will find evidence that makes it clear he had weapons of mass destruction.
-Colin Powell May 4, 2003

I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam Hussein -- because he had a weapons program.
-George W. Bush May 6, 2003

Before the war, there's no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical. I expected them to be found. I still expect them to be found.
-Gen. Michael Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps May 21, 2003

Given time, given the number of prisoners now that we're interrogating, I'm confident that we're going to find weapons of mass destruction.
-Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff May 26, 2003

As for "ties to Al Qaeda, the ONLY IDIOTS who claimed this bullshit were...BUSH & CARTEL. Not even poodle Tony tried that crap. Hell, even the MOSSAD said there were no such ties.

Being ALWAYS WRONG is EASY when you're BUSH & Cartel.

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. As long as you don't tell try to tell the truth about Bush's NG Service

you can get away with murder and it's okay.

However, if you dare say or do anything that makes Dim Son look bad, then heads will roll.

[LynnTheDem]

20. You mean like Jimmy-boy leader of FreeRepublic's calling bush a coke-

snorting AWOL asshole back in 1999?

Hypocrisy; no one does it like freeping rightwingnuts.

[Donkeyboy75]

25. Do you have a link for that?

It would be great to trot out in a pinch. :hi:

[LynnTheDem]

41. What Jim Robinson doesn't want you to remember

To: Freedom Wins

So, it doesn't matter if he snorted coke as a youth? It was a long time ago, a youthful in-discretion? Kinda like people who frequented sneakeasies during prohibition? Kind of a cute story, eh? Well, how about all the people whose lives have been destroyed by being arrested for the felony of drug possession? What about the millions of people who are rotting away in your filthy drug infested prisons at this very moment?

Well, by God, if you people insist on electing another cokehead as President, you damned well better throw open all the prison cell doors and free every man, woman, and child you're holding on drug charges. And if you're gonna elect another drug felon as President, you'd better rescind each and every one of your unconstitutional drug laws now on the books, including all of your unconstitutional search and seizure laws, and your asset forfeiture laws, and your laws that enable your unconstitutional snooping into our bank accounts and cash transactions. Well, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. You people are sick! Conservatives my ass. You people are nothing but a bunch of non-thinking hypocrits! You're a shame and a disgrace to the Republic!

And, I, for one, am tired of taking orders from cokeheads and felons! Elect another one and I'll tell you what. I'll be ready for war! It'll be time to take up arms and run the filthy lying bastards out!

Posted on 08/20/1999 03:19:31 PDT by Jim Robinson

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a37bd2556430e.htm

Sorry, I lied, he only mentions the coke-snorting felon, not the coke-snorting AWOL felon.

[Donkeyboy75]

43. Thanks Lynn. This is excellent. n/t

[GiovanniC]

55. Jesus H. Christ... Me Likey This JimRob Guy...

It's like the Twilight Zone over here.

When did you stop making sense, JimRob? Inauguration day, 2001?

[GiovanniC]

57. From That Same Thread...

Jim,I'll tell you what I am tired of. I am tired of hearing from people who support a religious fanatic like Alan Keyes who is borderline insane and would LOVE to be a American christian version of a Ayatolla(sp). I'm tired of moral Nazi's trying to force their religious beliefs and morals down the throats of the rest of us. I'm tired of so-called moral people who will continue to repeat ANY lie,rumor,or smear in a attempt to get their candidate elected. I am ESPECIALLY tired of hearing this from people who stand to profit financially,politically,and personally if this lunatic (Keyes) were to ever get elected.


=========================================

Holy shit, replace "Keyes" with "Bush" and this dude was right on the money, too!

[SammyWinstonJack]

27. And we're suppose to believe that Social Security is in crisis mode?

Well a MANUFACTURED crisis mode of bu$hco creation. And just like the lies about WoMD, the sheeple will buy into bu$h**'s lies about SS. I'm not sure that mentally I can take another four years of bu$h** lies.

[RaleighNCDUer]

49. They weren't wrong. THEY WERE LYING!!!

[The Backlash Cometh]

65. Nice job, Lynn

[LynnTheDem]

10. Gee...the UN weapons inspectors only wanted 90 DAYS

And they'd have come to the very same conclusion, with NO DEAD AMERICANS, NO DEAD IRAQIS, NO WORLD LOATHING towards the USA...and all FOR FREE.

Of course, bushCartel wouldn't have war-profiteered over the corpses like pigs at the trough, though.

[usregimechange]

11. WP lies, Cheney said the nukes were "RECONSTITUTED" nt

[RaleighNCDUer]

50. Just add prevatication, and stir. n/t

[Renew Deal]

12. Impeachment

I wish.

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. And people are hungry

here in the US....gee
The last paragraph says it all as to how we the people did not benefit, and hundreds of thousands of people are dead as a result of poor decision making.

