LTE re: Frank Rich's column - please vet before I send it >

[Stephanie]

It's kind of hard to make this brief.




To the New York Times:

Frank Rich correctly points out that, after months of Bush administration officials raising the spectre of mushroom clouds to frighten us into supporting the Iraq invasion, they promptly forgot about WMD once the invasion was underway.

Please note that the known nuclear facilities in Iraq were looted in the aftermath of the invastion, looted just as thoroughly as the Baghdad museum. Barrels of uranium were overturned and much went missing. These materials had previously been accounted for and sealed by UN inspectors, before the war.

Around 400 radioactive sources were stored at Tuwaitha, according to the IAEA, but the administration failed to secure them. Why? If the administration had actually believed their own rhetoric, they would have sent troops to search and guard Iraq's nuclear sites just as swiftly as they did Iraq's oil fields.

Stephanie


Bush's actions don't match the rhetoric
http://www.sierrasun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030718/OPINION/307180301


U.N. in Dark About Looted Iraq Dirty Bomb Material
http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20030716_192.html


Looting of Iraqi nuclear facility indicts U.S. goals
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/6068775.htm

*edited to reflect the excellent comments below

[chieftain]

1. Nicely done, I look forward to reading it in the Times next week.

[Octafish]

2. A couple of suggestions...

... meant as an editor:

1. Drop the OJ reference. The US did spend a lot of manpower looking. Those at fault aren't in uniform, they wear suits and are safe and sound in air-conditioned splendor.

2. Add stuff on Al Qaqaa. That's where Rumsferatu let Saddam's minions get all the high-explosive ammo for the IEDs that have killed so many innocent people.

The New York Times had the scoop, but the rest of the press corpse eventually got a bit in -- for appearance's sake.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/iraq.main/

Most of all: Great letter, Stephanie. I wish I'd written it.

[Carla in Ca]

5. I agree to drop the OJ line

This is a national security issue you are writing about.
Other than that, great piece:-)

[Stephanie]

6. Thank you!

I guess I will drop OJ. :(

But I don't know anything about Al Qaqaa and I wonder if it's really to the point. Rich's column is about uranium, the forged uranium document, and the lies about mushroom clouds. Don't you think it's veering in a whole new direction to talk about AQ?

[Octafish]

11. Sorry. You're right about Rich's article..

I was trying to make the point that the commandeer-in-thief has messed up everything he's done in his illegal invasion.

The NYT broke the Al Qaqaa story. In mentioning it, you'd be showing you're up on what they print. If it's going to get mentioned, I should write a letter. LOL at me.

[hwmnbn]

3. brief, effective, thought provoking...

I'd say it is perfect.

[EFerrari]

4. It's perfect, swift and damning.

:)

[Stephanie]

9. thanks!

:hi:

[NewJeffCT]

7. good letter

you might want to say that the Bush Admin has showed as much concern at finding WMD as OJ has shown towards catching the real killers instead of effort.

[Stephanie]

8. I dropped OJ

I agree it is kind of a cheap shot.

[NewJeffCT]

10. eh, not that cheap

their side does specialize in cheap shots, though.