Powell Not Sure Iraq Trailers Were Labs

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=716&e=6&u=/ap/20040403/ap_on_re_mi_ea/powell_iraq_weapons

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) conceded Friday evidence he presented to the United Nations (news - web sites) that two trailers in Iraq (news - web sites) were used for weapons of mass destruction may have been wrong.


In an airborne news conference on the way home from NATO (news - web sites) talks in Brussels, Belgium, Powell said he had been given solid information about the trailers that he told the Security Council in February 2003 were designed for making biological weapons.


But now, Powell said, "it appears not to be the case that it was that solid."


He said he hoped the intelligence commission appointed by President Bush (news - web sites) to investigate prewar intelligence on Iraq "will look into these matters to see whether or not the intelligence agency had a basis for the confidence that they placed in the intelligence at that time."

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N02133696.htm

Powell says key intelligence piece on Iraq flawed

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell acknowledged on Friday that the "most dramatic" part of his presentation to the United Nations making the case for war on Iraq was based on flawed intelligence.

Powell also said he hoped a commission investigating the U.S. intelligence on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction would reveal how the CIA ended up depending on unreliable sources for key evidence he used to argue for war.

The acknowledgment about alleged mobile chemical arms laboratories could further hurt the credibility of the Bush administration, also under fire in an election year for failing to stop the Sept. 11 attacks.

The United States justified its first preemptive war by accusing Iraq of amassing illegal arms and invaded last year without explicit U.N. approval and over the objections of many allies.

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[DoYouEverWonder]

1. No Collin, it was you and the pResident

who depended on unreliable sources and not the CIA. As a matter of fact, you wouldn't listen to most of your reliable sources.

Colin was one of the key guys in charge who vigorously promoted pre-emptive war against Iraq, not the CIA.

[dennis4868]

2. Thats right....

he ignored his own department's intelligence agency called INR....they said the WMD evidence was unreliable....Powell has the nerve now to blame the CIA....ROT IN HELL YOU MURDERER!

[monobrau]

3. Classic media lazieness

Reporters could have nailed him to the wall on this almost a year ago if they hadn't been busy bowing to him.

[Wickerman]

4. Great , the ones who make all the decisions are the last o know

Ok, we here at DU all know that they are lying through their teeth. But how the hell does this wash with the average American? Why aren't people in the street saying how come my govt is so fucking stupid? Everyone know those trailors were old hot dog stands except Bush, Powell and Cheney.

Ok, not everyone knew. Whatever percentage who get their news from that thar TV.... :eyes:

[DAGDA56]

5. This guy was a freakin'GENERAL...

...why isn't he acting seriously pissed off and demanding why he was hung out to dry like that? Generals don't usually say oops, my bad. They demand answers, and threaten that heads will roll...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

18. Because Powell is one of the NeoCons.

[atreides1]

35. An Affirmative Action General

Powell wasn't on the first general's list, it wasn't until intervention by his former Division Commander, that he made the list
and got his first star.

This was the same commander for whom Powell "investigated" the allegations of My Lai. It was Powell who swept it under the rug.

Most of Powell's career was as a staff officer, yes he served 2 tours in Vietnam, the first as a captain commanding ARVN troops, the
second tour as a staff officer in the Americal Division.

After his second tour he was given commands as was required for an Army officer to have for promotion. He was already in Washington as a
colonel, when the list came out for brigadier general, his name wasn't on it.

Generally that kind of thing is a career killer, but somehow his name
made on the next list. And most attribute this to his relationship with his former commander.

During his so-called investigation, Powell never even talked to the soldier who filed the charges, he talked to that soldier's chain of command. Who told Powell that the soldier was a malcontent, real in depth investigation wasn't it.

Lastly, it is said that Powell has never commanded Americam troops in combat, I'm not sure how accurate this is, just got it from when
I read his book.

[PfcHammer]

6. Powell have any credibility left ? (nt)

[tabasco]

7. Powell is one of the bad guys. Soldier blood on your hands,liar!

How many hundreds will die for your lies, Colin? You were a soldier and you are now a murderer. This Army combat vet has nothing but contempt for you, you lying pig.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

20. My Lai, Desert Storm Syndrome, and other Army cover-ups in the past...

...Powell is an Army "fire-fighter" that gets called in to cover things up.

[mike_c]

8. in other news, Powell displayed the last shreds of his credibility...

...for astounded reporters, who had otherwise believed them to be John Ashcrofts tattered boxers....

[w4rma]

9. No, Powell knows good and well that they were NOT WMD labs, imho. (nt)

[PfcHammer]

10. Seems like Powell went bad fast

Like a bottle of milk bought after expiration date.

[riverwalker]

11. what was in those semi-trailers Mr. Powell? Washing machine parts?

Mr. Powell, you had your chance, you blew it. You could have resigned in disgust, and maybe, just maybe, history would have been kind to you. You could have retired still a "hero". Instead, playing the eternal "good soldier" you didn't question anything. Perhaps a good trait in a soldier, but a lousy one in a Secretary of State, or a human being, for that matter. You let the slime balls use you to sell their filthy war. They knew most Americans were confused about it all, but held you in high regard and trusted you. So there you stood with your little pointer stick, like everyones favorite 5th grade teacher, pointing at the maps and charts and satellite photos of all the nasty things Saddam had in Iraq. They bought it, and you knew darn well it was all a lie. Now the shit is about to hit the fan, and you are backing away from the outhouse. Nice try. Too late for that, General. You are a intricate part of this disaster now and always will be. The blood of 600 trusting soldiers, and unknown numbers of Iraqi citizens is on your hands. You can try to whitewash your story all you want but that stain will be there forever. You led your troops and your country over a cliff, stood back and watched them fall and did nothing, and said nothing. We will remember you as the gutless, spineless coward you are. Bastard.

