Fallout from WMD search failure

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4169941.stm

The White House has now officially acknowledged what the Washington Post first reported and what many probably assumed was the case anyway - the US search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is over, at least in any meaningful sense. snip

There has been plenty of political fallout already from the non-appearance of weapons, for both Washington and London.

In essence, both had accepted that weapons weren't going to be found, and that the pre-war intelligence was wrong. snip

And the former United Nations chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, much criticised in the US by supporters of the war, has said the Bush administration needs to report back to the UN on this.

more

[aikido15]

1. I'm not going to hold my breath...

waiting for Bush to report back to the UN...Hans Blix is right though.

I remember when he spoke in public during the inspection stating that he did not believe there were any WMDs. The Bush regime told him never to speak in public again without permission...I knew Iraq was doomed then.

I CAN'T WAIT TO PROTEST THIS FUCKING BASTARD'S WAR NEXT WEEK...I need to yell at him, even if he doesn't hear me!

[ogradda]

2. i can't see * holding himself accountable

to anybody. the UN has a hell of a long wait.

[War Pigs]

3. Unobstructed power and a green light to hose the middle class.

That's my best guess.:puke:

[WCGreen]

4. Yea, and 52% of the people still think he is doing a good job.....

[truthisfreedom]

5. man, i'm diggin' it. Hans Blix is still at the UN and he's asking for a

report from bush?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[JohnnyRingo]

6. The absurdity is the ever changing reason for intervention.

"We didn't invade for WMDs....It was "regime change".

Now that Saddam's gone: "It was to liberate the Iraqis and bring them democracy"

Today: "They're terrorists...nuke 'em 'till they glow".

[Gemini Cat]

7. Exactly.

The bushie changes the reasons why he invaded Iraq like he changes his make believe clothing. Both are transparent lies. He may as well admit that he's naked and just wants the oil!

[renaissanceguy]

14. What's even more pathetic

is that some Americans either don't care or believe what he says. To think Clinton lied about a blowjob and got impeached. And NOTHING is going to be done about making our troops and innocent civilians die for a LIE.

"How can you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues/472476

[gandalf]

8. And some of the best newspapers in the world sell the story

"all the news that's fit to print"...

The NY Times systematically misinformed its readers for a long time before the war.

When it became clear that there were no WMD, they said, oops, sorry, we should't have lied to you.

Two studies analyzing the performance of the newspapers:

1) Michael Massing, Now They Tell Us, The New York Review of Books, Volume 51, Number 3,
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16922

2) Chris Money, Columbia Journalism Review, Issue March/April 2004
http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/2/mooney-war.asp

[Swamp Rat]

9. Das ist recht.

[radfringe]

10. hey! it's not bush*'s fault

he blamed the CIA for this, remember? then gave Tenent a medal....

[ClintonTyree]

16. That's right................

blame rests entirely on the shoulders of the CIA for giving the "war resident" faulty information, information that he claimed was "darn good intelligence" (like he knows anything about intelligence) after WMDs were not found.

Then, in an action that defies all logic and common sense, the man who was in charge of giving him all of that "slam dunk" intelligence is given a medal to honor his contribution to the "war effort".

:wtf: If even the dimmest Republican can't see the stupidity and hypocrisy in this chain of events I'll eat my hat. I'm rapidly running out of hats, this administration never ceases to amaze me with their stupidity.

[Tuttle]

21. I thought he blamed CNN

for beating the drum during the march to war...

Tut-tut

[radfringe]

42. first he blamed the CIA

then CNN
and then Clinton

[radfringe]

11. Then and Now

Then and Now
Bush administration comments on WMDs
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS -- January 12, 2005
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1151&slug=US%20Iraq%20Weapons%20Glance

Statements by the Bush administration before and after the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 on Saddam Hussein's weapons programs:

BEFORE THE WAR:
"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us." - Vice President Dick Cheney, Aug. 26, 2002.

