Confused about "WMD" vs "conventional" etc?

[LynnTheDem]

There are 3 types of weapons that are prohibited for Iraq to have; nuclear, bio and chemical.

The military calls these 3 types of weapons "NBC" for nuclear/bio/chemical.

Weapons professionals call them "ABC" for atomic/bio/chemical.

Years ago, the UN lumped all three types of weapons under their term "WMD", and the pros and military have been shaking their heads at the UN for doing so ever since.

Also note the difference between AGENTS and WEAPONS; if you have a swimming pool full of a chemical or bio agent, that is NOT A WEAPON and it is NOT "WMD". It's a swimming pool full of AGENT.

Unless and until you can DELIVER that swimming pool full of agent on to a large population and cause major ("mass") destruction, you do not have a "WMD"; the "W" part means WEAPON.

Chemical and bio agents are very difficult to weaponize, as they disperse rapidly in sunlight and wind, etc. To load warheads with chem/bio agents and cause mass destruction, you would need tens of thousands of warheads, plus a means of delivery. Chem weapons are "field weapons" used for "area denial"; they prevent enemy troops in the field from approaching, "denying" them the area.

Only nukes are currently actual "weapons of mass destruction".

There are conventional weapons that Iraq has always been allowed to have; they are items such as AK-47s, tanks, RPGs, explosives etc.

The 380 tons of missing explosives, as well as the 150+ munitions depot sites of some 650,000 tons of munitions are all conventional weapons/explosives; Iraq was never prohibited from having them and the UN knew where these sites were, and monitored these sites.

Prior to the invasion, the UN-IAEA warned bush about these sites and told him it was imperative the US secure them ASAP, to prevent looting. Obvious to MOST people, when you invade a country it's a good idea to secure munitions and explosives so tehy can't be used against one's own troops. None of these missing munitions and explosives are a "WMD found"; they're not "WMD", they were conventional and not prohibited items, and they were always known about and monitored.

Iraq also has nuclear facilities; these sites were also well-known and monitored by the IAEA and kept sealed with UN tags. bush was also warned by the IAEA that all nuclear facilities need be immediately secured during the invasion. NO ONE should HAVE to be told such a thing; but bush didn't give any orders to secure these nuclear facilities until 6 weeks after the fall of Baghdad when the IAEA went public that they'd warned bush & that the sites were unsecured & being looted.

bush's excuse for invasion, and what the UN weapons inspectors -until kicked out of Iraq by bush- and bush's own Iraq Survey Group weapons inspectors (Dr. David Kay followed by Charles Duelfer) were looking for, were UNDECLARED and UNKNOWN, PROHIBITED weapons and "WMD".

And NONE WHATSOEVER have been found; Duelfer's report matches Kay's report; Iraq has had NO WMD and NO ABILITY to possess or produce WMD for OVER A DECADE.

Their reports don't mention the looted 380 tons of explosives or the 650,000 tons of looted munitions because the explosives & munitions ARE NOT AND NEVER WERE "WMD" and they never were prohibited for Iraq to have. Their reports also don't mention looted restaurants in Iraq; neither have anything to do with what they were sent to Iraq to look for and what bush's excuse for invasion was...prohibited weapons.

We didn't invade Iraq because they had conventional weapons and explosives they were ALLOWED TO HAVE, and "WMD" that was known, secured, and sealed years ago and fully monitored by the UN; bush invaded because he said they had UNDECLARED and HIDDEN NUKES, CHEMICAL, and BIO WEAPONS. bush was very wrong; Iraq has not had any "WMD" since 1991, and no ability to possess or produce "WMD" since 1994.

And bush couldn't even bother to send enough troops to Iraq to secure NON-PROHIBITED, KNOWN, CONVENTIONAL munitions & explosives depots.

[mrsadm]

1. Thanks for clearing this up...

I was wondering why the repugs didn't declare that they finally found the wmd.

[MileHiStealth]

2. You mean the fighter jets buried in the sand ...

weren't WMD !!! That's what my
mom was trying to tell me. I'll have
to pass this on to her, along
with the fact that her favorite
Governor , Bill Milliken, endorsed
Kerry last week :)

[BUSHOUT]

3. Are there ppl here calling these WMD's? Thought only freakers were..n/t

[flobee1kenobi]

4. Considering...

The Bush team called everything from grenade launchers to Saddam himself a WMD, the fact that they are calling the stolen bombs "conventional weapons" is just sickening!
THEY SCREWED UP! and they can't bring themselves to admit it!

[LynnTheDem]

5. I know what you mean, but this time bushCartel are telling the truth

Explosives ARE conventional; Iraq is NOT prohibited from having them, and they are NOT "WMD". Neither is Saddam Hussein or any other person a "WMD". AK-47s and tanks and planes and RPGs are also NO "WMD".

But the bottom line here is this; BUSH KNEW BEFORE THE INVASION that those 380 tons of explosives were sitting there and he DID NOTHING about securing them.

The UN had those explosives secured and monitored for YEARS...then along came bush and now those explosives are on the loose.

[Chico Man]

6. I was playing devils advocate..

This post cleared it all up.