Congress allotted hundreds of millions of dollars for the weapons hunt, and there has been no public accounting of the money. A spokesman for the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency said the entire budget and the expenditures would remain classified.

[The_Casual_Observer]

14. bush : "He has weapons and he will use them"

No accountability for the duplicity of that ugly little shithead. as the minions march along singing "onward christian soldiers" and praise the moral values of the chimp.

[maddezmom]

15. interesting...and how much did it cost??

in blood and money :eyes:

[radfringe]

16. contradicted nearly every prewar assertion

Team hunting Iraq WMD ends its search
By Dafna Linzer, Washington Post | January 12, 2005
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2005/01/12/team_hunting_iraq_wmd_ends_its_search/

---snip---

Four months after Charles A. Duelfer, who led the weapons hunt in 2004, submitted an interim report to Congress that contradicted nearly every prewar assertion about Iraq made by top Bush administration officials, a senior intelligence official said the findings will stand as the survey group's final conclusions and will be published this spring.

[dbt]

17. Most of us at DU knew there were no WMD.

And we shouted it to anyone within earshot. Most of the world knew there were no WMD in a country whose airspace was 2/3 controlled by foreign powers.

I daresay that most Democratic Party members of Congress would have known there were no WMD in Iraq if they hadn't been in such a blind rush to sell out their constituents.

Chalk up one for the focus groups, I reckon...

:freak:
dbt

[osaMABUSh]

19. Funny, I didn't hear this on CNN or Fox

Actually, it's not funny.

These guys can get away with anything.

[imax2268]

21. well...

isn't that something...

no weapons...reheheheheally...?

[imax2268]

22. CNN now talking about it...

[driver8]

46. But it is old news, now...

The Main Stream Media should have reported this a month ago! Does anyone practice good old fashioned "journalism" anymore? Does anyone go out and "investigate" a story? It seems no one reports anything unless it is handed to them on a silver platter. Get off your asses and do some reporting!!

I am so sick of the way the media operates. Less truth and more spin...that is all we get from them.

We all know what would be happening if Clinton took us to war over WMD's and then it was discovered there were none. Impeachment proceedings would have begun before the inspectors were back home.

[otohara]

68. What Is CNN Saying - Opps!

they should apologize for hyping the shit out of this lie for the neo-"cons" at 1600 Pennsylvania.

[Vidar]

23. No WMDs & "Osama better off free": the ultimate Bush flipflops.

[DebinTx]

24. Bush knew over a year ago that there were no WMD

this says it all:

"None of the scientists has been involved in weapons programs since the 1991 Gulf War, the ISG determined more than a year ago, and all have cooperated with investigators despite nearly two years of jail time without charges. U.S. officials previously said they were being held because their denials of ongoing weapons programs were presumed to be lies; now, they say the scientists are being held in connection with the possible war crimes trials of Iraqis."

What a POS we have for a president.

[underpants]

26. What? No parade? No declaring victory for freeing the world of WMD?

I am shocked.

[kskiska]

28. Remember? They almost DID have a parade.

Mayor Bloomberg offered to hold a tickertape parade in NYC for returning troops and the White House was considering it. Then they decided to have * land on the aircraft carrier to declare "Mission Accomplished." I wish they'd have gone ahead with the parade instead.

NYC mayor awaits ticker-tape parade approval

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg Monday awaited word from the Defense Department on whether his city can honor U.S. troops with a traditional ticker-tape parade down New York City's Canyon of Heroes.

"It's too early to say exactly where events will be held," said Department of Defense officials, "but the department is looking for appropriate venues to welcome returning troops."

During his weekly radio program April 25, Bloomberg said he spoke personally with Paul Wolfowitz, undersecretary for defense, to pitch the idea of his city hosting a parade.

(snip)

There is some concern in Washington about the image such a parade would present to the rest of the world.

"Rather than victory parades that appear to be gloating, we would prefer holding celebrations that recognize or emphasize our U.S. military for their contributions in Iraq," said the defense officials.

more…
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/05/06/ticker.tape.parade/

[Cocoa]

33. but Rathergate is the talk of the town

Dan Rather's story was essentially right, and didn't cost any lives, and it rates top coverage, but the whores completely failed on WMD, leading to decades of agony in the Middle East, and it's a footnote.

[w4rma]

29. The election is over. No more need to pretend there might be any. (nt)

[Briar]

35. As David Kaye

just said on BBC radio's PM show.

The presenter asked him how much this trumped up search cost - turns out it is a military secret.

And will it make a difference? No - apparently most Americans believe Bush made "an honest mistake."

