I have a hunch that you're right.
I have a hunch that India is also developing weapons of mass destruction, and that South Africa might have developed them in the past...
An American citizen, born in Iraqi funded a documentary Ritter was doing on Iraq. The CIA looked into it and Ritter told them if there is any problem he would stop the project. There wasn't and private life went on.
LOL just like any other person who makes the headlines. You'd do it to if the opportunity was there.
Ritter loved being an inspector, has strong feelings about his country. Guess what? In America you can author books and sell them and it's perfectly legal! Amazing, isn't it? I've watched him on C-Span and on numerous talk shows. He's credible, decent and intelligent. Apparently this means he's a threat to the current republican administration.
I am not questioning his ability to write books or to say anything he wants to say. What I will do is question his motives and credibility. He is working in Iraq. That appears to be, at the least, some conflict of interest of sorts. Also if you look at his published reports how is it that he has completely reversed his opinions when he hasn't done a weapons inspection in nearly 4 years? You'll also notice that he wasn't very vocal at all about it until it was time for that book to hit the streets. Scott Ritter is, IMO, a self serving hypocrite who's first love is obviously money.
Going to Iraq makes sense because, after all, the truth is found there. He's been vocal about weapons inspections since he left the team, appearing on TV many times since then not "just in time for the book". All-in-all he seems like a good American to me.
His views are contrary to what the Bush administration wants. He's an "embarassment" to the government because he points out what is embarassing about them. So he's singled-out for special treatment by politicians and their lackeys. In the end they don't need to discredit him, only create questions in most people's minds.
Write a book Dave and see if your publisher is going to insist that you get noisy about publishing time. See if he doesn't have all kinds of public appearances he will insist you attend. For a lot of writers, it's the part of the job they hate.
If Ritter was working for Iraq, I highly doubt he'd be in the United States Marine Corps. Much less part of the intelligence wing of that branch. Although he would have his personal motives to write books and such, his credentials IMO far outweigh his want for personal gain. His credentials supercedes that of Bush and Cheney for god's skake (although i wont comment on their aides).
I know I'm just a stupid Sailor but gimme a little credit. I do understand what goes into marketing a book. Here's my issue. This is what he said in Aug 1998 taken from here Ritter 98
Here's what he said in July of this year taken from here Ritter 02
Why the contradiction? He hasn't done an inspection in nearly 4 years yet he has completely reversed his decision. Is it because of who is now paying him? Is it because he was/is trying to stir controversy to sell books. I'm sorry but Scott Ritter has no credibility with me and the administration is right to be investigating him and ignoring his diatribe.
I would have hoped that all my 'love yourself' posts would have precluded you from suggestion you're a stupid sailor, or implying that was my intent. I myself, a nothing at all am, according to many here, apparently quite brilliant, 
and might even owe those genius genes of mine to some old salty tar. You never know.
Anyway, although I myself can't really claim any truly profound perception, and also owing to the beauty of the day find myself too day-dreamy to concentrate, it appeared in my rather cursory read through of those two positions that they weren't completely unreconcilable.
My point, I guess, was that promoting a book and loving money don't necessarily mean the content is useless. Thanks for supporting your point. I personally won't base my thinking on it. (edit: the book) The matter if convincing evidence is a difficult call. I hate the fact that ultimately I'm going to have to take somebody else's opinion on it one way or the other though.
Just for the record, I reaffirm my position that this war is a war of ideas, Western Modernity vs. Eastern Islamic Traditionalism. I don't believe the two are incompatible but there are no successful examples, yet, of a happy integration. As long as the spread of western culture is accompanied with increased human misery, we will loose in the end. There is only one thing to do in this world and that's to try to make it better for everybody, not just ourselves.
and might even owe those genius genes of mine to some old salty tar. You never know. Anyway, although I myself can't really claim any truly profound perception, and also owing to the beauty of the day find myself too day-dreamy to concentrate, it appeared in my rather cursory read through of those two positions that they weren't completely unreconcilable.
My point, I guess, was that promoting a book and loving money don't necessarily mean the content is useless. Thanks for supporting your point. I personally won't base my thinking on it. (edit: the book) The matter if convincing evidence is a difficult call. I hate the fact that ultimately I'm going to have to take somebody else's opinion on it one way or the other though.
Just for the record, I reaffirm my position that this war is a war of ideas, Western Modernity vs. Eastern Islamic Traditionalism. I don't believe the two are incompatible but there are no successful examples, yet, of a happy integration. As long as the spread of western culture is accompanied with increased human misery, we will loose in the end. There is only one thing to do in this world and that's to try to make it better for everybody, not just ourselves.
What decision? He made observations and issued reports. Iraq had a banned weapons manufacturing capability, decided by the U.N. The Gulf War and subsequent dismantling of that infrastructure resulted in 90-95% disarmament according to the team's estimate.
