U.S. Mulls Shifting "Experts" from Iraq Arms Hunt

[villager]

U.S. Mulls Shifting Experts from Iraq Arms Hunt

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon is considering shifting intelligence personnel in Iraq from the so-far fruitless search for weapons of mass destruction to strengthen efforts to combat the intensifying resistance, officials said on Wednesday.

"What's more important right now and what's more destabilizing: the insurgency or knowing about the WMD?" asked a defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity.


Officials said Pentagon leaders are considering reassigning a number of intelligence officers, interrogators, translators, linguists and others from the 1,400-member Iraq Survey Group, which is conducting the hunt for weapons of mass destruction.


President Bush cited what he said were Iraq's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons to help justify the war that toppled President Saddam Hussein, but such arms have not yet been uncovered.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=2&u=/nm/20031029/ts_nm/iraq_usa_intelligence_dc_2

[flpoljunkie]

1. It's about time they abandoned their fruitless search for WMD!

But don't worry, the "grownups are in charge". Ha!

[Wickerman]

2. I don't know man, those WMD are an imminent threat

I am certain because the presidunce told me so...

Pull out those inspectors and you put the entire hemisphere at risk. Those weapons shipped to Saddam by Rumsfeld in the 80s might fall into the wrong hands six months after the war.

[Papa]

3. Yes, yes, yes, based upon the logic that the adminstration uses

We can deduce that the weapons of mass destruction are now in the hands of Terrorists. I mean come on, we know they hate us for our freedoms and Sadam hated us too and was working with Bin Laden. If he was in cahoots with Bin Laden then it's logical to assume that he gave Bin Laden the weapons. We better act quick and just mow the whole place down like Senator Lott said. If we wipe out Iraq, we'll wipe out any WMD's that we can't find. Who's going to argue that the world is not a safer place when Iraq's WMD's are unquestionably obliterated by an A-bomb? Plus, it will show the "evil" ones that we mean business. and we better do it quick before they do it to us.

[yellowcanine]

5. No, they are a "gathering threat"

Get with the program - the official * sanctioned story as of yesterday's news conference is that Saddam - and by implication the WMDs - was a gathering threat. Where is George Orwell when we need him? WMDs = WMD programs = plans for WMD programs = desire for WMD programs = wet dream about WMD programs = imminent threat = gathering threat.

Mission Accomplished = End of combat operations = end of MAJOR combat operations = Iraq is an untidy place (Rumsfield) = Iraq is a dangerous place (Bush).

Up = down = maybe up but definately not down = maybe down but definately not up = neither up nor down but definately not sideways.

[Wickerman]

6. Sorry man

I got a scorecard and everything, I just can't keep up with the doublespeak.

:hi:

[dArKeR]

4. WMD Hunt May Be Back-Burnered - CBS

U.S. officials are considering shifting intelligence resources from hunting for Iraq's alleged illegal weapons to tracking the fighters attacking U.S. troops, a newspaper reports.

According to The New York Times, the Bush administration is considering transferring some intelligence officers and linguists from the weapons hunt to counterterrorism efforts. But officials stressed that the possible move would not signal the end of the weapons search.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/25/iraq/main560449.shtml