As our rationale for war gets passed over in our media as inconsequential this day, it is nice to take a moment and read the excellent responses of good folk around the globe. The Canucks do an especially fine job and it makes me proud to be their neighbor. -s-
WMD search ends: Your reaction
The United States has stopped searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, according to Intelligence officials.
They say the chief US investigator, Charles Duelfer, is not planning to return to the country. In a previous report, Mr Duelfer said there had been no stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons at the time of the US-led invasion.
What is your reaction to the announcement? Does the absence of WMD affect your views on the war? Will there be any political fallout over this? Send us your views.
The following comments reflect the balance of opinion received so far (I dumped the few dissenting US voices as we hear enough of that crap everyday on tv):
This confirms what has been said all along. We have been lied to on an unprecedented scale by our elected governments to further private interests. Is this democracy in action?
Rei, Cork, Ireland
The thing about the view from America is that they really do believe all the nonsense that their media puts out. Their view of history really is the Hollywood fantasy represented on these pages. Americans seem to live in a world of pure propaganda.
Steve, UK
Will Bush, Blair, Rumsfield and Rice now please demonstrate some courage and responsibility for their decisions by setting up their permanent seat of government to run the US and UK from the centre of Baghdad.
Duncan French, Rome, Italy
I think that the UN should look in the US for WMD - I'm sure it would be successful then. Once we then find these weapons we should then "ask" America to relinquish these weapons. I believe that at this point other nations would then be less likely to hold these weapons. Think Peace not fear!
Mark Buchan, Rustington, West Sussex
Before the illegal invasion Iraq supplied the UN with a massive dossier of its weapons capabilities, which was appropriated by the Pentagon. Perhaps this dossier told the truth, but we will never know.
Nigel, New Zealand.
A post on this page says we are US bashing - no one is USA bashing, the US people are well liked and we know what sacrifices they have made for Europe in the past. What we have a problem with is US foreign policy (i.e. Govt). Who do you think put Saddam where he was? Who do you think sold him WMDs? That is why the hypocrisy that we went to war because of WMDs or because he was a tyrant sticks so much in so many people's throats.
Gerry, Scotland
The search for any WMD in Iraq ended a long time ago, and this announcement is piteous acknowledgement that Mr Blix was right. What the US administration will never ever admit is that the whole Iraq affair shed light on many weak points in US Intelligence and it has therefore lost its credibility in the eyes of the international community.
Mary McCannon, Budapest, Hungary
Wrong evidence? It is sad to see so many people instantly buying the "mistake" version. Come on, honestly, what are the chances of this being some sort of a naive "mistake" rather than what we all know it really was: a deliberate deception. It looks like some sort of a collective denial. Snap out of it.
Mat, Ljubljana, Slovenia
It proves the point that the weapons were not there in the first place and that the whole war has been a travesty that will cost us dear in years to come. Religious, ethnic and cultural hostility has never been greater and there are growing concerns in this respect. Tens of thousands of people died and continue to die as a direct consequence of the madness of our leaders. Because of the total waste created by the war, tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs and their livelihoods. We cannot take George Bush to court, but I believe Tony Blair should be taken to court and be answerable for his decision to take us to war.
Carlos Cortiglia, London, UK
Well I wonder how the "truly democratic" people of UK and US will react to the fact that their governments plainly misled them. My guess is that nothing will happen. The war and murder in Iraq will continue for years to come until Iraqi oil is completely drained.
IF, Russia
Three little words: France was right.
Michael, Nieul-sur-mer, France
After so much talk of WMDs, could Mssrs Bush and Blair now please publicly acknowledge that their arguments for invading Iraq were based on wrong evidence?
Andrea Krug, London, UK
If Clinton can be impeached for lying about sex shouldn't Bush stand trial for lying about WMD?
Manish, California
The whole world has been coming to the conclusion that there were no WMD. It took some longer than others to reach this point and some never did think there was any. The bottom line is that there is no shock value in the announcement that the USA has discontinued the search. We would have been more surprised if they found any!
Gordon Jackson, Nanaimo, Canada
I am so glad I don't live in the United States. My two sons may have gone to war, based on lies, to liberate a Country which now hates it's occupancy. Where was the USA in Uganda, Rwanda, Cambodia, Croatia, etc. Is it a coincidence that Iraq and Kuwait have oil while other Countries in trouble don't. I'm proud of Canada for seeing through this facade.
Tony, Toronto, Canada
Does it really matter? The validity of the WMD argument only mattered before the war: as soon as troops moved in, there was no stopping any of it anyway. It was already widely expected that no WMD would be found, and Bush long ago switched his pitch to eradicating the ' evil' of Saddam. There will be no political consequences, and there will be no humility forthcoming from the US. Sadly, what is an important fact has been reduced by circumstance to a triviality.