--snip--

AFTER THE WAR:
"Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, we were right to go into Iraq. ... We removed a declared enemy of America who had the capability of producing weapons of mass murder." - Bush, July 12, 2004.

[leftchick]

13. and rummy's quote!

Iraq owns weapons of mass destruction: Rumsfeld
Tuesday, December 4 2002 11:00 Hrs (IST)


Washington: United States (US) Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said the US and Britain were aware that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction.


"The United States knows that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction...the United Kingdom (UK) knows they have weapons of mass destruction," Rumsfeld said adding that it was not an issue between Iraq and the United Nations (UN) but between Iraq and the US.


:puke:

[renaissanceguy]

15. We better get the momentum going

and get Americans outraged (as they SHOULD be). Troops are dying by the day, innocent civilians are being killed, and our deficit is through the roof....all for a lie.... later to be changed to "Iraqi liberation."

Un-f*ing-believable. We can't let this go.


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues/472476

[Supersedeas]

35. Absolutely priority number one.....and should have been an election issue

[radfringe]

41. how many more will die

because of bush's lie?

[susu369]

22. Let's not forget that clever Condi's remark

"there will always be some uncertainty" in determining how close Iraq may be to obtaining a nuclear weapon but said, "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."

Booga! Booga!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

18. We removed a declared ally who was foolish enough to do bidness

with my daddy and his corporate friends. Boy was he ever stupid.

[ze_dscherman]

12. Steve Bell's comment

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1389434,00.html

[leftchick]

17. To bush*... was it worth it? "Absofuckinglutely"!

Bush's comments came as the White House said the US had quietly halted its search for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in Iraq, the key reason for going to war.

"Well, like you, I felt like we'd find weapons of mass destruction," Bush said, according to excerpts released from an ABC television interview.

"Or like many, many here in the United States, many around the world, the UN thought he had weapons of mass destruction, and so, therefore, one, we need to find out what went wrong in the intelligence gathering. Saddam was dangerous. And .. The world was safer without him in power," Bush made his comments on the ABC News 20/20 programme.

Asked whether it was worth it to invade Iraq even without WMD found, Bush replied, "Oh, absolutely."

http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=59791

:grr:

[dbt]

19. Some fallout needs to pile up around the necks of Congressional

Democrats, too. They helped give bu$h his License To Kill. They rolled right over (again!) and helped Congress as a (w)hole hand its war powers to a madman--then patted themselves on their yellow backs for being so "bipartisan."

:puke:
dbt

Edited to add: Many, many DUers did not assume that there were no WMD; we fucking knew it!

[tngledwebb]

28. Yes, our Dem leaders owe us an explanation, or apology, asap.

The Republicans will do what they always do- lie outright and often.

[maxrandb]

39. I Disagree Strongly

The last thing we need to do now is to further weaken the DEMS. It's kind of sad, but when you think about it, if they had voted against this, (especially with the media in the pocket of the repubs), we'd be facing a "fillibuster" proof majority in the Senate, and the complete shredding of every beneficial progressive program in this country. Not only that, but with a majority like that, there would be absolutely nothing to restrain these fuckers.

I'm sorry, but IMHO, we need to fight for every single "D" we have, and focus our energy on getting more of them elected in 06. We need a 1994 moment to put the breaks on this cabal. Taking out more DEM congressman or Senators is "self-defeating".

We need to adopt Reagan's 11th Commandment. "Speak no ill toward a fellow Democrat."

[Massachusetts]

20. The king has no clothes!

[soup]

23. Local radio taking calls

My daughter-in-law just called me wanting to know what's going on. Local radio show going OFF on **.

Radio program she's listening to on the way to work taking calls on 'apologize or impeach, which would you accept?'

Deejay says - ** should put on his best suit, go on tv and say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." until he runs out of breath.

Callers really angry-

"Get rid of this bastard! Impeach his behind."

"Handed the presidency, now in Iraq for his own benefit. IMPEACH, IMPEACH, IMPEACH."

