Breaking News

[Gord]

armed missiles with chemical warheads - have been found in Iraq


looks like the smoking gun has finally been unearthed

 

[Gord]

Report: U.S. Finds Missiles with Chemical Weapons
Mon April 7, 2003 10:25 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. forces near Baghdad found a weapons cache of around 20 medium-range missiles equipped with potent chemical weapons, the U.S. news station National Public Radio reported on Monday.
NPR, which attributed the report to a top official with the 1st Marine Division, said the rockets, BM-21 missiles, were equipped with sarin and mustard gas and were "ready to fire." It quoted the source as saying new U.S. intelligence data showed the chemicals were "not just trace elements."

It said the cache was discovered by Marines with the 101st Airborne Division, which was following up behind the Army after it seized Baghdad's international airport.

U.S. Central Command headquarters in Qatar had no immediate comment.

The United States and Britain launched the war against Iraq to rid the country of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq denies having such weapons.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....MPIBH2CRBAEZSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=2521303

 

[Starblayde]

BBC News Special is coming on BBC1 in a few minutes, wonder what take they'll have on it

 

[8ball]

BBC News Special is coming on BBC1 in a few minutes, wonder what take they'll have on it

Please post as soon as you find out.

 

[Starblayde]

They haven't said anything about it on their headlines, but they've got another 2 hours of programming to fill

 

[8ball]

They haven't said anything about it on their headlines, but they've got another 2 hours of programming to fill

You'd think that such a find would be a headliner.

 

[Gord]

You'd think that such a find would be a headliner.

They probably want to check that it is at least a genuine story - at the moment the Reuters story is quoting an " unnamed source " within Airborne -

Could just be a overhyper journo jumping the gun.

 

[Lancecastor]

Thank goodness ...I'll bet GW's breathing easier.

Let's just hope the USA stops selling this stuff to the Next Guy they hire to destabilize a region before turning turtle on him.

There's got to be a better way to rule the world, don't you think?

So many people killed to spread US-branded democracy...

 

[LadyG]

Hush Lance. You know that's not true!!

 

[8ball]

Other breaking news:

Report that the Iraqi Ministry of Information is telling it's citizens that they captured 60 or so US tanks and that if they see them in the streets not to worry, they are Iraqi.

Also, 2 foreign news sources reporting that there are uprisings in Baghdad. Iranian and, if I remember right, a Kuwaiti news source.

 

[Killswitch]

How conspiritorial would I sound if I thought that maybe any chemical weaponry found might be planted to make GWB look good.

Since his whole original reasoning for going into Iraq was WMD's. The hey lets liberate the Iraqis came way after the fact ......

 

[Starblayde]

Also, 2 foreign news sources reporting that there are uprisings in Baghdad. Iranian and, if I remember right, a Kuwaiti news source.

The Shi'ia quarter, aparently. At the very least some demonstrations, perhaps not actual uprisings.

 

[phrodeau]

Thank goodness ...I'll bet GW's breathing easier.

Let's just hope the USA stops selling this stuff to the Next Guy they hire to destabilize a region before turning turtle on him.

There's got to be a better way to rule the world, don't you think?

So many people killed to spread US-branded democracy...

Who is GW?

A better way to rule the world? Sure, try colonialism.

Congrats on 11,000 posts. Try to keep them sensible in the future.

 

[Starblayde]

A better way to rule the world? Sure, try colonialism.

That worked for us for a few years

We'll give you until about 2045 until everyone rejects America's cultural imperialism

 

[8ball]

Thank goodness ...I'll bet GW's breathing easier.

Let's just hope the USA stops selling this stuff to the Next Guy they hire to destabilize a region before turning turtle on him.

There's got to be a better way to rule the world, don't you think?

So many people killed to spread US-branded democracy...

Hey Lance, you might find this hard to believe, but, there is a very, very large segment of American's that would rather just be isolationist....again.

 

[mbb308]

Hey Lance, you might find this hard to believe, but, there is a very, very large segment of American's that would rather just be isolationist....again.

Many more than he is aware of.

 

[Starblayde]

Hey Lance, you might find this hard to believe, but, there is a very, very large segment of American's that would rather just be isolationist....again.

fat lot of good that did you last time

 

[mbb308]

Or the time before, too.

 

[8ball]

fat lot of good that did you last time

Yes, well then we could be bashed for not reacting fast enough ,again.

It's really just not possible to be like we were, anymore, isolationist, I mean. At least, I don't think so.

 

[Lancecastor]

Hey Lance, you might find this hard to believe, but, there is a very, very large segment of American's that would rather just be isolationist....again.

Hard to put the genie back in the bottle though...because companies like Litton, GE, Rayethon, Philip Morris...thousands of them...all depend on your armies making the world "safe" for the sale of US weapons and consumer goods.

I don't think the people of the US could stand the drop in standard of living and increase in crime & taxes that would go with turning off the expansion machinery.

Do you?

I think you're stuck with being the New Romans...it's just a question of having a reputation for hosting invasions or toga parties I think.

Toga! toga! toga!

 

[8ball]

Hard to put the genie back in the bottle though...because companies like Litton, GE, Rayethon, Philip Morris...thousands of them...all depend on your armies making the world "safe" for the sale of US weapons and consumer goods.

I don't think the people of the US could stand the drop in standard of living and increase in crime & taxes that would go with turning off the expansion machinery.

Do you?

I think you're stuck with being the New Romans...it's just a question of having a reputation for hosting invasions or toga parties I think.

Toga! toga! toga!

I knew I could count on you!

 

[Gord]

How conspiritorial would I sound if I thought that maybe any chemical weaponry found might be planted to make GWB look good.

Since his whole original reasoning for going into Iraq was WMD's. The hey lets liberate the Iraqis came way after the fact ......

Stretching it a bit to say that they would arm a load of missiles with Sarin - and then transport them all the way to Bagdad just to nail him.

Its not like planting an oz of coke in a bad guys car just to get him .

Now that might not be a bad idea - get Saadam on drug charges

 

[8ball]

Stretching it a bit to say that they would arm a load of missiles with Sarin - and then transport them all the way to Bagdad just to nail him.

Its not like planting an oz of coke in a bad guys car just to get him .

Now that might not be a bad idea - get Saadam on drug charges

Naw, IRS violations would stick better and probably carry longer jail terms.

 

[weed]

Stretching it a bit to say that they would arm a load of missiles with Sarin - and then transport them all the way to Bagdad just to nail him.

Its not like planting an oz of coke in a bad guys car just to get him .

Now that might not be a bad idea - get Saadam on drug charges

lol...well, the Pentagon did warn that it would take a little time to bring in the evidence of WMD.

OH, oh...'scuse me...I mean find that evidence...

 

[LukkyKnight]

Stretching it a bit to say that they would arm a load of missiles with Sarin - and then transport them all the way to Bagdad just to nail him.

Is it?

Is it stretching it to suggest that operatives in-country would add sarin or mustard gas to missiles in an existing cache? That would be much simpler, wouldn't it?

I think it's likely Hussein's maintained some various WMD capability, but based on decades of contact with various people at assorted levels of clearance and responibility in various DC "organizations" let's say, I can't accept that planting evidence is beyond what the U.S. government would do - not by any means.