Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
When did the Kay Report become some Bible-like tome where everything is up for interpretation? Let's keep it simple.
The mushroom cloud metaphor for a equally misused metaphor smoking gun being bandied about by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Fleischer, Congressional Republicans, Wolfowitz (notice he's on the DL these days?), Perle, Rice, et al . . . where's the intelligence that justified such hyperbole? An even better question is why is all available evidence revealed post-invasion the opposite of what the administration claimed?
During his speech at the UN in Sep 2002 did Bush say we were invading Iraq b/c of dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities or was it WMD?
During Powell's presentation at the UN did he say Saddam was making a cuisinart with those anodized aluminum tubes or centrifuges? Curiously, then and now the majority of authorities said the anodized tubes were most likely for missiles NOT centrifuges.
The simple fact is that without the urgency of WMD there would be no Bush Blair War 2003. Yes Saddam would still control much of his country but in that alternate future:
1) THOUSANDS of Iraqi civilians would still be alive.
2) 500 US soldiers and THOUSANDS of others would be alive and whole.
3) The US Treasury would be $150B heavier . . . well in this administration I guess I mean $150B less in debt.
4) The global war on terrorism would be united effort against pestilence.
5) Saddam's intact government would have been a much easier task for determining the true extent of his "limited" WMD capacity.
6) The entire region and all Iraqis would learn Saddam had no WMD and no substantive programs. Accordingly head bully status would revert to Israel.
7) The US could advocate revisions in the UN charter to reflect the challenge of state-sponsored terrorism. Essentially shining the disinfective power of sunlight on regimes in Syria and Iran.
8) The military/intelligence agencies could focus on tracking/dismantling Al Qaeda.
9) Domestic security could actually revolve around . . . domestic security.
jeez, where to begin . . .
german intel (bnd) thought saddam could reconstitute and deploy nuclear weapons in three years with a potential to reach europe
within 5 years
cnn link
clinton cronies were testifying as late as 2002 that iraq belonged in a unique category that deserved our undivided attention because
of their significent wmd threat.
csis link.
by he way, as a wonderful aside, the crony (einhorn) asks rhetorically 'can a state [iraq] defy the u.n. with impunity ?' oh, the laughs. he he.
as for the rest, as it has been stated before, hindsight does breed geniuses all too easily. you can thank the war for the clarification on
iraq's true capabilities, which, regardless how measured, dr. kay proved to be in violation of resolution 1441 at least 3 times over. not
that it matters. ask mr. einhorn . . .
as for kisses of death, moonie liked your post.