Too many callers having to be cut off for cursing, so they had to stop taking calls.

---

Have they finally heard the wake up call? Good Morning, America.

[leftchick]

24. Quotes on WMD by the Top four LIARS...

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us." - Vice President Dick Cheney, Aug. 26, 2002.

"The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." National security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Sept. 8, 2002.

"After 11 years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more." - President Bush, Oct. 7, 2002.


"The gravity of this moment is matched by the gravity of the threat that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction pose to the world." - Secretary of State Colin Powell, Feb. 5, 2003.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

25. let's start calling WMD what they are - NBC weapons

nuclear biological and chemical weapons. that's what they were called

when i was in the navy. GE probably wanted a name change.

[oneighty]

32. Good point.

They were'ABC' when I was in.

Atomic Bacteriological and Chemical.

Change to suit-add FEAR!

[DemonFighterLives]

26. Bloody Bastard! nt

[B3Nut]

27. He must have used them all up...

...and forgotten to call Rumsfailed to order a fresh supply.

Todd in the Beer state (never mind the dairy...mmmmmmmmmm beeeer!)

[ernstbass]

29. I don't think there will be much fallout

because the majority of people in this country just don't give a shit. They are more worried about the football playoffs on tv. This murderer is getting away with this aand our nation is letting him - led by the MSM. It makes me sick

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. One word....................DRAFT!

My guess is that's what it will take to make those who "just don't give a shit" GIVE A SHIT! :grr: When it's their butts getting shot off for a lie, they will be plenty pissed off, but not until then.

[Barkley]

36. You're right, people are not connecting the dots!

However, I think the media is being manipulated for a reason; that being that if people understood that this war and occupation are about oil then they'd react against Bush.

When the antiwar movement is marginalized by the media, it discourages others from joining in or hearing our arguements.

I use to think that a DRAFT would make a difference because logically it would mean bringing the war directly to the American people.

But after 59 million people voted for Bush last year and a majority of Americans can't distinguish Saddam and OBL I'm not as optimistic as before.

Sure a DRAFT would make the antiwar movement grow exponentially over night but media would just marginalize it.

And even if people protest the DRAFT what going to happen?

Nothing.

[maxrandb]

38. Why Should We Need a Draft?

Seriously here. I'm just asking. I thought there would be 52 million people, as well as all of their 17-35 year old children, breaking down the doors of the local Marine and Army recruiting station. I don't understand why we are calling up grandmothers and grandfathers, and extending the tours of those already over there. I have a much simpler solution. Give us the names of every * voter, and we'll simply have them, as well as their brothers, sisters, moms, dads, etc., get on a couple thousand military transport planes to Bagdhad. Problem solved!

I mean, looking at those long lines of voters who waited upwards of 9 hours on election day, I thought they would all be in line outside the Army recruiting office the next day! Silly of me, huh?

Edited because English really is my favortie foreign language.

[Supersedeas]

30. Expect No apology to Blix and No explanation to the UN

[Barkley]

37. No apologies to the Iraqi People or American people either

And Bushco is still denigrating the UN and Blix.

[The Backlash Cometh]

31. New priorities: Controlling the insurgents they created.

"The Iraq Survey Group now actually has more members than it's ever had - some 1,700 personnel.

But it's now focusing on trying to help with intelligence-gathering to counter the Iraqi insurgency - a much more immediate problem for the US military."

[spanone]

34. I'm sure our illustrious president will apologize to the world.

Fucking NOT.

[PurityOfEssence]

40. First: force intel agencies to skew evidence. Second: ignore any contrary

information. Third: blame all intel agencies for their "mistakes". Fourth: purge the agencies and replace with party functionaries.

Repeat until entire world is subjugated.

[ckramer]

43. Can Iraqi families sue Bush for loss of lives?

How about a class action?

[alfredo]

44. War criminal

Suitable for printing, cutting in fours then plastering around town.