"Palme D'Or" for Mike Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11&

[kandrathe]

Ok. So, you and your nation did not think the threat posed by Iraq was sufficient. Ours thought Iraq was a threat to our National Security. Why? His weapons programs, his demonstrated and declared use of advanced chemical and biological weapons, his continuation of thumbing his nose at the UN and procuring items illegal for him to purchase under UN resolutions. Not only was this regime not complying with , declaring, disarming and allowing monitoring. They were actively continuing to pursue illegal weapons programs. His regime was a threat to the US, we told him so, and we gave him 12 years to work with the UN to clean out the illegal weapons. Saddam chose not to come clean, because he thought the world didn't have the stomach to try to enforce the rules. He was right. You didn't.

The Oil for Food program was unraveling, and Iraq was fueling its economy via black market oil sales. The clamour at the UN was to lift sanctions. How many more years would it have taken Mr. Blix? 12? 24? Never? I'm betting Mr. Blix and company were doing a dance in Iraq to give a rubber stamp to a declaration that Iraq was free from WMD, so that the sanctions would be lifted regardless of whether or not Iraq had any WMD or active programs.

Vigilante. Bah. This is a nation, not an old western. It is not even a good metaphor for what happened. I think you misinterpret me anyway. I'm saying, "We all lived throught that time, and rehashing it is not much use to anyone." It's ancient history now, we can toss around recriminations and hate each other for it, and I'm sure the terrorists would be very glad to know they have driven a wedge deeper between the US and her friends.

Some shred. Here are the CIA "lies" as it were by which the Bush administration is condemned. CIA -- Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs Much of it is supposition and is declared that way, but there is alot of meat there. Reading it in hindsight of what we now know is useful, but I can't help reading that thinking "Giving Hans Blix just 3 months was not enough time". But, how much more time? It took UNSCOM 5 years to get Iraq to admit to a biological weapons program. So much for adhering to UN resolutions to immediatly declare all illegal programs. And, when it was revealed it was advanced, extensive and being done after 1991. Here is another more worldwide view on WMD proliferation done by the Center for Strategic and International studies in April, 2003. Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East Iraqi info starts on page 88.

I just don't see that with Saddam's regime it would ever end. They were set on a course that they would not be steered away from.

You obviously think differently.