Washington Post: Kay Plans to Leave Search for Iraqi Arms

[Jack Rabbit]

From the Washington Post
Dated Thursday December 18

Kay Plans to Leave Search for Iraqi Arms
By Dana Priest and Walter Pincus
Washingotn Post Staff Wrtiers

David Kay, the head of the U.S. effort to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, has told administration officials he plans to leave before the Iraq Survey Group's work is completed and could depart before February, U.S. military and intelligence officials said.
The move comes as more of Kay's staff has been diverted from the weapons hunt to help search for Iraqi insurgents, and at a time when expectations remain low that any weaponry will be discovered.
Kay requested the change for personal and family reasons, officials said. When he accepted the job in June, they said, he expected to quickly find the expansive evidence that the administration had claimed as its primary reason for going to war. Rather, Kay's preliminary report in October said the group had so far discovered only that Iraq was working to acquire chemical and biological weapons, had missile programs under various stages of development and possessed only a rudimentary nuclear program.
Two officials confirmed that Kay is planning on leaving early, and said the question remaining is how soon. Kay, who is on holiday leave in the Washington area, could not be reached for comment.

Read more.

[goforit]

1. The truth is mounting closer and closer and closer.

Loyalty is waining thin.

[opihimoimoi]

2. IOW He got balls to leave the mission unaccomplished, no WMD

to be found.

But thats OK, we got um

[shockingelk]

3. "next interim report"?

next interim report?

NEXT interim report?

[max2000]

4. He got tired of ducking bullets

bending over backwards looking for something that wasn't there in the first place. I don't see how they keep from laughing, giving reports saying yes, this empty can of spam could have been used as a nuclear weapon.
These policy wonks are damned cowards. I read a report that quoted a soldier saying that baghdad was worse than Mogadishu! We all remember the roving gangs shooting up our marines. Lets send Cheney there and see how long it takes for his pacemaker to short out! Lets see how tough he is with reality, instead of shooting his mouth off at Tim Russert.

[revcarol]

5. Been "on the job" since June, and is taking HOLIDAY LEAVE in

Washington. Takes after his hard-working boss, all right.

Tired of tilting at windmills, I guess. And taking vacation at our expense.

[kskiska]

6. More info in Friday Guardian article:

One former UN colleague said Mr Kay was under pressure to leave from his wife, who was nervous about his safety. He had expected the search to have brought results much quicker and had predicted he would be back in the US by Christmas.

Another former colleague however, said Mr Kay was frustrated at the haemorrhage of personnel and resources from the ISG to the counter-insurgency effort in Iraq. A significant proportion of the group's Arabic translators have been diverted to interrogating suspected guerrillas, leaving the ISG unable to interview officials and scientists who might have knowledge of Saddam Hussein's programmes.

"This is a big blow to the administration and it will signal the effective end of the search for weapons of mass destruction," said Joseph Cirincione, a weapons expert at the Carnegie Endowment Institute for Peace in Washington. "Some will continue looking but very, very few expect there to be any significant finds at this point."

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1110221,00.html

[Fleshdancer]

7. Here's the real question...

do you think he quit or do you think he was fired?

[UTUSN]

8. It's Ken STARR All Over

Unfortunately, the wingnuts will likely apply the pressure to KAY the way they did for STARR to stay.

[moondust]

9. Humiliated.

How many times did this character get on TV and state unequivocally that WMD were there and would be found? I'm actually quite surprised that he didn't pull some out of his hat. Or his butt.

[kaitykaity]

10. I wonder if Hannity will have shame enough to

be embarassed. He touted David Kay as the ultimate
authority on finding WMD, that the WMD had been found
by Kay, blah, blah, blah.

Bwahahahahahahahaha.

[Myra]

11. In a sane country this would be the death knell for the regime

eom

[maddezmom]

12. BBC reporting the same n/t