Will WMD ever be found in Iraq?

[cycloneye]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/05/ ... index.html

Concerns are rising that never the US will find WMD unless scientists tell the truth about where to locate them.Also there is rising concern that the US intelligence was not as veridic as first thought Hummmm.

Any opinions about this important issue?

[the_master]

i think there was WMD, but i also think they destroyed them right before the war started.

[Stephanie]

Everything that has been found so far is WMD related, just no weapons. I tend to think that they do/did exist but not in the quantity that our government thought. I'm also thinking that since the war with Iraq has for all intents and purposes ended so quickly without that much resistance, was Saddam's Republican guard, army and weapons more bark than bite? I know that we've uncovered many missles, grenades, rocket launchers along the way so far, but there was hardly any organization what so ever. Our troops did a fantastic job and even if the Iraqi army did show up we would've been victorious. I'm seriously wondering whether Iraq at that time really had much of anything to threaten the neighboring countries. It's not to say that they wouldn't have but...

JMHO.

[streetsoldier]

I personally believe Saddam was dumb like a fox...keeping the COMPONENTS stored, but not mixed. As to the bio-stuff, it may have already been "distributed" to neighboring nations, terrorists, whoever...that camp near Mosul had more than a few "trace elements" of it...or just possibly, it's still in the country, cleverly hidden for a Ba'ath "counter-attack" once the coalition is on the verge of stabilization.

What "grabs" me is the "Where is it?" furor...Saddam had 12 years to develop, store and make plans to hide it. We've been in there...what, six weeks?

[Stephanie]

You're right Bill - but I think the expectation was there all along that we probably would've (unfortunately) experienced some of them when we got closer to Baghdad. That being said, if there were so many, wouldn't we have noticed activity at the neighboring borders thorugh our intelligence and patrols? More than likely there are some stored underground and we'll stumble upon them eventually.

[streetsoldier]

Steph, you may recall that the Marines were finding traces of mustard gas in the Tigris around Nazariyah, well before we got inside Baghdad; some of the stockpile was undoubtedly dumped in, or close enough to that river to seep into the flow.

It's the ricin and anthrax vials, more than anything else, that concern me...easy enough to carry on the person, if they were parcelled out in small quantities per "refugee", or just as easily kept in locales all over Iraq without notice.

[vbhoutex]

I do think the US will find WMD before we leave Iraq. As President Bush said in his speech last night they now have literally hundreds of sites to find and check. With the obvious parts of WMD and bio we have already found I think it us just a matter of time before WMD's are found in some wayward underground bunker. And llike Bill said, we've been there six weeks and Saddam had 12 years to make and hide his WMD's.

[mf_dolphin]

I think we will ind some WMD before it's all over as well. Iraq is about the same area as California. If you had 12 years to hide stuff in that size country I would expect it to take some time to find it ...

[Lindaloo]

Something I still can't comprehend is this. Why would Saddam Hussein provoke us to come get him? Why would he give up being the leader of that country and give up his fortunes without a fight. To me the war was too easy. Makes one wonder why Hussein would just flee like that and give up all that money. I am so confused about this it is hard for me to make sense about what I am trying to say here.

[mf_dolphin]

I think it was a combination of arrogance and denial. Saddam misread the US in 91 and I think he did again this time. When someone has such domination over a country it's just not easy to give it up. To have capitulated to the US would have been the same in his eyes as losing in a war.

[Lindaloo]

Thanks Marshall!

Another thing I do not understand is why are all these "inner circle" turning themselves in? Or allowing themselves to be captured? Why would they not flee or be hiding out where Hussein is, if in fact the man is even alive? If he is alive, he knows they are talking then that means their lives are in danger. Maybe they all believe or know the man is dead? I mean these people are loyal to him and have always been loyal to him since the beginning of the regime. :?

[Stephanie]

Thanks Marshall!

Another thing I do not understand is why are all these "inner circle" turning themselves in? Or allowing themselves to be captured? Why would they not flee or be hiding out where Hussein is, if in fact the man is even alive? If he is alive, he knows they are talking then that means their lives are in danger. Maybe they all believe or know the man is dead? I mean these people are loyal to him and have always been loyal to him since the beginning of the regime. :?

I think what Marshall said is probably right on.

As far as his inner circle - that was either they couldn't leave because of the fear of being killed or they firmly believed that Saddam's charade would go on forever, thus they would be protected. Also, they were living "the good life" while the rest of the citizens were barely making it.

[chadtm80]

Cycloneye Wrote:

Will WMD ever be found in Iraq?

Do you like the tropics?

YES!!

[mf_dolphin]

Lindaloo, I think the reason they are still in te area can be explained as follows. While Saddam was still alive and in control they couldn't leave without facing execution. Once Saddam was either killed or went underground and Bagdad was in our control, the safest thing they could do was lie low in Bagdad and then either try and cut a deal or wait until things settled down and try and slip out. If you've noticed, several have negotiated their surrender through third parties.