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Originally posted by Superbelt
Why didn't Saddam use any of his vast storehouses of WMD on our troops when we invaded? Or how about use them after he was deposed? They would have really helped and we know he had a propensity for actually USING them too.
Maybe because he had nothing.
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Or perhaps he thought he could escape and wait for anti-war activists to force the US out of Iraq. Otherwise known as the Vietnam (or Somalia) strategy.
Then he could loudly proclaim that he was unjustly ousted from power and snicker behind the world's back, while still retaining WMD.
Quote:
Originally posted by Superbelt
All the experts say they don't have them. Scott Ritter says they don't, so does Blix.
Atomic experts say they didn't even have close to the expertise to build a bomb.
Biological agents have a short lifespan and without support that program gets scrapped.
Saddam was severely restricted in chemicals he could bring in and we have ways of detecting if chemical weapons have been made in an area. Also chemical weapons break down over time. They have short lifespans as well..
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Hans Blix said they were not even trying to fully disarm on January 30, February 17, and March 7. Scott Ritter appeared on Saddam's payroll.
In 1997, the IAEA wrote about Iraq's nuclear expertise: "Iraqi programme documentation records substantial progress in many important areas of nuclear weapon development, making it prudent to assume that Iraq has developed the capability to design and fabricate a basic fission weapon, based on implosion technology and fueled by highly enriched uranium." (IAEA, Fourth Consolidated Report of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency under Paragraph 16 of Security Council Resolution 1051 (1996), October 8, 1997, S/1997/779,)
Quote:
Originally posted by Superbelt
Best explanation is that Saddam lost all his weapons abilities after Clintons "Desert Fox" campaign.
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Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security."
Hillary Clinton, September 24, 2003:
"The intelligence from Bush 1 to Clinton to Bush 2 was consistent" in concluding Saddam had chemical and biological weapons and was trying to develop a nuclear capability, Clinton said this morning. And Saddam's expulsion of weapons inspectors and "the behavior" of his regime "pointed to a continuing effort" to produce WMD, she added.
-- Alvin