Bush Says Saddam Had Capacity for Nukes

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&ncid=716&e=1&u=/ap/20040208/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_interview

WASHINGTON - Defending his decision to invade Iraq (news - web sites), President Bush (news - web sites) said that although stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons have not been found, Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had the capacity to produce such arms and could have developed a nuclear weapon over time.


Bush, in an interview broadcast Sunday, denied he led the United States into war under false pretenses, but he acknowledged that some prewar intelligence apparently was inaccurate. He did not directly respond to election-year allegations that his administration exaggerated intelligence to bolster a march to oust the Iraqi president.


"We will find out about the weapons of mass destruction that we all thought were there," Bush said in the interview taped Saturday in the Oval Office with Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press."


Bush, who pledged after the Sept. 11 attacks to get suspected mastermind Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) "dead or alive," said Sunday: "I have no idea whether we will capture or bring him to justice."

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[okoboji]

1. considering the circumstances....

I'm not even sure if Saddam had the capacity to assemble a Fleet Enima.....

[metisnation]

13. REPORT BREAKING

Cavemen had the means to make nukes...BUSHIT BUSHIT

[UpInArms]

2. this snake-oil saleman

has the credibility of Al Capone.

:puke:

[trapper914]

3. If he had the capacity...

I guess that would mean he had the enriched uranium to produce those nukes, right?

[Kitsune]

4. Alternate Headline: "Bush Lies. Again. Shamelessly." *nt*

[Just Me]

5. Or, "Propaganda Agenda Still in Full Swing" *eom*

[DenverDem]

6. President Sociopathological

Liar and megalomaniac. He needs institutionalization in the medical ward of a federal prison.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. Saddam had the same capacity

to produce nukes as everyone else on the planet. Has a matter of fact, it seems that Pakistan, Libya, Iran and NK were much more successful with their nuke programs but Saddam is the bigger threat because he was having wet dreams about WMD's. Between UN sanctions and US surveillance that was all Saddam was going to be having about WMD's. There was no immediate need to go to war. All diplomatic means were far from exhausted. Bu$h lied and lied and lied. Bu$h should be removed from power and put on trial for war crimes. Bu$h is the biggest danger to our safety and security, not some nutcase who lived in a hidey hole.

[amber dog democrat]

8. I can not believe ANYTHING

the chimp says.

[VolcanoJen]

9. That line reminded me of a "West Wing" episode.

I think it was during the "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" episode. Bartlett is undergoing surgery, and Leo and the VP are handling national security issues.

Leo is sitting in on a NSC meeting, one in which the Joint Chiefs recommend a bombing raid on Iraq. The NSA says something like, "The Iraqi Republican Guard is mobilizing on the border, and could pose a threat within 36 hours."

Leo responds, dryly, "The Iraqi Republican Guard couldn't find their car keys in 36 hours."

The vice president agrees, and does not authorize the bombing.

Hmmm.... :-)

[Mithras61]

10. I'm especially intrigued by the second paragraph...

Bush, in an interview broadcast Sunday, denied he led the United States into war under false pretenses, but he acknowledged that some prewar intelligence apparently was inaccurate. He did not directly respond to election-year allegations that his administration exaggerated intelligence to bolster a march to oust the Iraqi president.

Which sounds an awful lot like "I didn't lie, I just didn't tell the truth!" Of course, don't expect the Damn Librul Media to notice that, especially Tim Russert. I saw the same story on Reuters with a little bit different spin...

Bush Offers Shifting Rationale for Iraq War

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) on Sunday offered a shifting rationale for the Iraq (news - web sites) war -- that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had the capacity to develop unconventional arms if not the actual weapons.

Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was the main reason cited by Bush for the war, in which more than 500 U.S. troops and thousands of Iraqis have died, though no such arms were found and weapons hunters say pre-war intelligence was flawed.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=1&u=/nm/20040208/pl_nm/iraq_usa_bush_dc

[NickB79]

11. Lets see, its been 13 yrs since we went to war with Iraq

And he even had 4 full years with no weapons inspectors whatsoever to develop these WMD's. He built JACK SQUAT!!! Unless Bush was thinking of lifting the UN sanctions against Iraq sometime in the next decade, Saddam would be dead and buried before he ever saw nukes in his arsenal. Hell, the man is dying from cancer as we speak, he'll be dead in 5 yrs anyways.

