ush and Cheney presented it as FACT and Powell was not told of this intelligence and presented the U N incorrect information on Feb 5, 2003. Gen. Powell has said he is very sorry he presented that false information to the U N. In fact he said it was the LOW point in his career!

THE US administration was never told of doubts about the secret intelligence used to justify war with Iraq, former secretary of state Colin Powell told the BBC in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday night. Mr Powell, who argued the case for military action against Saddam Hussein in the UN in 2003, told BBC News 24 television he was "deeply disappointed in what the intelligence community had presented to me and to the rest of us." "What really upset me more than anything else was that there were people in the intelligence community that had doubts about some of this sourcing, but those doubts never surfaced to us," he said.

Link

the intelligence that the mobile Chemical Vans was BS.

I guess burying vans in the desert is normal policy.

An American general in Iraq said last night that his troops had uncovered 11 vans buried underground that could be mobile chemical and biological weapons laboratories. No weapons of mass destruction were found in or around the 20ft square metal units, said Brigadier General Ben Freakley, of the 101st Armoured Division, whose soldiers made the discovery near a weapons facility outside Kerbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad. It was visited by UN inspectors at the end of February. "Initial reports indicate that this is clearly a case of denial and deception on the part of the Iraqi government," Brig Freakley said. "These chemical labs are present, and now we just have to determine what in fact they were really used for." There have been several false alarms regarding weapons of mass destruction during the conflict so far. But last night's reported find more closely accords with accusations the US has long levelled at Iraq than any of the earlier incidents. Mobile labs, the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, told the UN security council in February, "are easily moved and are designed to evade detection by inspectors. In a matter of months, they can produce a quantity of biological poison equal to the entire amount that Iraq claimed to have produced in the years prior to the Gulf war". Brig Freakley told a CNN reporter embedded with the division that "about 1,000lb" of documentation had been discovered inside the vans, which also contained equipment he estimated as being worth $1m (£635,000). The site of the buried labs was "clearly marked so they could be found again", he said. The UN said inspectors did not find anything suspicious when they visited the Kerbala ammunition filling plant on February 23. "They were close to an artillery ammunition plant, so this is consistent with the Iraqi denial, the former Iraqi leadership denial... of any wrongdoing," Brig Freakley said. Further investigations would be made, he added. The chief UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix, told the security council in February that although "food-testing mobile laboratories and mobile workshops have been seen... no evidence of proscribed activities have so far been found".

Why are you chaps still talking about Iraq? The new topic is Iran, I suggest a full scale assault, removing troops from Iraq and moving across the border into Iran. Of course there will be air strikes also. Once the regime is toppled, a quick withdrawal is called for to avoid a war of attrition as occurred in Iraq.

We cannot have the Iranians threatening to "wipe Israel off the map". Any threat against an ally is unacceptable.

Sir Peter


Bush has committed most of our available ground forces to Iraq (those in country, those recovering from deployment and those preparing for deployment). Yes Iran was a far greater threat in 2003 then Iraq but our President had his mind set on invading Iraq regardless of the facts. He ignored the Intelligence and sent in a force that was TOO small to establish and maintain control after Saddam fell and the Iraqi Army was disbanded. That allowed the insurrection to develop and we have the mess we have today.

If another problem area develops, we DO NOT have the available forces to confront that new area.

Colonel Gene,

"If another problem area develops, we DO NOT have the available forces to confront that new area."

Of course the attack on Iran must be phased. Firstly, it looks like Tony & George are going through the UN this time so any shortfall in specialist troops in UK & US ranks can be made up with worthless Europeans. Secondly, by the end of this year we should be able to have most of our troops out of Iraq. There is no point in having these troops sitting around, wasting valuable resources, there is every moral and political reason to invade Iran.

Civil society is quite advanced in Iran so a new friendly administration can be set up quickly and our troops will be home by Christmas 2007. And we will all live happily ever after, with cheap oil and a new sense of cooperation in the Middle East. With the glory of the British Empire and the blessing of Saint George, nothing can go wrong.

Col Gene

It is very clear that there is nothing anyone on this site can say to convince you, make you understand or at least think twice before replying. It doesn't matter how much fact we throw at you, how many times we repeat these facts or how many times we contradict you, you will still follow thruogh what you believe in, repeating yourself like a broken record and even changing the topic of an article to prove a point.

Not one thing could come out good of this war in Iraq that you will not find something bad about. It doesn't matter if the Iraqi people are free and form a democratic Govt that was not believed to be possible to do, you will say that the death of our soldiers was not worth it.

It doesn't matter if the chances of a terrorist group to hit the US has dropped dramatically (not that anyone can measure that cause we don't even know who the enemy is when they hide in the crowd dressed like normal people.) you will wait for even the smallest bang to accuse the Govt that they are not doing enough to protect us.

It doesn't matter if the economy is getting better, the poor are still poor and no one cares about them.

