Don't you just love politicians ?

[asthmatic camel]

Blair: 'WMD may never be found'
2004-07-06 22:29:55
Tony Blair has conceded that Saddam Hussein's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction may never be found.

In his latest twice-yearly appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee, Mr Blair accepted his past confidence that weapons would be discovered may have been misplaced.

However, he insisted that the Iraqi dictator had still posed a threat as there was clear evidence of "intent and desire" to possess WMD and that the US-led coalition had been right to overthrow him.

The Prime Minister suggested that the actual weapons may have been "hidden, removed or destroyed" by the Iraqis before the invasion.

"What I have to accept is that I was very, very confident that we would find them. I was very confident when I spoke to you this time last year that the Iraq Survey Group would find them," he told the committee.

"I have to accept that we have not been found them - that we may not find them."

Mr Blair's admission came as the Butler Inquiry into the use of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war prepares to publish its findings next week.

There is intense speculation that the inquiry, headed by the former Cabinet Secretary Lord Butler of Brockwell, will be highly critical of the role played by the intelligence agencies.

The Prime Minister said he still believed that Saddam had had weapons of mass destruction prior to the war, although he did not specify exactly when.

The invasion had been justified as Iraq had been in breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions requiring it to co-operate with the UN weapons inspectors.

Mr Blair said: "I do not believe there was not a threat in relation to weapons of mass destruction. I have to accept the fact that we have not found them but we have found very clear evidence of intent and desire," Mr Blair said.

"Whether they were hidden, removed or destroyed, he was in clear breach of UN resolutions.

"I genuinely believe that those weapons were there and that is why the international community came together as they did."

Mr Blair also warned against "stigmatising" the Muslim community over fears of terrorism. He said that concerns about terrorism since the September 11 attacks in 2001 had added a "new dimension" to race relations.

Mr Blair's comments came after Home Office statistics showed that the number of Asians being stopped and searched has risen by 300 per cent since the Terrorism Act came into force in 2000.

Hahahaha, good job so many mother's sons have lost thier lives, isn't it ?

 

[Mel]

Next thing you know, Bush & Blair will start admitting it might have been a smarter move to concentrate on capturing OBL & al Qaeda.

Nah.

 

[demon]

So, Saddam had them, we just can't find them.
If this madman who was a threat to the region and the world wasn't prepared to use WMD to save his regime what, exactly, would have motivated him to use them?

Blair: "WMD may never be found"
How about "they never existed"

 

[corplinx]

Next thing you know, Bush & Blair will start admitting it might have been a smarter move to concentrate on capturing OBL & al Qaeda.

Nah.

That's a nice unsupported statement. I think this is one of those memes people throw out and are never challenged. The problem is no matter how many troops we throw in Afghanistan, they can't round up Al Q. remnants in Pakistan.

Mind you, no matter how many of these people we did round up, people keep portaying it as a failure and claiming the Iraq conflict distracted from a war we can't fight in Pakistan.

I don't know whether its ignorance, misdirection, or intentional meme propagation but its bullsh1t.

 

[Mel]

Logic tells me that if I'm going to go after an enemy that is well armed AND has known ties in a bordering country it would be wise to make sure I have enough troops to cut off their retreat.

Sending only 11,000 troops to Afghanistan is what ALLOWED OBL & al Qaeda to slip away.


Why & how did this administration so badly mismanage such a seemingly 'easy' war?

More importantly, why didn't they LEARN from those mistakes instead of repeating them in Iraq?

 

[pgwenthold]

The thing I am finding interesting is the backpeddling that has been going on. Initially, it was "We need to invade because he has weapons of mass destruction." When they couldn't find WMD, it became "We had to attack because he had a WMD 'program'." Then, when we can't find any evidence they were actually trying to make anything (and the silly Africa uranium thing was exposed), it has now come to "He _wanted_ to have a WMD 'program'."

We attacked because of his "intent and desire" to have WMD? I have a hard time believing that even the most ardant "He was in violation of UN mandates" would claim that "intent and desire" to have WMD was against the UN directives.

Amazingly, Bush used those same words yesterday with the Prime Minister of Iceland.

 

[Mr Manifesto]

That's a nice unsupported statement. I think this is one of those memes people throw out and are never challenged. The problem is no matter how many troops we throw in Afghanistan, they can't round up Al Q. remnants in Pakistan.

Mind you, no matter how many of these people we did round up, people keep portaying it as a failure and claiming the Iraq conflict distracted from a war we can't fight in Pakistan.

I don't know whether its ignorance, misdirection, or intentional meme propagation but its bullsh1t.

I'm just wondering... Do you know what 'meme' means? It's just that you seem to be using the word like you almost know what it means, but you haven't quite nailed it on the head.

 

[Jocko]

I'm just wondering... Do you know what 'meme' means? It's just that you seem to be using the word like you almost know what it means, but you haven't quite nailed it on the head.

Literally, a cultural practice or idea transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

In the parlance, an unthinking mantra reflecting some outside agenda. Seems reasonably spot on to me as used above.

You may be more familiar with one of its other names: Undergraduate Studies.