WMD scam by Santorum
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/06/21.html#a8805
Rick held a press conference carried by FOX during John Gibson's show
today to say they found WMD's in Iraq. Sources in Washington are saying
that these are artillery shells that predate the gulf war...as TP notes:
The Bush administration commissioned the Iraq Survey Group to determine
whether in fact any WMD existed in Iraq. After a year and half of
meticulously combing through the country, here;s what the
administration's own inspectors reported:
While a small number of old, abandoned chemical munitions have been
discovered, ISG judges that Iraq unilaterally destroyed its undeclared
chemical weapons stockpile in 1991. There are no credible Indications
that Baghdad resumed production of chemical munitions thereafter, a
policy ISG attributes to Baghdad’s desire to see sanctions lifted, or
rendered ineffectual, or its fear of force against it should WMD be
discovered.
Bill Kristol came on with "Five in the Noggin "Gibson and was beside
himself because the administration fought to keep these findings secret.
I seem to remember that the key point ***** Cheney made was a mushroom
cloud would appear over Cleveland because Saddam had reconstituted his
program.
CHENEY: Well, I think I've just given it, Tim, in terms of the
combination of his development and use of chemical weapons, his
development of biological weapons, his pursuit of nuclear weapons.---We
know that based on intelligence that he has been very, very good at
hiding these kinds of efforts. He's had years to get good at it and we
know he has been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear
weapons. And we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.
These are pre-Gulf war shells.
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This is not the first time that such chemical shells have been found in
Iraq. Fox News announced in May 2004 that a sarin gas shell had been
detonated near Fallujah, dispersing a small amount of agent. It was not
evident that the insurgents using the shell understood what they were using.
The discovery of poorly accounted for stocks of WMD is not unheard of
around the world. Researcher Jonathan Tucker detailed in 2001 for the
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists the discovery of a significant number
of chemical weapons shells in Northwest DC.
Think Progress counters Santorum's announcement with the words of
President Bush backing up reports by his own WMD inspectors which said
that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction.
"While a small number of old, abandoned chemical munitions have been
discovered, ISG judges that Iraq unilaterally destroyed its undeclared
chemical weapons stockpile in 1991," the Iraq Survey Group reported in
2004. "There are no credible Indications that Baghdad resumed production
of chemical munitions thereafter, a policy ISG attributes to
Baghdad's desire to see sanctions lifted, or rendered ineffectual, or
its fear of force against it should WMD be discovered."
"The chief weapons inspector, Charles Duelfer, has now issued a
comprehensive report that confirms the earlier conclusion of David Kay
that Iraq did not have the weapons that our intelligence believed were
there," said President Bush in October of 2004, as cited at Think Progress.
http://tinyurl.com/j69ql
-------------------
The Bush administration commissioned the Iraq Survey Group to determine
whether in fact any WMD existed in Iraq. After a year and half of
meticulously combing through the country, here’s what the
administration’s own inspectors reported:
While a small number of old, abandoned chemical munitions have been
discovered, ISG judges that Iraq unilaterally destroyed its undeclared
chemical weapons stockpile in 1991. There are no credible Indications
that Baghdad resumed production of chemical munitions thereafter, a
policy ISG attributes to Baghdad’s desire to see sanctions lifted, or
rendered ineffectual, or its fear of force against it should WMD be
discovered.
The White House should immediately announce whether it stands with
Santorum or whether it stands behind the review conducted by Charles
Duelfer and the Iraq Survey Group. Recall, in October 2004, Bush said of
Duelfer’s analysis:
The chief weapons inspector, Charles Duelfer, has now issued a
comprehensive report that confirms the earlier conclusion of David Kay
that Iraq did not have the weapons that our intelligence believed were
there.
www.thinkprogress.org
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