There seems to be some confusion today on the Left…
Democrats are panicked with yesterday’s news that 500 shells of WMD were recovered in Iraq although as of 1:00 PM CST Thursday there is no headlines/mention of this news on Yahoo, BBC, CNN, etc.
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Update: (3:40 PM CST) Still nothing– Yahoo, BBC, CNN, etc.
You would think that finding enough WMD to pull off 25 Halabja‘s where 5,000 innocents were killed might get some notice!
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Democrats would rather see a weakened US in today’s world community rather than lose a political talking point. Really sad.
One argument the Left is using to try to discredit of diminish this news (that is not yet reported news) is that these may be “old-wornout-nontoxic-degraded” WMD(?)
Looking back, the Iraq War Resolution passed in the Senate on October 2, 2002, did not say anything about the “prodution dates” of the WMD in Iraq:
107th CONGRESS
2d Session[Report No. 107-721] To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 2, 2002
Mr. HASTERT (for himself and Mr. Gephardt) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
October 7, 2002
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
JOINT RESOLUTION
To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.
Whereas in 1990 in response to Iraq’s war of aggression against and illegal occupation of Kuwait, the United States forged a coalition of nations to liberate Kuwait and its people in order to defend the national security of the United States and enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions relating to Iraq;
Whereas after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, Iraq entered into a United Nations sponsored cease-fire agreement pursuant to which Iraq unequivocally agreed, among other things, to eliminate its nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons programs and the means to deliver and develop them, and to end its support for international terrorism;
Whereas the efforts of international weapons inspectors, United States intelligence agencies, and Iraqi defectors led to the discovery that Iraq had large stockpiles of chemical weapons and a large scale biological weapons program, and that Iraq had an advanced nuclear weapons development program that was much closer to producing a nuclear weapon than intelligence reporting had previously indicated;
Whereas Iraq, in direct and flagrant violation of the cease-fire, attempted to thwart the efforts of weapons inspectors to identify and destroy Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction stockpiles and development capabilities, which finally resulted in the withdrawal of inspectors from Iraq on October 31, 1998;…
…Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations and its own people;…
…Whereas members of al Qaida, an organization bearing responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq;
Whereas Iraq continues to aid and harbor other international terrorist organizations, including organizations that threaten the lives and safety of United States citizens;…
…Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 (1990) authorizes the use of all necessary means to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 660 (1990) and subsequent relevant resolutions and to compel Iraq to cease certain activities that threaten international peace and security, including the development of weapons of mass destruction and refusal or obstruction of United Nations weapons inspections in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 (1991), repression of its civilian population in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 (1991), and threatening its neighbors or United Nations operations in Iraq in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 949 (1994);
…Whereas the President has authority under the Constitution to take action in order to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States, as Congress recognized in the joint resolution on Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40); and
Whereas it is in the national security interests of the United States to restore international peace and security to the Persian Gulf region: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be cited as the `Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002′.
But, But… *Gulp*… Bush lied.
Sorry Dems… Maybe next time we could have the evil dictator mark a production date on each cannister!
Patterico notes more silence of the media.
Update: (5:30 CST) Terry Harris sends this from the Washington Times:
A counterterrorism adviser to the U.S. government told The Washington Times that even imperfect chemical munitions could be rigged for improvised use, as Iraqi insurgents have used artillery shells as roadside bombs. The adviser also said that the unclassified sections of the report do not suggest, and there’s no sure way to tell, whether the gas had been degrading for the three years since the fall of Saddam or the 15 years since he agreed to give up his weapons of mass destruction.
