The Truth About Iraq's WMD

Long, long ago it was decided that Saddam Hussein would have to be removed from power. There were myriad reasons. Israel's security, the sea of oil Iraq floats upon and dwindling reserves, keeping OPEC from switching its oil currency to the Euro, you name it.

The fact is, by the mid-90's the UN believed 90-95% of Saddam's weapons had been accounted for. This posed a terrible dilemma for the NeoConservatives chomping at the bit to take Iraq over for themselves. No weapons meant the lifting of sanctions. That couldn't happen! The whole rationale for controlling the oil-rich country would've disappeared like the smoke blown up our butts before the invasion.

Here's what Scott Ritter has to say about it. (There are a lot of folks who have tried - to no effect - to discredit the former Marine and weapons inspector. There are few more knowledgeable sources on the Gulf War and weapons of mass destruction issue.)


How we got it so wrong in Iraq

By SCOTT RITTER
First published: Sunday, July 18, 2004

Earlier this year, I testified before two investigative bodies -- the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Butler Commission -- responsible for probing the massive failure of, respectively, the American and British intelligence services to properly assess the status of Iraq's ethereal weapons of mass destruction programs. The alleged existence of those programs was the foundation of the justification for the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.
www.timesunion.com... storyID=267374&category=OPINION&newsdate=7/18/2004