No WMD produced in Iraq since 1991, says top US arms inspector

[Giant Saguaro]

The Bush administration took the exact same position on Iraq in reference to WMD's that the Clinton administration did, except that one chose to do something about it while the other did not. Now they're not there, which leads me to believe we need to find them. And I hope any logical person would conclude likewise.

I would also agree that war in Iraq is part of the war on terror. When we went to war in WW II, we didn't just go to war with Japan, we went to war with Germany and Italy too.

True, in large part because Germany declared war on us first. If a country declares war on you, you are somewhat obligated to defend yourself by declaring war in return. I know you will probably say something to the extent that "Iraq declared war on us on 9/11" but I don't see anymore of a connection there than the 9/11 commission did.

Oh, one more thing about declarations of war that just occurred to me before I have to head out.

UBL declared war on us in 1996. Why didn't we respond to defend ourselves by also issuing a declaration of war, as your reasoning suggests we should have (made sense in WW II, so it should now)? No case for war, no mention of it. Clinton's attention was clearly and very much on Iraq in the late and latter middle 1990s, especially the late '90s. Huh, well if that doesn't beat all.

[David S]

We can argue about whether we should have invaded Iraq until the cows come home, but that's pointless now. We did invade and we are there. There are no WMD and Saddam is gone. The question for now is what do we do next. The presidential candidates see it this way:
Bush - Stay there indefinitely
Kerry - Stay there a few more years
Badnarik, Cobb, Peroutka, Nader- Leave as soon as is safely possible.

Which one do you want?

[shankbear]

choice 4, stay until the ISLAMIC TERRORISTS are slaughtered, destroyed and wiped from the face of the earth.

[Wakie]

choice 4, stay until the ISLAMIC TERRORISTS are slaughtered, destroyed and wiped from the face of the earth.

Umm ... there are Islamic Terrorists and many countries around the planet.  Do you want to invade each one?  Also, in case you haven't noticed, they just keep recruiting new terrorists so just killing them doesn't do it ... we have to squash their recruiting efforts.

[MODU]

Bush - Stay there indefinitely
Kerry - Stay there a few more years
Badnarik, Cobb, Peroutka, Nader- Leave as soon as is safely possible.

I believe Bush's true stance is to keep the forces there until peace has settled in and the Iraqi government asks us to leave.  However, the US is petitioning to place a US base in Iraq (similar to what it did in Germany and Japan following WII) to ensure that peace remains and the Democratic process has a chance to work, as well as gives us a new launching pad in the region (now that we are leaving Saudi Arabia).

[The Duke]

Just a few points regarding what Donovan said.  First, April Glaspie made some careless remarks that did not accurately reflect US policy.  As a result, Iraq felt more secure in invading Kuwait.  However, your implication that Glaspie is responsible for the invasion is garbage.  Hussein watned Kuwait for his own reasons, not because Glaspie made him do it.

You seem to have no familiarity with the US relationship with Iraq.  Iraq's aircraft came exclusively from France, China, and the USSR.  There are no US helicopters in his arsenal, discretiding your allegation that US weapons were used to gas the Kurds.

Whether there was strategic value in gassing Kurds from Saddam's POV is immaterial.  Your attempt to justify it is digusting.

I said US support for Iraq began under Carter, not that weapons sales began under Carter.  The remainder of that particular paragraphof your post is rendered moot by this, since it is built on the faulty premise that I said Carter sold weapons to Iraq.

The total percentage, in dollar terms, of the Iraqi arsenal supplied by the US is .005%.  Compare that to over 50% by the USSR, as MODU pointed out, and you hideous attempt at moral equivalence is lying in tatters.

Rumsfeld did indeed mention his time as a US envoy during his abortive Presidential run in 1988, but it was hardly a central theme.

[TheBulldog]

Liar liar pants on fire

[CollectiveInterest]

The ISLAMIC RADICAL PUNKS all need to be slaughtered.

What's your test for an individual being an "Islamic radical punk"?

How should we deal with the radical Neo Con punks?

[David S]

Bush - Stay there indefinitely
Kerry - Stay there a few more years
Badnarik, Cobb, Peroutka, Nader- Leave as soon as is safely possible.

I believe Bush's true stance is to keep the forces there until peace has settled in and the Iraqi government asks us to leave.  However, the US is petitioning to place a US base in Iraq (similar to what it did in Germany and Japan following WII) to ensure that peace remains and the Democratic process has a chance to work, as well as gives us a new launching pad in the region (now that we are leaving Saudi Arabia).

Your example of Germany and Japan is probably an accurate estimate of what will happen in Iraq. 60 years later we are still there. Does that make us safer?  The terrorists who attacked us were here, not in Iraq.

[Silent Hunter]

The report- if you want to read it:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/reports/iraq_wmd_2004/index.html