Michael Moszczynski, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Most American's are so influenced by the corporate media machine that they really can't possibly have an objective opinion concerning anything in Iraq. The entire War is sugar coated and we rarely even see bloodshed on the Major Networks. Of course with the Bush administration's arrogance concerning the rest of the world I expect we'll get what's coming to us eventually.
William Gannon, Burlington, Vermont
Will there be a backlash? Of course not. The US invaded another sovereign nation and it will get away with it, eventually at least, because for now, its troops are paying the ultimate sacrifice for the Bush Doctrine. Lets force Christian values onto people, even when they prefer their way of life.
Basic, MD, USA
Thousands of innocent people killed, torture of prisoners, complete disregard for human rights, state security cracking down on basic freedoms, invasion of other countries and ownership of weapons of mass destruction. I think we had better invade the US to stop this rogue state! It is sad that the United States has stooped to the level of Iraq.
Robert Cox, Vancouver, Canada
Shame shame shame! But let's be thankful that the US did not plant WMDs to perpetuate the lie. If not in the US administration, we can at least have faith in the US institutions. Let us see if these institutions can now find someone accountable for this costly lie.
Hrishi, India
The United States and UK took the case of Iraq WMD before the UN Council with all types of falsified claims. Now after all these economic, political and social catastrophes in Iraq; Are they ready to go before the UN ones more and this time apologizing to the world for being selfish in their decision to start a war that has caused thousands of lives and economic set backs for the Iraqis?
Dennis Mwaipola, Mbeya, Tanzania
That makes the war not only illegal, but unabashedly unjustified and immoral. The United States, Great Britain and the "coalition of the willing" owe the people of Iraq an apology, war reparations, and the withdrawal of their troops. The euphemisms of "war on terror ... rebels, insurgents" are no justification for the continued killing and destruction of people who are fighting to free their country from occupiers.
Ron LaFramboise, Rome, Italy
It didn't take the public two years to realize there were no WMD's in Iraq, we all realized this whole war was based on lies 6 months later. What a waste of good lives for the interests of a few.
Daniel, LA, California
I think that the only person who was surprised at the finding (or lack there of) was the common man in the streets of America. Everyone around the world (even American leaders) knew all along that there was nothing there to find.
Tito, Chicago, USA
Surely, this now has to be the point when Mr Blair resigns. His justification to the British people for the invasion of Iraq was to disarm Saddam of his weaponry. He said nothing about regime change being policy. No, it was the weapons and the terrible threat they posed to the British people.
Trevor Smith, Bakewell
I just find the whole sordid affair hilarious, in a sad way. Bush refused to be patient with the UN weapons inspectors. Then he begged the world to be patient with him so his claims of WMDs could be proven. And now Bush's claims are shown to have been nothing but a sham. I continue to be ashamed of this President.
Andy Burke, Branchburg, NJ
What was coming has finally happened. They have admitted it. Now please clean up the mess you have created in Iraq.
Cheta Nwanze, Abuja, Nigeria
Do you mean they were still looking?
Gustavo Silva, Saint Etienne France
Iran and North Korea are both breathing a little easier thanks to Bush and Blair's botching of the Iraq WMD affair. Let's face it, the next time America stands up to warn of another dangerous WMD arsenal in the hands of a madman, it will be much more difficult to appear credible in the eyes of the international community. Bush's rush to war based on the false WMD claim has further eroded Americas credibility in an era in which needs as much international support as it can get.
Jason Dimmell, Ottawa Canada
There no justification of war and the killing of all these poor soldiers from both sides and the civilians as well. Is it possible now to charge George Bush with war criminal acts because of his actions?
Naba Tangan, Tampa, Florida, USA
Is this really news? The fact that Iraq had no WMD has been pretty obvious for a long time. Unfortunately I do not see any political fallout from this. One only needs to look at our election to see that invading countries on false pretences had no negative impact on Bush's ability to win the election.
Eric Ross, Oregon, USA
There is only one thing more disturbing than this unnecessary war: the culprits, the leaders of the various governments responsible for this war, will get away with it completely unscathed. Justice will never be done for all of the soldiers and Iraqi civilians who lost their lives needlessly.
Ryan Healy, Tucson, Arizona
We told you so!
Jake Earnshaw, Victoria BC, Canada
We will find those deficits of mass destruction someday. But there are no bubbles in the US economy. Tax cuts are doing the trick. It's all good anyway. PARTY like it's 1999! Whoops, uh, wrong board, sorry.
AG, NY, NY
The Wizard has mentioned this several times,... no one should be shorting this World-class raging US bull empire at anytime,...,.. its much too risky and dangerous,...,... if any of you do short the US,... you are much too risky and dangerous,... for the Wizard to associate with,...,... the Wizard of Fizz,...
NG, SI, America
-s |
