Powell: Unlikely WMD Stocks Will Be Found in Iraq

[swag]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6223036

By Arshad Mohammed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell, who made the case to the world that pre-war Iraq had stocks of chemical and biological weapons, said on Monday he now thought these will probably never be found.

"I think it's unlikely that we will find any stockpiles," Powell told lawmakers when asked about the intelligence behind his Feb. 5, 2003, U.N. Security Council speech laying out U.S. arguments for the war with Iraq that began six weeks later.

Powell's latest comments appeared to be his most explicit to date suggesting that the central argument for President Bush's decision to invade Iraq -- the belief it possessed weapons of mass destruction -- was flawed.

As early as January Powell said it was an "open question" whether or not such arms would be found and he conceded the possibility Iraq might not have had any when the war began.

. . .

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. tell me again

why did we go to war in Iraq?

WMDs if I remember correctly was the stated reason

[Catfight]

2. Something about finding mushrooms I think, in piles of shit? or was it

stockpiles of shit? Oh shit? Mushrooms, shit....SHIT! But we didn't find mushrooms, we didn't find shit.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. and tio quote Rhandi Rhodes

they had a cooking accident in North Korea over the weekend and a giant shitake moshroom rose from the ground

thanks for clarifying.

We need to keep a sense of humor folks, these people are unfirgging unbelievable and now we return yuo to your previous discusion of ... type faces...

:-)

[Catfight]

5. ROFLMAO....Shitake mushroom clouds....this is so funny! LOL

[CrispyQ]

10. ROTFLMAO! Thanks for the best laugh in a week!!!!!

"they had a cooking accident in North Korea over the weekend and a giant shitake moshroom rose from the ground"

[Mokito]

25. Wasn't it to liberate the WMD's from the Iraqis? Or something like that?

The only thing I know for sure is that OIL had nothing to do with it (and that I am a flying pig that sings like canary while on LSD).

[swag]

7. Oh, that question is in such bad taste.

Why would I bother my beautiful mind with that?

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. Henry Hyde says that Iraq and 9/11 are one and the same

I believe it was written into the last 9/11 congressional proclamation, in a sense making it the law, or at least written policy. This was another effort to change the facts and history surrounding this travesty and deception foisted on the citizens of the USA.

[dbt]

6. Henry "Youthful Indiscretion" Hyde,

the man who couldn't keep the smile off his face when he wanted us all to believe that a blowjob rose to the level of Grave Constitutional Crisis.

Now he wants us to believe that Saddam sent those planes?

Yeah. Right. Whatever.

:puke:
dbt

[Karenina]

19. Yes, it was.

And only 16 stood up to call it a lie. Would you kindly indulge me as I express how much THAT PISSED ME OFF!!! FUCKING COWARDS!!! :nuke:

[cthrumatrix]

8. tell that to : Scott Ritter, UN, 1000 Military families and the citizens

who are considering AWOL

[daleo]

9. Powell - "We just can't be bothered to plant them anymore"

"It doesn't seem worth the trouble, frankly. We are finding that smearing our political opponents seems to be doing the job."

[dqueue]

11. october surprise...

This is likely just reverse psychology so they can act really, really surprised in October when they mysteriously find WMDs (that special forces shipped over themselves). Those rumors (about the planting of WMDs in Iraq) have been recurrent since February...

[Festivito]

28. Yes, I agree with you dqueue.

Also, it keeps discussion away from Powell knowing with satellite information where the WMDs were to "gee look, he already admitted that." protecting the rest of them from being quoted as saying it while their faithful can hear that it was said, just in case it becomes an issue.

[MasonJar]

12. Boy, finally a revelation from the Bushites. WOW!

[ChrisK]

13. Why is no one taken to task for this?

I have yet to see ANYONE being asked to take the fall for what happened in Iraq...not a one.

It's good to see Mr Powell FINALLY being frank about Iraq but where is the accountability in this adminastration?....and I don't mean Mr Tenet, he is part of it yes, but there are too many key players here that need to be investigated.

Why were we asking Ahman Chalabi for "advice" on what to do in Iraq?..Did no one look into HIS past and why he was on the run for so long?

