The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #66881 Message #1114748
Posted By: Teribus
12-Feb-04 - 07:12 AM
Thread Name: BS: Scott Ritter:Kerry also to blame for war
Subject: RE: BS: Scott Ritter:Kerry also to blame for war
Nerd,
In intelligence terms an "Asset" is someone you "own" and control. The article you quoted from clearly shows that Sadam Hussein was an Egyptian asset, who, when it was required, was assisted by the CIA.
The US Ambassador in Iraq, was simply that, her country's representative in that country. For her to speak on behalf of her country, on such a matter, she would have had to have been granted plenipotentionary powers, those she certainly did not have, as her mistake was corrected almost immediately by her superiors.
Sorry Nerd I was wondering why the Iraqi's might want to have their air force upgraded immediately after the UN inspection teams had been withdrawn. The upgrade if carried out then elevates whatever capability the Iraqi's have from tactical to strategic.
The conditions and situation that prompted the US to develope, construct and use the atomic bomb were what? Did they develope it in peacetime then use it to threaten and subjugate another country - No they did not. It was developed during time of war and used in order to force Japan's surrender without there having to be an opposed landing on the Japanese mainland (i.e. in order to save allied lives). It was developed in time of war because as early as 1941 it was known that the Germans were working to develope the same weapon (here the choice was a bit starker, and the motivation greater, get it first or lose the war).
If you actually believe that, "judging by our record of past action, the US was more likely to employ WMD than the USSR.", perhaps you could explain why, in the period before the USSR obtained their bomb, they didn't use it when temptation and opportunity presented itself.
Peter K,
Under Saddam Hussein's leadership Iraq supported the following foreign terrorist groups:
- MKO, active in Iran
- PLF, active in Palestine/Israel
- ALF, active in Palestine/Israel
- Abu Nidal Organisation, international
- PKK, active in Turkey
The support provided included, provision of safe haven, finance, training facilities, arms and explosives, and medical attention. Sources - just Google "Iraq support of terrorist groups".
In general there is nothing wrong with the BBC as a news service, in the Gilligan/WMD fiasco, I believe that they, the BBC, were in error.
I believe that post 9/11 the US evaluated the potential threat posed by a number of states that were known to sponser terrorist groups in general, not necessarily Al-Qaeda . Why Iraq in particular? Because the disarmament and inspection effort required by the UN had foundered completely, the likelyhood of Saddam Hussein providing material and know how to such groups could not be ignored.