February 1, 2004

Weapons Inspector Says CIA Needs More Spies

The question -- "What did he know, and when did he know it?" – is being bruited about by senatorial attack-dogs out to destroy President Bush.

Back in Richard Nixon days, the question brought down a president. It also brought impeachment for Bill Clinton.  

Now, senators Kennedy, H. Clinton and Levin – left-wing claque of the Armed Services Committee – are baying the question anent George W.

They charge Bush exaggerated CIA reports about Iraq’s "weapons of mass destruction." This to justify a war against Iraq and vindicate his father’s alleged botch of the 1991Gulf War.

This is flimsy stuff, but drowning people clutch at straws. In politics, unreasoned hate knows no restraint.

The Gulf War was bollixed by the United Nations. It allowed elder Bush to drive Saddam Hussein out of invaded Kuwait but, specifically, not to venture into Iraq.

First-Bush’s mistake was in asking permission of the U.N. The second was obeying the U.N. instruction not to pursue Saddam’s retreating army – thereby snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Self-described "yellow-dog" Democrats are hysterical about Bush-2. They say no WMDs have been discovered because there were none. Also, that there was no Iraq connection to the al Quida carnage of 9-11-01.

They seem to have forgotten that the 105th Congress in 1998 – with approval by President Clinton – passed the Iraq Liberation Act calling for "removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime."

The facts are that Saddam had tons of WMDs and used them against Iran and his own people. After the Gulf War, he reconstituted his WMD programs in violation of U.N. sanctions.

More ominously, Saddam extended hospitality to Abu Nidal, the world’s most deadly international terrorist with ties to Bin Laden.

Bin Laden – operating from Afghanistan – bombed U.S. embassies and European civilian targets with impunity. He easily ducked a cruise missile launched at him by President Clinton.  

Bombing the Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon were unprovoked attacks on the U.S. homeland requiring military response from President Bush.

It is remembered that four of Bin Laden’s terrorists attempted to bring down the towers in 1993 with an explosive-laden van. Severe damage was inflicted, six people killed and a thousand injured. The terrorists were apprehended and are in prison.

The 9-11-01 attacks destroyed both Towers, four airliners crowded with passengers, severely damaged the Pentagon and killed 3,000 Americans.

This is more than was killed at Pearl Harbor which brought the United States into World War II.

President Bush demanded Afghanistan turn over Bin Laden. When the Taliban warlords refused, Bush declared war on terrorism, starting with Afghanistan.  

A nervous Saddam, heading the axis of evil list, arranged a "suicide" – three shots to the head – of Nidal in Aug 2002.

The sacrifice of Nidal was a sop. Saddam was a ruthless maniac with untold wealth and military equipment to bankroll terrorism indefinitely.

David A. Kay, former chief weapons inspector in Iraq, was appointed to chair an Iraq Survey Group about intelligence leading up to the war.

Criticism of the group for taking too much time to evaluate intelligence documents led Kay to resign.

Then, Kay was summoned to testify before the Senate committee trying to find fault with pre-war intelligence.

Bush haters contend he "manipulated" CIA information to justify war "for political purposes."

Kay says, "CIA information forwarded to the administration was not as complete as one would wish, but it cannot ever be."

 He believes the intelligence agency relies too much on electronic and satellite information and not enough on spies.

"It turns out we all probably were wrong," testified Kay.

"There is an unresolved ambiguity over many aspects of Mr. Hussein’s weapons program as a result of the looting of documents, laboratories and military bases.

"Some of it is petty vandalism and some probably was organized to hide evidence."

In attempts by the Terrible Threesome to get Kay to support their Bush slurs. Kay would only say, "I don’t know. I leave that to you politicians."

He did opine, however, "It is unthinkable that any president would start a war for political gain."

 PARTING SHOTS

John Edwards, a rich personal-injury lawyer, is moving up in the Democratic primaries. He could promise to wipe out the deficit by suing tobacco companies.

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Burger King now offers a bun-less hamburger. The marketing director who launched this during the mad cow scare is advised to keep his night job.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be reached at linwms@lindseywilliams.org