Powell: Possible Iraq Had No Banned Arms

[Flagg]

Powell: Possible Iraq Had No Banned Arms


By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer

TBLISI, Georgia - Secretary of State Colin Powell held out the possibility Saturday that prewar Iraq may not have possessed weapons of mass destruction.


Powell was asked about comments last week by David Kay, the outgoing leader of a U.S. weapons search team in Iraq, that he did not believe Iraq had large quantities of chemical or biological weapons.


"The answer to that question is, we don't know yet," Powell told reporters as he traveling to this former Soviet republic to attend the inauguration Sunday of President-elect Mikhail Saakashvili.


Powell acknowledged that the United States thought deposed leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had banned weapons, but added, "We had questions that needed to

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq&cid=540&ncid=1478

[BeyondGeography]

1. So do we get our 500+ soldiers back?

And the thousands of wounded. And the many thousands of dead Iraqis, many of them innocent children, what about them?

SHAME, Colin, SHAME!

[screembloodymurder]

17. But I thought we knew right where they were.

We had pictures. Colin, you showed them to the UN.

[Virginian]

26. Rummy knew where 30% of them were.

And I couldn't understand why he didn't tell the UN inspectors so they could find them.

Do you think maybe we blew them up?
Or the dog ate them?
Or they were abducted by space aliens?

[cavebat2000]

2. The flames are building

Soon the whole world will see the conflagaration that was once the Bush administration. We will beat them everyone!

[treepig]

3. spinnig like a top, mr. powell is about to come full circle

reaching the same conclusions as in early 2001 when "Powell said just the opposite. The occasion was a press conference on 24 February 2001 during Powell's visit to Cairo, Egypt. Answering a question about the US-led sanctions against Iraq, the Secretary of State said:

We had a good discussion, the Foreign Minister and I and the President and I, had a good discussion about the nature of the sanctions -- the fact that the sanctions exist -- not for the purpose of hurting the Iraqi people, but for the purpose of keeping in check Saddam Hussein's ambitions toward developing weapons of mass destruction. We should constantly be reviewing our policies, constantly be looking at those sanctions to make sure that they are directed toward that purpose. That purpose is every bit as important now as it was ten years ago when we began it. And frankly they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. So in effect, our policies have strengthened the security of the neighbors of Iraq..."

http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/powell-no-wmd.htm

[calimary]

4. Man, do we need to POUND on this one!

How 'bout it, Colin. Care to go back to the UN now? Just a fall guy. Whatever you think of Colin Powell, it's a shame what the bushies have done to him. However you feel about him, he's spent a lifetime working his way up through the ranks and, I guess, TRYING to be of service. And now, his reputation and his credibility have been put through the shredder, for the sake of these selfish, arrogant, small-minded, greedy schmuck-pirates.

I feel kind of sad for Colin Powell. I feel worse for our country. Far worse. And I feel even worse beyond that - ABOUT our "leaders."

[displacedtexan]

5. Well, that's just peachy, Mr. SECRETARY OF STATE!

This just makes me sick. What kind of rovian focus group led him to think this would sit well with the American people?

[BeatleBoot]

6. How would you feel if

you were one of our soldiers and you read that?

[NNN0LHI]

10. Especially one recovering in a military hospital right now n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

7. Just possible, General Powell?

It is just possible you knew this when you presented that dog-and-pony show to the Security Council last February.

Mr. Powell, you are a liar. So is everybody else in the junta who pushed and sold this war. So are those in the corporate media who allowed all those lies to pass unchallenged as facts.

[pinkpops]

8. he says

"What was it?" he asked. "One hundred tons, 500 tons or zero tons? Was it so many liters of anthrax, 10 times that amount or nothing?"

so I suppose zero tons would be proof that Sadam had WMD, since zero is a real number?

This is completely contrary to Powell's absolute claims made to the UN.

[Whoa_Nelly]

9. GDF'ing Hypocrite

Yellow-bellied piece of tail-turning weasalshit!
Powell LIED to the UN Security Council, lied to Americans, and completely ran roughshod on anyone who disagreed with him, Bush and Blair.

[NNN0LHI]

11. Hey! Look at the bright side. We got the oil n/t

[Fovea]

12. From champ to chump

in one year flat.

[HFishbine]

13. Ap Spin

"(H)e did not believe Iraq had large quantities of chemical or biological weapons."

Large quantities? Actually, what kay said was "I don't think they existed."

[waterman]

14. Also mentioned in this week's report from the Duh Institute

[pinniped]

15. All those POS WH losers will never admit it...

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Friday that the administration stands by its assertions that Iraq had banned weapons at the time of the U.S.-led war and that it was only a matter of time before inspectors uncover their location.

"We believe the truth will come out," he said.

Time to resign jerkoffs.

[Gemini Cat]

16. Wow. Like, Colin, ya think??

I thought we had this little discussion with you about the WMD's *GASP* a year ago, Colin!
I guess you and the rest of the PNAC cowboys owe us an apology.

Oh well nothing to see here, so we're off to Syria or Iran!

:dem:

[yo-yo-ma]

18. the stories keep unfolding

however, they are kept cast in the samll frame -- "possible", "probable" . . . We all know that there never were any WMD. That the whole pretense was a lie. From one perspective, the truth is seeping out. From another -- the truth has been there the whole time, it's just that the media has been afraid to see it. I'll take hope from these stories, however, I won't really be happy until I wake one maring and read the headline -- THERE ARE NO WMD -- BUSH LIED.

[Lorien]

23. "Hey look! Dean made a screechy speech!

and look! Kerry is dull and has bad hair! Look! Clark is crazy! A little thing like lies about WMDs to justify an invasion is nothing compared to those stunning stories!" :eyes:

As usual, Powell is floating it out there to gauge public response. If the people don't like it, he'll take the blame.

[tabasco]

19. A lying TRAITOR who betrayed the soldiers he served with.

This soldier condemns Powell as a liar who helped the corrupt administration rush into a needless war. Nothing is lower than this pond scum Powell, who sacrificed his fellow soldiers. He has no honor and cannot be forgiven for his knowing lies.

[pfitz59]

20. Ditto!

Money grubbing war profiteer! traitor!

[trapper914]

21. We need a definitive answer.

And we need it before the Iraqi people take control of their country. No more of this McClellanite, "the truth will come out" crap. Y'see fellas, if there really are hidden WMD, don't you think there's a good chance they can fall into the wrong hands once we start pulling out of Iraq? How can you in good conscious turn this country over if you truly believe there are WMD there? Yep, you are going to have to make a decision by June...either come clean with the American people and admit you were wrong all along (or lied, misled, etc.) about the weapons, or go to the American people with the news that our men and women are going to have to remain over there indefinitely.

[NNN0LHI]

22. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a definitive answer from this crew

[teryang]

24. That ole memory hole strikes again

You can watch Powell state publicly on video that Iraq possesses no weapons and poses no threat to the US or its neighbors in February 2001 in John Pilgers video Breaking the Silence. He had no qualms about lying about this on command before the UN a year later. Apparently he needs to waffle to cover his lying performance.

There is a DU thread on this video.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=31318

Wars of aggression are a crime against humanity.

[Moderator]

25. Kick!

:dem:

[frank frankly]

27. I hear that

:kick:

lying bastards

WHERE ARE THE HEADLINES????????????????????????