It doesn't matter that Saddam once had bio and chemical weapons and that there is no proof he disposed of them, that terrorist did exist in Iraq as has been proven, he was not a threat to the US simply because he did not have any missiles pointed straight at us.

It doesn't matter that terrorist can no longer coordinate themselves to do large attacks cause the US and other countries are now fighting them and cutting off their resources and locations like Afghanistan, Iraq, France, Britain and other places, they are all gathering and recruiting more terrorist to fight us.

This is your line of thinking, that no matter what good can come out of something, you will always find a fault.

These are facts that you can not deny:

1)You call yourself a republican yet you cry for the poor.
2)You claim to be a Col and have worked executive positions yet you act and speak like a child.
3)You speak of a book you wrote yet your spelling leaves little to be desired.
4)You contradict yourself often in your own articles with the links you provide.
5)You are stubburn as a mule and twice as ignorant.
6)You have no respect for other peoples opinions.
7)You ignore facts.
8)Your modo is "repetition is the key to success".

There are more but I would like to let others continue to add to this list of facts.

I will once again try to restrain myself from wasting time posting in your articles or replying to any of you post.

Later.

"3)You speak of a book you wrote yet your spelling leaves little to be desired."

This doesn't mean a person with bad speling cannot be an author, JFK had notoriously bad handwriting and spelling yet was an accomplished author and became President of the USA amongst other things. He actually had the highest IQ of all US Presidents.

Then he was shot of course.

Your problem is that facts and the results of the policies we are following make no difference to you. I have provided solid factual data that shows the Bush policies have not produced results that anyone would consider positive. I have documented that problem areas that Bush inherited have gotten worse during the past five years. You ignore the facts, attack me or change the subject.

Bush said again this week he will stay in Iraq until we WIN! What is a WIN for the United Stares? Is training enough Iraqi military and police so we can remove our troops? Is it a stable government in Iraq that we can work with in the Moslem World? Is it an Iraq that will NOT allow the Islamic terrorists to operate from Iraq to export their death and destruction? I have not heard Bush give a clear definition of WHAT is a WIN!

Bush has admitted almost all the information he used to choose to invade Iraq was WRONG! How can a decision predicated on wrong information be correct? How has our removal of Saddam made the United States Safer?

Please provide some direct answers to these questions.

"3)You speak of a book you wrote yet your spelling leaves little to be desired." This doesn't mean a person with bad speling cannot be an author, JFK had notoriously bad handwriting and spelling yet was an accomplished author and became President of the USA amongst other things. He actually had the highest IQ of all US Presidents. Then he was shot of course.

Ok, OK, I give you that much.

You see I can change my mind and have a diferent opinion when faced with facts.

Look at what the leader of Pakistan has to say about the Iraq war.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/05/musharraf.cnn/

Look at what the leader of Pakistan has to say about the Iraq war.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/05/musharraf.cnn/

Your problem is that facts and the results of the policies we are following make no difference to you.

No, they make no difference to you. You are the one who refuses to see facts when given to you.

I have provided solid factual data that shows the Bush policies have not produced results that anyone would consider positive.

Yea like those who you say the economy is dying yet many here have proven you wrong? The irony is that some people actually agree with you, like on this same article, about the borders. Even I agree with you, but do you care? No, you wont even acknowledge them when they agree with you. Because all you care is about bashing Bush. These issues are just fuel for you fight, you really don't care to the point when something good happens you ignore it.

I have documented that problem areas that Bush inherited have gotten worse during the past five years.

At times you have and some have agreed but do you care? No.

Bush said again this week he will stay in Iraq until we WIN! What is a WIN for the United Stares? Is training enough Iraqi military and police so we can remove our troops? Is it a stable government in Iraq that we can work with in the Moslem World? Is it an Iraq that will NOT allow the Islamic terrorists to operate from Iraq to export their death and destruction? I have not heard Bush give a clear definition of WHAT is a WIN!

This is where your biggest problem lies. You are so bent on bashing Bush that you don't even know what he is trying to say. You are so lost that anything that Bush says, even if you don't get it must be a bad thing for the US. Hows about you make it you job to understand the man before you go out criticizing him.

Bush has admitted almost all the information he used to choose to invade Iraq was WRONG!

The guy has the balls to admit on national Tv that one thing is wrong and you automatically say almost everything? You really are a sad person. Get a life.

How can a decision predicated on wrong information be correct?

Are you telling me you have never taking risk in your life? A decision predicated on info that was believed to be true.

How has our removal of Saddam made the United States Safer?

Even my 7 year old can answer that, on less maniac in power. Are you that thick? Can you possibly be any dumber? How can you not believe that a madman like Saddam, having bio and chemical weapons before and proof of search for yellow cake (hope I said that right), is not a dangerous person to anyone? Answer me that question, and please done come with that "he was not a threat to the US" BS cause it's boring and worn out. Everyone knows he was a threat, the republicans knew it, the democrats knew it, Europe knew it, everyone did, except you. Where have you been the past 10 years or so?

