You are right Wickerman, Saddam DID have WMD's, in fact he used them on his own people. He had at least chemical weapons and if you all recall (and I do) he was really fricken' close to Nukes back around 1980-81, well he was until the
Israelis blew it to hell with air strikes. You didn't hear much about this during the time, but American Intelligence and others believed that Saddam may have shipped his stuff to Syria when the U.S. invaded. And something else about this son uv a bitch, Saddam. If you recall, he had his intelligence agency attempt to assassinate former President George Bush (Sr.) when Bill Clinton was sitting in the White House. He pissed all over UN Resolutions, he continully fired upon U.S. and Allied aircraft, he violated the "no fly zone" and kicked out UN Inspectors. Screw him! He asked for it .. he got it and at the time a whole lot of people were in favor of booting this mass killer out. Bush Senior screwed the pooch back in 1991 when we could have done it then.
As far as weapons of mass destruction, if nothing else he had massive amounts of chemical weapons. Ask Iran how many of theirs died during the Iran/Iraq war in the 80's. Ask the Iraqi Kurds how many of theirs died when Saddam gassed them. I am sick and tired of hearing this BS that Bush lied-people died cause Saddam didn't have WMD's. Bullshit.
Decker
Hi Don. Actually it not as simple as that. Yes Saddam was at the time head of the Iraqi Army, when those 5,OOO Kurds died at Halabja. But over the years since that happened the reporting of this event has been tainted rather extensively. Very important, and critical facts, have been left out over the years, since this tragedy unfolded. Western media and governments who wanted to have regime-change in Iraq used this event to justify a 'New War', that eventually took place after the second 'BUSH' came to power. Here some of the real facts, that you don't often hear about much in the west!
There was an actual battle occurring at that very location between Iranian and Iraqi forces, the day all this happened. It is well-documented by independent sources that both sides used chemical weapons that day! Iranian forces had occupied the town and occupied places outside the town, the Iraqi forces were trying to capture the town and drive out the Iranians.
It has been well-documented Iraq was supplied chemical weapons by the United States during the Iran and Iraq war ( Iraq was an ally at that time) Now here were it gets very murky, the gassing happened during a heated firing exchange between each side, the gas was fired in and around the location of were the town happened to be, and many independent sources and journalists, who were there later reported that the gas was fired not to kill the Kurds, but was actually used in a desperate attempt to kill each others soldiers, unfortunately the Kurds who were living there at the time were caught up in it all!
Don, It also well documented it was Cyanide based gas that killed these unfortunate people. It also well-documented Iraq was using mustard gas an agent that was used during World War 1, which killed many soldiers during the war that started in 1914 and ended in 1918
This agent is fairly easy to make and come by, it something a local lab with very little funding could easily mass produce. The fact is, Iraq never used a Cyanide-gas on that day the Iranians did, but it wasn't a deliberate act, the Kurds just found themselves in the middle of battle, were life had no value.
Also, what Iraq was building was a power-station allegedly just for Nuclear power. On this occasion I believe the Israelis were right to bomb it, Saddam had a taste for war, he started two wars one with Iran supported by the United States and the other one with Kuwait. I think most rational-thinking people are in agreement he would have tried to build the N- bomb eventually. It was claimed Saddam was 1 to 2 years out from building a Nuclear weapon-or device. Like I said he was a leader who a taste for conquest so I have no argument against the actions taken on this occasion.
Don, it more than likely than not, he had got rid of everything he had after the first-Gulf war (10 years prior to the new Gulf war) and the stuff that he had was supplied from other states and countries. We have to be honest, United states has to accept a certain responsibility for supplying this mad-man with the chemical weapons and biological weapons, that he had in the 80's.
Actually, Saddam was agreeing to all UN Inspections been in Iraq, in the years before the war began and started, and Chief inspector Hans Blix pretty much said before and after the war ended. There was no reason to go to war on the belief he had WMD, it well-established now both Great Britain and the United States, have lied to the American public and the World. While i am perfectly happy Saddam is gone and good-riddance, yet but if we are going to have Superpowers fighting wars, well at least be honest, to why you have sent troops there to fight for you!
People all you need to research is the shame of a meeting that took place at the UN were Colin Powell ( A guy who has completely dropped from the political scene since the war ended) presented evidence that pretty much has been debunked since then, the evidence presented back then, is now presently considered by lot of foreign pundits to have been information that was nonsense.
Don, Bush and Cheney and the rest of the bunch are evil little shit heads. Sorry I like you Don, this is not a tirade against you, well your fully entitled to your views, but when it comes to this Neo-Cons Scumbags, I have no time for them. They are rat-bastards pardon my language young brave men who are only at the start of life, women also, have been injured and killed on the belief there doing it to protect their country, it's a lie plain and simple.
Bush skipped the draft himself did he not Don, during the Vietnam-war period? His daddy stepped in for him, he is a coward, most of them are Don. The true heroes are the people dieing over there in the Middle east both sides and the people standing up against the lie used to justify these wars.
It time to wake up, the elite have always used the ordinary joe-soap to do the evil deeds, that they'll never do themselves. I think we need to radically change the system, we have now, our we be forever manipulated by our so-called masters and leaders, it will be to the detriment of future generations if we don't.