[montana_hazeleyes]

28. Great post riverwalker!

well said.

[MSgt213]

12. Now you tell us.

[aquart]

13. Gosh, Colin, I knew that at the time.

I can also see a church by daylight.

[Sagan]

14. wow, and it only took 600 dead Americans...

And God only knows how many dead Iraqis.

Good job, Colin!

[pinniped]

15. What a bunch of assholes.

Never expect these pricks to take the blame for anything.

Hague> They made me do it.

[Skip Intro]

16. Effin' LIAR Powell is no better than Saddam

Excuse the language but F*CK POWELL.

This murderous invasion might have been prevented had the lying coward not loaned his perceived credibility to the push.

Now, as the untold human, economic, and diplomatic toll unfolds, the LIAR comes forth to say, well, maybe I was wrong, but it was SOMEBODY ELSE'S FAULT.

Where is the outrage!

F*CK YOU POWELL! YOU ARE A WAR CRIMINAL!

MAY JUSTICE PREVAIL!

[bluestateguy]

17. The mobile weapons labs

turned out to be nothing more than a couple of trailer parks with a couple of test tubes.

[jmowreader]

33. They weren't even that!

These "mobile biological weapons labs" were hydrogen-generating trailers for weather balloons. The British company that made them said so. The Iraqis said so. The freakin' CIA said so. But Bush needed a bogeyman--they can load these on ships, bring them to the United States and kill every single man, woman and child in New York City with these trailers.

Which the little dirtbag might like--without that 11-million-strong liberal vote bloc, New York would be a Republican state--but most anyone else could see was whitewash.

[Blasphemer]

19. What a POS he is...

He didn't have a problem lying and promoting the BFEE agenda at the time and now, in an effort to save his own hide, he continues to try distance himself from the Crimelords. Sorry, no dice, Colin. You are part of the problem! It really burns me up that his part in all of this is going to be glossed over because he's cutting and running.

[0007]

21. ....are the wheels coming off, or is Colin fixing a flat?

[BattyDem]

22. Lying POS!

I can't believe there was a time when I actually respected that man! :puke:

[gratuitous]

23. Oh, well, if the evidence isn't that solid . . .

Then we won't go do anything rash based on it. Thanks for telling us, Mr. Powell. Whew, that was close 'un, wasn't it?

Oh. Oh wait. It's April 2004, not 2003. Golly, there's gonna be a lot of people p-i-s-t mad about this. Looks like they'll have to blame Clinton again, huh?

[Kool Kitty]

24. Now he has questions?

Jesus H. Christ. Un-friggin'-believable.

[SoCalDem]

25. Colin's trailers

[Rex]

26. Powell knew from the get go that the info was false.

He is a traitor, and deserves to rot in prison.

[andino]

27. Does anyone remember

Does anyone remember the news article that came out right after Powell's UN speech where the report said he threw the papers in the air and said something like "They want me to tell them this? It's all bull$*^t."

I have been looking for that news article for an hour now and can't find it. If anyone has a link to it could you please post it. I think it would give a little more insight into the Powell's latest comments.

[tkmorris]

29. That article was mainly scrubbed

But here is a reprint of it. There's a link to the US News and World Report article but it is archived and unavailable for free, you have to buy it. The text is available though and it is accurate to the original.

FYI so far I have found that Yahoo, Guardian UK, and The Independent simply erased the article from their archives. Gee, you'd almost think someone wanted to make it go away.

http://www.subliminalnews.com/archives/000066.php

[montana_hazeleyes]

30. I have no link or anything,

But I certainly remember that. I was thinking about it as I got to your post.

[sandnsea]

31. Here's a reference

Apparently it was originally in US News & World Report. Here's a CNN interview with Bruce Auster, who wrote it.

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0306/02/se.16.html

[gottaB]

32. not the original US News and World Reports, but an accurate citation

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20030922&s=alterman

and another

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,968581,00.html

apparently you can buy a copy of the original here:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/archive/030609/20030609040506_brief.php

[andino]

34. Thanks guys..

I have a huge debate going with a few people on another board. Damn GOPers just can't take it when they are proven wrong. :)

[rocktivity]

36. Cut the comedy, Colin!

I actually looked forward to Powell's presentation at the UN. That's not to say that I'm an ex-Bush supporter--in 2000 I vowed to never refer to him as a president, nor to his White House as an administration. My problem was that nothing that Bush was doing made any sense, especially his not assisting the weapons inspectors and his being more interested in killing Saddam and bin Laden than in bringing them to trial.

Well, Powell quickly relieved me of any optimism I had when he boomed that his evidence was "irrefutable." From there, it went straight downhill with one laughably refutable piece of evidence after another. It wasn't until after he finished that it finally sank in: Bush was going into Iraq NO MATTER WHAT, and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING Saddam could have done that would have satisfied him.

Suddenly I could see forever: Bush WAS after Iraq's oil and a home base from which to invade the rest of the Middle East, and had been all along. But if the inspectors didn't find any WMDs (which the Bush White House KNEW they would not), there would be no reason to invade. And without a reason to invade, there would be no access to Iraq's oil or the rest of the Middle East!

For that much I thank you, Mr. Powell--you galvinized the Iraq situation for me. But when I feel like hearing a black man being comical, I'll go watch Dave Chappelle!

:headbang:
rocknation