Mushroom Clouds
From the Washington Post preview of the Duelfer report.
Now, take your contempt for Chimpler out of the picture, and weigh that conclusion against the way sanctions were cracking apart in early 2000s under pressure of international "humanitarians" on the one hand and international oil-for-food scammers on the other.
You can argue about Bush's timing and motives, but I just don't see how anyone can make out that Saddam wasn't a threat -- a short-term threat if not an immediate one (and we didn't know then what we know now).
Unless maybe you're Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.).
The Post feels compelled to soften up her quote by explaining it as "a reference to administration rhetoric used in the run-up to the war." But she doesn't say that. She's waiting for proof of "danger." Proof, for her, is mushroom clouds (or silos full of mushroom cloud-makers). If that's the "global test," I'd like to switch to a different class.
The official said Duelfer will tell Congress in the report and in testimony today that Hussein intended to reconstitute weapons of mass destruction programs if he were freed of the U.N. sanctions that prevented him from getting needed materials.
Duelfer's report said Hussein was pursuing an aggressive effort to subvert the international sanctions through illegal financing and procurement efforts, officials said. The official said the report states that Hussein had the intent to resume full-scale weapons of mass destruction efforts after the sanctions were eliminated, and details Hussein's efforts to hinder international inspectors and preserve his weapons of mass destruction capabilities.
Now, take your contempt for Chimpler out of the picture, and weigh that conclusion against the way sanctions were cracking apart in early 2000s under pressure of international "humanitarians" on the one hand and international oil-for-food scammers on the other.
You can argue about Bush's timing and motives, but I just don't see how anyone can make out that Saddam wasn't a threat -- a short-term threat if not an immediate one (and we didn't know then what we know now).
Unless maybe you're Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.).
"Intentions do not constitute a growing danger," Harman said. "It's hardly mushroom clouds, hardly stockpiles," she added.
The Post feels compelled to soften up her quote by explaining it as "a reference to administration rhetoric used in the run-up to the war." But she doesn't say that. She's waiting for proof of "danger." Proof, for her, is mushroom clouds (or silos full of mushroom cloud-makers). If that's the "global test," I'd like to switch to a different class.
Labels: Duelfer Report, Iraq, Jane Harman, WMD
