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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Carragher who wrote (99541)	5/30/2003 12:48:36 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

we may only be in the fifth inning on wmd... this still has to play out. I agree with you, John, if you are talking about the presence of "any" wmds. However, the administration did not make the case for invasion by arguing there were some wmds somewhere in Iraq. They argued there was a great deal and they, unlike the UN inspectors, knew where they were; and that Saddam was close to nuclear capability give or take a couple of years, and that he was ready to use what he had. It's that case that (a) has been undermined by the fact they could not find them reasonably quickly and (b) by the failure of Saddam to deploy them. I think in case (b) if he had them he would certainly have deployed. Certainly his track record suggests such. As for the Iraqi scientists now in detention, I'm as curious as you are. My assumption has been that they are negotiating the best possible deal for themselves in return for any information they have. I'm surprised by the length of time. Finally, on this same note, you may have seen the reports of the conflict between John Burns and Judith Miller of the NYTimes over her reporting in Iraq. She has, as you may know, published at least two reports of mobile labs found, then nothing followed. Absolutely nothing. Which led one to believe her sources were wrong, that careful checks showed the mobiles were not wmd labs or at least that an argument, based on available evidence, could not be made. Now it turns out, we learn, from the Burns-Miller exchange that her sources, like the upper levels in the DOD, were Chalabi's folk. Hmmm.

To: John Carragher who wrote (99541)	5/30/2003 4:59:23 PM
From: KLP	Respond to of 281500

This just out: Pentagon Expanding Search for Weapons of Mass Destruction By DAVID STOUT - New York Times May 30, 2003 nytimes.com ASHINGTON, May 30 — The Pentagon announced today a "significant expansion" of the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Stephen A. Cambone, the first under secretary of defense for intelligence, said Maj. Gen. Keith Dayton of the Army has been appointed to head a new team, the Iraq Survey Group, that will look for chemical and biological weapons. So far, no such weapons have been found, even though President Bush cited their presumed existence as reason for going to war to topple President Saddam Hussein. Thus, today's announcement was tacit acknowledgment of the importance of the weapons issue. The Iraq Survey Group will include 1,300 to 1,400 people from the United States, Britain and Australia and be based in Baghdad, General Dayton told reporters, with about 300 actually searching in Iraq and others doing analysis and questioning people with possible knowledge of weapons. He said the new unit "represents a significant expansion of effort in the hunt for weapons of mass destruction, as we build on the efforts that are ongoing." Today's announcement was not a surprise. Dr. Cambone said at a briefing some three weeks ago that a major general would soon be named to head a new weapons-hunting unit. At the time, Dr. Cambone said that as many as 2,000 people might work for the unit. There are roughly 1,000 people now involved in the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, with some 200 of them doing the actual searching. "The I.S.G. will mean more people applied to the task, to be sure," the general said. "But this is not the most important point. Rather, the I.S.G. will consolidate the efforts of the various intelligence collection operations currently in Iraq under one national-level headquarters." The general said he was leaving for Iraq on Monday and expected to be there a while. "This will be a deliberate process and it will be a long-term effort," he said. "We will be using all sources to put together pieces of an incredibly complex jigsaw puzzle." Military and civilian officials who have asserted that the Hussein regime did indeed have weapons of mass destruction have also said it is no surprise that none has been found so far. Iraq is as big as California, they point out, adding that Iraqi military people have plenty of practice in hiding weapons and shifting them from place to place. "I'm optimistic we will have success," General Dayton said. Asked to comment on the possibility that no weapons will be found, General Dayton said it was his "personal opinion" that a great deal of information has not yet become available, "partly because Iraqis are reluctant to come forward in some areas, partly because we are still in the process of putting together the necessary pieces and the necessary targeting of individuals so that we can find out."