Guess who's talkin' below:
>>>And let me just touch on a few examples, and we'll be giving out a fact sheet later with additional examples.
Before the inspectors were forced to leave Iraq, they concluded that Iraq could have produced 26,000 litres of anthrax. That is three times the amount Iraq had declared. Yet, the Iraqi declaration is silent on this stockpile, which, alone, would be enough to kill several million people.
The regime also admitted that it had manufactured 19,180 litres of a biological agent called botchulinum toxin. UN inspectors later determined that the Iraqis could have produced 38,360 additional litres. However, once again, the Iraqi declaration is silent on these missing supplies.
The Iraqi declaration also says nothing about the uncounted, unaccounted precursors from which Iraq could have produced up to 500 tons of mustard gas, sarin gas and VX nerve gas.
Nor does the declaration address questions that have arisen since the inspectors left in 1998. For example, we know that in the late 1990s, Iraq built mobile biological weapons production units. Yet, the declaration tries to waive this away, mentioning only mobile refrigeration vehicles and food-testing laboratories.
We also know that Iraq has tried to obtain high-strength aluminium tubes which can be used to enrich uranium in centrifuges for a nuclear weapons program. The Iraqi regime is required by resolution 1441 to report those attempts. Iraq, however, has failed to provide adequate information about the procurement and use of these tubes.
Most brazenly of all, the Iraqi declaration denies the existence of any prohibited weapons programs at all. The United States, the United Nations and the world waited for this declaration from Iraq. But Iraq's response is a catalogue of recycled information and flagrant omissions. It should be obvious that the pattern of systematic holes and gaps in Iraq's declaration is not the result of accidents or editing oversights or technical mistakes. These are material omissions that, in our view, constitute another material breach.
We are disappointed, but we are not deceived.<<<
guardian.co.uk
Hmmm, the Bush Administration was disappointed then. I wonder how disappointed it is today, especially after learning of Kay's remarks.
But let's all be realistic and bottomline about it: What could be the very best possible result ...
1) That Iraq had WMD?
2) That Iraq didn't have WMD?
Now, how many GOPwingers among you were rooting for the first question. Come on now, ye good and mild-mannered GOPwingers--you can admit this, at least to yourselves.
Never mind!
The truth of the matter is all of us--yes, each and every one of us--should be glad no WMD was found. After all, for the sake of humanity, isn't it ultimately best that there is none? |