Look at what the leader of Pakistan has to say about the Iraq war.

Yes let's see what he has to say. As you see in this next quote his opinion is that it is less safe and does not point to any proof of it:

"I think it's less safe," Gen. Pervez Musharraf said on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

This from that link that has this line as a sub-title

But says pulling troops too early would be a mistake

This is what he believes tbut does not provide any proof as to why he believes this. remember, he was against the war from the begining.

Although ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein "was a hated man" in his own country, many Iraqis have now turned their wrath on the U.S.-led forces that remain behind to provide security for an interim government, Musharraf said.

Yes Saddam was hated, but I have yet to see this wrath against the US forces from the Iraqi people. Although we were fighting insurgents and terrorist that came into Iraq. And judging by the recent election and the Iraqis who are helping find weapon caches, it seems that they are more willing to help make their country better than fight us. Even if they do want us out it would be much easier to help us than to fight us.

But you don't see that do you? You only saw the title and there you have it folks, proof.

I love it when you make it easier for us to demolish you Col.

What I said about the economy is that GDP and the stock market are UP. However average weekly wage is DOWN. The issues that impact average individuals are WORSE then five years ago. You ignore this data. Please look at the following:


December 21, 2005 | EPI Policy Memorandum

What's wrong with the economy?

by EPI President Lawrence Mishel and Policy Director Ross Eisenbrey

1. Profits are up, but the wages and the incomes of average Americans are down.

* Inflation-adjusted hourly and weekly wages are still below where they were at the start of the recovery in November 2001. Yet, productivity—the growth of the economic pie—is up by 13.5%.

* Wage growth has been shortchanged because 35% of the growth of total income in the corporate sector has been distributed as corporate profits, far more than the 22% in previous periods.

* Consequently, median household income (inflation-adjusted) has fallen five years in a row and was 4% lower in 2004 than in 1999, falling from $46,129 to $44,389.

2. More and more people are deeper and deeper in debt.

* The indebtedness of U.S. households, after adjusting for inflation, has risen 35.7% over the last four years.

* The level of debt as a percent of after-tax income is the highest ever measured in our history. Mortgage and consumer debt is now 115% of after-tax income, twice the level of 30 years ago.

* The debt-service ratio (the percent of after-tax income that goes to pay off debts) is at an all-time high of 13.6%.

* The personal savings rate is negative for the first time since WWII.

3. Job creation has not kept up with population growth, and the employment rate has fallen sharply.

* The United States has only 1.3% more jobs today (excluding the effects of Hurricane Katrina) than in March 2001 (the start of the recession). Private sector jobs are up only 0.8%. At this stage of previous business cycles, jobs had grown by an average of 8.8% and never less than 6.0%.

* The unemployment rate is relatively low at 5%, but still higher than the 4% in 2000. Plus, the percent of the population that has a job has never recovered since the recession and is still 1.3% lower than in March 2001. If the employment rate had returned to pre-recession levels, 3 million more people would be employed.

* More than 3 million manufacturing jobs have been lost since January 2000.

4. Poverty is on the rise.

* The poverty rate rose from 11.3% in 2000 to 12.7% in 2004.

* The number of people living in poverty has increased by 5.4 million since 2000.

* More children are living in poverty: the child poverty rate increased from 16.2% in 2000 to 17.8% in 2004.

5. Rising health care costs are eroding families' already declining income.

* Households are spending more on health care. Family health costs rose 43-45% for married couples with children, single mothers, and young singles from 2000 to 2003.

* Employers are cutting back on health insurance. Last year, the percent of people with employer-provided health insurance fell for the fourth year in a row. Nearly 3.7 million fewer people had employer-provided insurance in 2004 than in 2000. Taking population growth into account, 11 million more people would have had employer-provided health insurance in 2004 if the coverage rate had remained at the 2000 level.

How do you discount statements like this :



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was a mistake that has made the world a more dangerous place, but a swift withdrawal would make matters worse, Pakistan's president said this weekend.

"I think it's less safe," Gen. Pervez Musharraf said on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

Asked whether he considered the invasion a mistake, the Pakistani leader said: "With hindsight, yes. We have landed ourselves in more trouble, yes."

Musharraf was in Washington on Saturday for a brief meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush and is now in London for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday.

In Washington, the leaders of Pakistan and the United States discussed the issue of terrorism, bilateral concerns, relations between India and Pakistan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Full story)

Although ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein "was a hated man" in his own country, many Iraqis have now turned their wrath on the U.S.-led forces that remain behind to provide security for an interim government, Musharraf said.

"People at the lower level don't like the visibility of foreign troops who are in their country," he said.

Pakistan opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

However, Musharraf said he does not believe U.S. and coalition troops should pull out immediately. Only after elections are held and the situation stabilized should the United States consider a withdrawal from Iraq, he said.

"[An early withdrawal] would create more problems in the region," he said. "Now that we are there, we need to stabilize the situation."