So, isn't this proof that sanctions and weapons inspectors that the Republicans critized Clinton on actually worked?

[rustydog]

12. Saddam had the capacity but chose not to use it.

Bush has the capacity to use intelligence and chose not to use it. They are more similar than one may think.

[amber dog democrat]

15. so can we have a regieme change

here?

[hsekar73]

14. This is what my mind says.....

What is this so called "war on terror"? Is it something we really have
to miss "Simpsons" for? Obviously not!

I mean, look at the news these days. It has been now proven beyond
doubt, that it is Pakistan's entire military (and the current ruling
dictator Musharaf), who were responsible for blatently selling nukes
to Iran, North Korea and Libya, in exchange for billions of dollars of
oil money and ICBM missile technology (from North Korea), AND *trying*
to sell nukes to Iraq!... And the good ol' USA politicians tell us
that Pakistan's Musharaf is decent upstanding and honest little man,
but Saddam who's only terrible mistake was not to grab the nukes that
Mushaaraf was peddling around the globe in return fot other trinkets,
is a dirty incarnate of satan!!

Why? Because obviously, a lot of powerful people knew all along, that
Pakistan's sole lucrative export business, was peddling nukes! The
same nukes that China graciously gave Pakistan, under the approving
smile of the various US administrations starting from Reagan. Iraq in
the meantime, made the blunder of not spending a little money to buy
these nukes which Pakistan was so graciously offering, with a kickback
to certain sorces in "other" countries.

Let's cut all the nonsense about these nuke's being sold by "rogue
scientists". Anyone who believes that tripe, should have half the IQ
of Holmer Simpson. How does one smuggle tons of Uranium, centrifuges
and half built nukes aboard a civillian airliner? I can see the
Pakistani "rogue scientists" explaining this to customs: "Oh, that
little thing? That's just a dis-assembled toaster. You see, I just
like assembling toasters in Libya... Takes my mind off the heat..."

We all know that Pakistan created the Al'Qaeda and the Taliban, with
support from various US administrations - Initially to attack Soviet
Union, and later on, as a tool to keep Asia in particular and the
world in general under threat and instability of terrorism. We also
know that China's supply of nukes and technology to Pakistan, and
Pakistan's supply of nukes to every terrorist nation from Libya to
North Korea was least of all, even the secret of a 5-year old. Every
nation especially the US adminstrations knew this for more than 25
years. A few nations repeatedly warned USA about this... But all they
got in return, was a lot of snickering and giggling.

So here is a nation, who's very current military dictators and ruling
establishment not only built such famous terror organizations like
Al'Qaeda, Taliban, Chechnyan terrorists, Kashmiri terrorists, etc from
a large common resource pool of millions of crazed "jihadis", but also
obtained nukes from China and promptly peddled them accross the world
to every like-minded crazed dictartor. And Pakistan not only gets
praised by the Bush crew, but also gets handed about a billion dollars
of money for no apparent reason, other than the fact that Bush thinks
Musharaf "is jolly good fellow"???!!

So, we come back to this "WMD in Iraq", and this "War on terror" and
all these bells and whistles and related hysteria regarding
"terrorists" and "WMD" and "fingerprinting unwhite or unrich
foreigners and then eventually, every US citizen", and all other such
nonsense... Is it not all a big joke on the normal citizen, just so
some people can screw the taxpayer and build themselves sweet little
retirement fortunes?

And for those who still think 9/11 was the work of "Iraquis", there is
more to come:

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20031021-112804-8451r.htm
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13383107
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/pakistan/isi/punjab.html
http://www.ict.org.il/articles/articledet.cfm?articleid=99

On a side note, I thought it was rather hilarious to hear Musharaf and
the US officials thunder how that "rogue scientist" has been well and
truely punished: i.e. He has basically been asked to take his 800
million odd dollars and go home to his mansion by the beach, with his
20 wives, 50 limos and 20 cruise boats and his personal helicopter....
Yeah, that should teach him a lesson... Seeing as what the punishent
is, NO terrorist or nation will now dare to sell nukes to other
terrorists...