[seemslikeadream]

30. from Malayala Manorama, India article on WMDs

[Arkana]

31. And yet we're still there.

:wtf:

[tk2kewl]

32. On the radio in the car this morning I heard some Pentagon wonk say

something like "if we knew then what we know now, it wouldn't have made sense to go to war"

i have been looking for a source for this quote. anyone?

[LibertyLover]

40. Pentagon wonk

I heard it too on WTOP AM, an all-news station in DC, as I was driving to the metro. I believe that the individual quoted was a former Pentagon official. When I heard this sound bite, I started screaming at the radio that we had known all along there were no WMDs and no reason to go to war in Iraq. Gods this crew in the White House makes me so angry I could spit.

[bluedog]

36. New Job for Inspectors

SEARCHING for::::::::::


*"s INTEGRITY, HONESTY, AND SENSE OF DECENCY To ADMIT TO THE PEOPLE HE LIED!!!!!

[driver8]

47. Exactly!!

That should keep the inspectors busy for years!!

[KansDem]

52. New search for new WMDs...

"W's Motives for Deceiving"

[pdxmom]

37. Remember when

Bush did that little video that was shown at some dinner, which showed him making a joke about looking for WMD's (behind the drapes, under the desk, etc)?

Now we know it wasn't so much a joke as it was them laughing at the country for being so gullible.

[warrens]

38. HAHAHAHAHA

Gee, wasn't it just last month that Fox was headlining WMD FOUND and getting the FReepers' little dinguses all turgid?

Wingnuts. Wrong about everything, all the time.

[Blue_Tires]

39. top

[ulTRAX]

42. THE WMDs ARE IN SADDAM'S DEATH SHIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Surely you remember just before the war reports of 3 ships without flags that were suspected of hiding Saddam's WMDs from UN inspectors.

Bush should not give up... he just has to find those ships! ROTF

[malaise]

44. Is This News?

Did anyone see American soldiers handing out election material in Iraq - what is going on?

[underpants]

45. Yes! The Death ships!!! Probably manned by Iraqis in stolen Brit uniforms

Remember that?

[Massachusetts]

51. The MORONIC American has short term memory

Maybe their memory will be jarred when those moronic citizens who didn't care to research or think, look at OUR soldiers that were used for this debacle.

But sadly, I don't think that seeing body bags, or missing limbs, or disfigurement will make a difference to these self centered MORONIC americans (small a stressed).:mad:

[yellowcanine]

54. So they knew in September that there were no WMDs. I am surprised those

results were not made public, as they obviously had no bearing on the election, right? heh.

[othermeans]

56. Now they can start searching for the real WMD's = Neocons

[daleo]

58. So how does this affect Saddam's trial?

It seems to me they don't have much left to charge him with. As far as I know, being a tyrant leader is not against international law. And putting down insurrections and armed separatist movements (such as the Kurds), even quite brutally, is within the scope of international law as well.

On edit - It hardly needs to be pointed out that Bush has now done (or has been implicated in) everything he ever accused Saddam of.

[pdxmom]

59. Then I'm confused

If the mission was to find and remove Saddam's WMDs, and we didn't find any, does that mean it's really "Mission Not Accomplished"?

Lots of things hinged on the WMD straw dog. This is supposed to be part of the war on terror, but since we didn't find anything, I guess that means we're losing the war on terror. And I also suppose we really couldn't call Saddam a threat. That just leaves the humanitarian mission, which is the latest straw dog, but since we're killing so many Iraqis, I'm not sure how they justify that either.

[GiovanniC]

60. Tell HER, Motherfuckers

[TOOLZ]

63. JUST SAY IT: "Je m'excuse..."

I can’t believe this administration has squandered hundreds of millions of dollars in this futile search for WMDs. What a waste, they could have bought, like, twenty more Inaugural Balls with that money.

Now that it’s clear there were never any WMDs, I imagine the Bush Administration will finally admit a mistake, withdraw from Iraq, restore Saddam Hussein to power since he clearly wasn’t a threat, pay our massive overdue UN dues since their mediation and inspections have been vindicated, and suck it up and apologize to France. Right? Guys?

I’m sure this will have no bearing on our credibility with the world. We lost that a long time ago. And even though we were wrong, France is still wrong for not saying we were right.

The aimless War in Iraq, the even more aimless War On Terror, calling off the search for WMD’s, delaying finding Bin laden or properly investigating 9/11, this Administration of Fear has all been about just getting to this Second Term Brouha.

rant continues at <http://toolz.blogs.com/>

[sueh]

69. Woops. Will Bush will call for an investigation as to

WHY no WMD was found? He likes to "get to the bottom of things" when he's shown to be wrong. Of course, getting to the bottom of things means nothing to him, he just wants to "look better".

[The Backlash Cometh]

64. Tomorrow's headlines: "The CIA has discovered that most Al Qaeda members

are now being recruited from Iraq"

[theresistance]

67. Search for brains in WH begins...