Petraeus' remarks on WMD mobile labs (Pentagon transcript)

[IndianaGreen]

I am also including his opening remarks in which he sounds like Mister Rogers. Petraeus has been a willing megaphone for the White House for years.

Petraeus' past role in feeding disinformation to the public is important in assessing his current credibility, or lack thereof.

Presenter: Army Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus
May 13, 2003 10:00 AM EDT

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

101st Airborne Division Commander Live Briefing from Iraq

(Briefing from Mosul, Iraq, on the involvement of the 101st Airborne Division in the conflict and in post-war stabilization efforts. Participating were Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs (media operations), and Army Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, commanding general, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).)

Whitman: Very good, General. If you could say a few words and make sure we can hear you.

Petraeus: Okay. Good morning from Mosul. Life is great here in northern Iraq.

Whitman: Thank you, sir. I will dispense with the introduction that I gave while you were watching me but not hearing it, and let you get into the remarks that you wanted to make, and then we'll go right into the questions and answers.

Petraeus: Okay. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Pentagon press corps. I'm grateful for the opportunity to talk with you today. It's a beautiful spring day here in Mosul. The temperature is about 90 degrees, the skies are blue and the warm, sunny weather mirrors the mood of most here in the city right now. And I look forward to telling you a little about what our soldiers have helped the people of this region achieve since we first arrived here 22 days ago.

<snip>

Q: General, this is Matt Kelley with the Associated Press. I'm wondering if you can tell us some more about the discoveries of the -- at least two possible biological weapons mobile laboratories that were discovered up there.

Petraeus: I can, Matt. Let me read, because I want to get -- be right on this and actually talked to an expert from a special mission unit this morning about the one that we found.

The suspected mobile biological agent production lab found on 9 May in our area was found by one of our infantry units during operations at the Al-Kindi Rocket and Missile Research and Development Center. Our own chemical section looked at the trailer and confirmed it as a trailer that was very close to identical to the first trailer that was found by Special Forces southeast of here last week.

The expert I talked to this morning said that he had a reasonable degree of certainty that this is in fact a mobile biological agent production trailer. The layout is nearly identical to the first trailer that was found. It contains a 5,000 PSI compressor, 2,000- liter reactor vessel, small feed tank, 3,000-liter water tank and a water chiller.

We do not believe that the lab trailer that we found here was completed. Several welds were not finished, and shipping plugs were still in place. And in addition, a water pump, forward air compressor, canvas cover and some of the piping were looted.

The data plate work order number is identical to the work order number found on the first trailer. The trailer plate from the first trailer had a manufacture date of 2002 and a serial number of 1. The trailer we found at Al-Kindi had a manufacture date of 2003 and a serial number of 2.

The trailer we found is now secured and will be moved to Baghdad International for further exploitation by a team coming from the United States. And that team, I believe, will be quite a few civilian experts as well.

And that's about what I've got on that.

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=2601

[jmp]

1. No fair criticizing a US General ...

For lying to Americans to advance the neo-con agenda.

All is fair in love and war ... and he loves the war.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Petraeus also said that we had enough troops to do the job in Iraq (Pentagon transcript)

Is this guy a company man, or what?

Q: I wanted to ask you about a comment that General McKiernan made about the force level in Iraq. And he was saying that with 150,000 some-odd U.S. forces, he doesn't have enough to secure the country. Do you agree with what he's saying. And also, what have you heard from other commanders about their situation, perhaps being stretched too thin? And what about your own situation? Do you have the right mix of forces, the right number of forces? Or would you like to see some other types of forces in there -- let's say, MPs?

Petraeus: Tom, all I can really talk about, honestly, is my situation in the northwestern part of Iraq, northern part of Iraq. And we honestly believe we have just about the right force mix up here right now. To give you a description of that, I've got over 18,000 soldiers actually assigned or attached to the division and probably another 1,000 or two (thousand) that are non-divisional units that are supporting us in some way, such as a field hospital, a variety of support group assets and so forth.

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=2601

[killbotfactory]

3. Weather balloon station, mobile anthrax lab

same thing

[IndianaGreen]

7. Labs Are Best U.S. WMD Evidence (CBS News, 28-May-2003)

The saddest thing is to look back and see (again) the shameful role the press played in selling the war and the Pentagon's lies to the American public.

Petraeus was but one of many war megaphones!

Labs Are Best U.S. WMD Evidence

CIA Report Can Provide Only Circumstantial Evidence In WMD Hunt

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2003



(CBS) Where are Saddam's weapons of mass destruction? A new government report offers only circumstantial evidence.

The report from the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency calls it the "strongest evidence to date that Iraq was hiding a biological warfare program." It says three specially designed trucks found in Iraq match the descriptions supplied by an Iraqi chemical engineer who managed one of the mobile plants, reports CBS News Correspondent Howard Arenstein, although they seem to incorporate some design improvements. Iraqi officials have claimed the vehicles were used to produce hydrogen for weather balloons, but U.S. experts have concluded "biological weapons production is the only consistent, logical purpose for these vehicles..."

<snip>

Earlier this month, Pentagon officials said the discovery of the first trailer - seized at a checkpoint near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on April 19 - could prove Iraq had active programs to produce weapons of mass destruction.

It and a second lab found in May have already been inspected by U.S. and British technical experts and a group of scientists from coalition countries. Another team of international experts arrived in Iraq Saturday to inspect the evidence and will likely need a few more days, U.S. officials in Iraq said Monday.

The report says the first truck was captured by Kurdish allies in late April and turned over to U.S. forces. The second, though already looted, was found by U.S. forces in early May at the al-Kindi Research, Testing, Development and Engineering facility in Mosul.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/28/iraq/main555876.shtml

[Warren Stupidity]

4. He is a great man. How dare you impugn his honesty?

This post is a stain on DU. I hope the mods delete all such posts immediately before Michelle Malkin finds them and shames us even more than we have already been shamed. Why do you hate america?

[TankLV]

5. Hahaha - good one...

[ProSense]

6. I'm shocked!

Not really! Whether it's Powell, Gate, Petreaus, Rumsfeld or anyone tied to the administration, these are not the people to look to for objectivity.

[johnnydrama]

8. wow

Patreus is such a military genius that they gave him responsibility for NORTHERN Iraq.

Wow, they must have put a lot of faith in him, to throw him into such a dangerous dangerous place.

[mogster]

9. Thanks for posting this, IG.

It shows he will lie about what the govt. tells him to lie about, for reasons of swaying the public into accepting (more) war.

[BootinUp]

10. Technically

I don't see where he purposely lied or even twisted the truth in that report. I know that doesn't jive with your view.

[jmp]

11. An expert I talked to this morning ...

Said that he had a reasonable degree of certainty that Petraeus purposely lied to advance the neo-con agenda.

[David Zephyr]

12. Important K&R.

Thanks, IG!

[flpoljunkie]

13. Great catch! Thanks, IndianaGreen.

[Vickers]

14. "further exploitation"

:wtf:

"The trailer we found is now secured and will be moved to Baghdad International for further exploitation"

Interesting choice of words, Herr General. :eyes:

[sandnsea]

15. Was this in the ad?

I don't recall this being part the Moveon ad. You're supposed to discredit your opponent with FACTS before you move on to mockery.

[ludwigb]

16. LOL bump

What I can't understand is why people on the Right find him so impressive. Is it the uniform? All those general's lapels? Back in 1920-30s Germany women used to swoon for that stuff. I guess the wingnuts of either sex feel the same way today.

Real patriotism involves critical thinking and truth-telling. I'd like to see more of both from Petraeus.