Ritter is now saying, and rightly so, that we don't know as much about Iraq's military condition as we should before declaring war and destroying the country. Hopefully, the proof positive that Iraq is a direct threat to the US will be revealed this week when Bush finally unveils the "evidence".
Ok "decision" was the wrong word. Did you even read the two articles? He completely reverses himself by saying in '98 that there was a danger of them reconstituting there WMD program and then this July makes it a point to say that they're probably all gone. Why the reversal, especially since we haven't done any inspections in 4 years? In '98 he was worried about what would happen without inspections and now he suddenly knows there is no problems. Makes absolutely no sense to me.
There was also stuff about weapons degrading and being useless with time, but Not sure if that applies. Still don't want to think too hard.
I'm not seeing a 180-contradiction. Today he's pointing out no one really knows the extent of some of Iraq's WMD capability. He was tasked to catalog chemical, biological, nuclear and certain missile launch systems. Perhaps you're misconstruing his comments on one of these as blanket coverage of Iraq's whole WMD potential?
Thanks for the laugh.
I almost didn't make it this far in the thread, frustrated after reading so many posts ignoring the obvious. I guess I'm showing my age by saying I remeber 1991 and it's aftermath.
The US was in Iraq with the consent and at the behest of Kuwait and the UN.
Because it was a UN mission they did not proceed into Bhagdad.
After the war, peace treaties were signed, which allowed UN inspectors to go into Iraq and inspect.
Hussein repeatedly violated this agreement by not allowing UN inspectors to inspect where they wished, when they wished, thus allowing him the chance to cover up his activities.
Eventually he threw them all out of the country.
The British discovered that he did, indeed, have wmd in 1998.
This is a flagrant violation of the treaty.
So, if he was a convicted felon in this country and repeatedly violated his parole don't you think he would be rearrested?
We have an international obligation to enforce his probation. He believes we will not do it.
His flagrant disregard has, imo, encouraged other anti-American activites. And it will go on. That is how the criminal mind works. When one gang succeeds it encourages the others. This is nothing new. Would he ever use a possibly inneffectual wmd? It doesn't matter. Not at all. Because he will be apprehended as a result of his treaty violations. Period.
If Jeffrey Dahmer were still alive and got probation and prevented his p.o. from looking in his fridge, would you want him out on the street?
It really is this simple. Hussein is an international criminal by UN decree and will be treated as such.
clarkmo Quote: It really is this simple. Hussein is an international criminal by UN decree and will be treated as such.
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Good point. Let the UN take care of it.
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Good point. Let the UN take care of it.
Ah, but they are. And who do you think is going to bear the brunt of it's enforcement action? We are. And so Bush is preparing this country's citizens for the task ahead.
Threat of war on Iraq overshadows UN meeting
UNITED NATIONS: Fifty-two heads of state and government are so far due to attend the start this week of the 57th United Nations General Assembly, against the sombre background of the threat of war on Iraq. The first scheduled piece of business -- after the election Tuesday of the new Assembly president, former Czech foreign minister Jan Kavan -- is the admission of Switzerland as the 190 member of the world body.
East Timor has opted to join on September 27, a week after the end of the so-called debate of world leaders -- in fact a series of set speeches from the historic green marble Assembly rostrum. The debate traditionally ushers in the UN year and lasts for two working weeks. Speech-making this year has been delayed by Wednesday's ceremonies marking the first anniversary of the September 11 attack that destroyed New York's World Trade Center, five kilometres (three miles) south of here.
The debate will be concentrated into nine days, starting Thursday and ending on September 20, with one day -- September 16 -- set aside for a conference on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Presidents, kings and prime ministers, plus foreign ministers from another 130 countries, will hold countless meetings and news conferences on topics including conflict in Africa, the Middle East, HIV/AIDS and Third World debt.
US officials said that during his 42 hours in New York, President George W Bush had scheduled separate meetings with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the leaders of Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Japan, as well as group sessions with a dozen African presidents.
But it is Bush's speech to the Assembly on Thursday morning that is expected to set the tone for the debate and many of the meetings on the sidelines. Many world leaders, such as Presidents Jacques Chirac of France and Vladimir Putin of Russia, have expressed reservations about the Bush administration's declared aim of toppling Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
In particular, they have warned the United States that unless it can get the approval of the UN Security Council for military action, it will not have their support. Bush's spokesman Ari Fleischer said Monday that it appeared to the White House that "the movement is budding to put some force into previous (UN) resolutions" on Iraq. But Fleischer, speaking in Detroit after Bush met Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, added: "Don't take it as military force necessarily."
Annan, who will address the Assembly shortly before Bush, told reporters on Monday that he was speaking for other world leaders when he asked: "What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing, and what happens in the region?" Annan is expected to hold a private meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri on the sidelines of the Assembly.
Yea, but I get the impression he's going there to tell them to support him or we're going it alone, no?
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