By Eli Lake, The NY Sun
I have long maintained that the WMD mystery was unsolved, and confident statements of their non-existance (including Rummy and WH) were premature. I've screamed until blue in the face that no one seems to give a rat's arse that there were caravans of trucks, and now we know Boeing flights, documented as leaving Iraq prior to the coalition's arrival in 2003. What did they believe they were carrying? Fresh produce???
Add to that, the UN itself has documented proscribed missiles acquired between 1998 and 2002 by Saddam, and discovered them discarded in Netherland junk yards after the coalition's arrival. Then, of course, there's all those chemicals and nerve gases troops have uncovered.
Now I don't know what a WMD is to all these naysayers, but chemical weapons on a missile, not sanctioned by the UN, smells of WMD to me. But I guess it's all what the "meaning of 'is' ... is". So be it.
Thus we grit out teeth thru the MSM "no-news & all light weight news, 24/7" era. Oprah, old anti-Islam cartoons of questionable source and motivation, and proven sleazy lobbyists (as opposed to the unproven kind...) take the center stage for the MSM. It's all about bad bad America and Republican Americans, and callous, intolerant anti-Islamic actions and policies by western infidels. Never mind about those bad guys. According to the "I hate America" types, they have license to kill because we're sooooo bad.
Shuffled to the back pages - if given press at all - is the January release of "Saddam's Secrets", authored by Georges Sada and other more pertinent issues (anyone remember ABLE DANGER?).
Saddam's ex-air force general has plenty to say about the elusive phrase, "where's the WMD's?". But apparently no one wants to listen.... No interviews, no front page headlines in the NYT's or WaPo. Even O'Reilly apparently hasn't the time.
No one cared.... until now.
Finally Rep Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, and the Permanent Selection Committee on Intelligence are reopening this issue for Congressional scrutiny in the wake of Sada's book, plus 12 hours of taped audio conversations between Saddam and his top henchmen... er, advisors. Said tapes were provided by an unnamed American who was a former military analyst. And yes... the voice has already been authenticated as Saddam's.
Needless to say, this development and investigation ought to thrill ranking member, Jane Harmon and the other eigh committee Dems who will, no doubt, concern themselves more with chasing would-be scandals in a mid-election year instead of the more serious task of uncovering the truth of Iraq and foreign intel.
Mr. Hoekstra has already met with a former Iraqi air force general, Georges Sada, who claims that Saddam used civilian airplanes to ferry chemical weapons to Syria in 2002. Mr. Hoekstra is now talking to Iraqis who Mr. Sada claims took part in the mission, and the congressman said the former air force general "should not just be discounted." Mr. Hoekstra also said he is in touch with other people who have come forward to the committee - Iraqis and Americans - who claim that the weapons inspectors may have overlooked other key sites and evidence. He has also asked the director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, to declassify some 35,000 boxes of Iraqi documents obtained in the war that have yet to be translated.
"I still believe there are key individuals who have not been debriefed and there are key sites that have never been investigated. I know there are 35,000 boxes of documents that have never been translated. I am frustrated," Mr. Hoekstra said.
Is anyone with me in wondering why these tapes are only now surfacing? And why it has taken so long to translate docs seized post-Saddam? Like how long has someone been sitting on this intelligence? And why? Why isn't this stuff right up there with capturing UBL, training Iraqi troops, and finding AQ in the holes where they live?
Me thinks the Pentagon is in severe need of a house cleaning, right along with Congress.
What's also downright frustrating is the absolute passion demonstrated by our elistist Congress when chasing political dirt in the Plame-Blame-Game and the NSA leak. Yet what's their drive and energy when the phrase "where's the WMD's?" is uttered?
The chairman of the House intelligence panel [Hoekstra] said he is frustrated with the American intelligence community's lack of curiosity on following up these leads, particularly the story from Mr. Sada. "I talked to one person relatively high up in DNI, and I asked him about this and asked are they going to follow up, and he looked at me and said, 'No we don't think so.' At this point, I guess you guys don't get it.
No shit, Sherlock....
Personally I want to know. And I wager the rest of the country would love to know that "the Democrats lied about WMD's" for political clout. But I can only foresee the liberals and MSM sweeping evidence that WMD's are alive and well under the proverbial carpet. It would, afterall, totally blow their "Bush lied" and "no WMDs, so we are engaged in an illegal war" battle cries in a midterm election year. Whoa....
I dont' know about you, but I'm keeping a close eye on the Intelligence Summit's website for release of these tapes to the public in just a little over a week. Then, right on it's heels, I want more about ABLE DANGER! Time to clear up this nonsense.
2 comments:
I'm with you, Mata. I've been following and keeping track of the voluminous amounts of data which indeed do show that Iraq did hold WMDs.
I believe it's important to place the ACE in its time. And that time may be coming.
But I am so danged impatient! Delays in truth, while being innudated with BS by MSM and liberals parroting faulty talking points, is so on my nerves.... I'm desperate for real, viable news that makes a difference in our performance for national security in the future.
God help us when the next President gets in. Will he/she be as ballsy as to stand up for America's safety against public opinon?
I think not.
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