This "Curveball" fella?....who sought him out for information and why, when he seemed to have very little idea what was happening in a country he hasn't been back to in years?

We can spend countless months investigating the tragic death of a pregnant woman or weather or not a basketball player raped a woman but we couldn't get some rock-solid evidence that Saddam had some kind of weapons of mass destruction?...we were basing it all on what he did back in 1988!? Billions a year to the CIA and Pentagon and this was the best we could get?!


The questions can go on and on...where are the answers?

[MrSlayer]

14. Duh! You said this in Feb 2001 Mr. Powell.

Dumbass.

[steely]

15. Is he secretly rootin' for Kerry?

Everytime he opens his mouth these past few days it's like a pro-Dem press release.

[pinniped]

16. Flawed my ass. These repukes flat-out lied and they know it.

These are the lying assholes who said they knew exactly where they were.

Would this so-called flawed intelligence tell you exactly where they were?

Resign and await war crimes charges you repuke scumbags!

Anyone who really believes these scumbags attacked the wrong country by accident needs to have their head checked.

[obiwan]

20. Bullshit! There were WMD's in Iraq...

...American WMD's, that is. They were all removed and shipped to a ranch outside of Crawford, Texas. This must be good info; got it right from a Freeper.

[fdr_hst_fan]

17. Duh, gee-

DO YOU THINK SO?

[Spinzonner]

18. If Powell has been sent out to float this

then Bush is again displaying his moral cowardice at not taking responsibility for his statements and actions.

[Beartracks]

21. Capability and willingness don't equal immediate threat

The "Agenda for America" (http://www.georgewbush.com/Agenda/Chapter.aspx?id=4) at the official Bush campaign website refers to Saddam as "a declared enemy of America and supporter of terrorism who had the capability and a proven willingness to produce and use weapons of mass destruction" (emphasis added).

So much for their certainty -- that's quite a back-off from statements made to justify taking Saddam out. And now it's a first-term highlight! Also: What capability? I missed that news report.

Side note: Doesn't North Korea already exceed this standard? "Proven mushroom clouds" beats "proven willingness" any day.

[Zero Gravitas]

22. No shit, Sherlock

These guys are real geniuses, aren't they?

[dArKeR]

23. I mark Powell as Satan himself. a person who is evil and knows nothing

else to murder are Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz... so they can be marked as human but insane. But what is a man who knows the difference between murder and honesty but chooses to murder? That is what Satan is. A man who chose of his own free will to murder. Powell is the most pathetic of them all! He could have resigned and stopped it all but chose to murder. Powell is the true Satan of them all.

[allemand]

31. We would be so much better off with a right-wing hawk as SOS...

:eyes: Also, the resignation of Powell in January 2002 would have been followed by a new presidential election almost immediately. Well, maybe not... But Secretary of State Paul Wolfowitz would not only have stopped the invasion of Iraq (and Chalabi as new Saddam), but also the invasion of Syria and Iran, the bombing of North Korea, regime change in Venezuela and so many other nice ideas dear to neocon hearts...

Mephistopheles seems to be the only reasonable guy in an administration of "f--g crazies" and maybe it's not that bad if he stays around until President Kerry takes over (with Wesley Clark as new SOS; ok, I know, but one can dream...).

[PartyPooper]

24. Powell is a war criminal just like Junior, Cheney, Rummy, Rice, et. al.

Send them all to the Hague!

[Ganja Ninja]

26. Is coming to grips with reality the same thing as Flip-Flopping?

Or is it worse than Flip-Flopping when your stated reasons for going to war never materialize?

[leesa]

27. Yes. We've known this for years now.

Just shut up Colon. You are a disgrace.

[truthspeaker]

29. Great insight, Einstein!

Any more amazing pronouncements?

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

30. I think they

knew it all along and just said that because they could not come right out and say "we're invading Iraq to establish an American presence in the region. This will ensure the oil flow remains un-interrupted and our millionaire friends continue to make obscene amounts of money." :eyes:
WMD's sounds so much more believeable doesn't it?

[rocktivity]

32. Is Iraq's stock market open?

oops, never mind.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Julian English]

33. The WMDs

Are in the same place that the evidence of someone's Alabama National Guard Service.