No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

 

No WMD's In Iraq? (Part II)

It looks like the Bush administration has decided that they won't find any WMD's in Iraq.

Jake Tapper in Salon says "April 30, 2003 | In his NBC interview last Thursday, President Bush set off critics by citing what appeared to be a new standard of proof for Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction.

No longer was the U.S. necessarily on the hunt for the actual weapons of mass destruction, or WMD, the president said. Rather, the investigation of suspect sites in Iraq by coalition forces would prove that Saddam Hussein "had a weapons of mass destruction program." The same day as the interview, at an Abrams Army Tank plant in Lima, Ohio, Bush noted that "whether he destroyed them, moved them or hid them, we're going to find out the truth."

This, of course, follows months of reassuring Americans that WMD would be found. Earlier this month, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer called the weapons "what this war was about"; and just Tuesday, Secretary of State Colin Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that with the help of captured Iraqi leaders, the WMD "will be found." But now the administration seems to be preparing the country for news of evidence that WMD once existed in Iraq -- with no actual WMD -- and calling it a victory.

Part of this might be because, of the 55 Iraqi leaders Central Command has deemed "most wanted," 14 have been captured and, according to a report in the Associated Press, each -- including Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and chemical and biological weapons chieftain Lt. Gen. Amer al-Saadi -- is denying that Iraq had any WMD before the war."

Boys and Girls, we have been lied to and now they are spinning the lies.

But there is a lot of time until November 2004. They really don't need to worry. If any mainstream journalist decides to cut off his inside the White House sources and ask what happened to the WMD's, Ari Fleisher will simply pull up the most recent quote and point out that the President said "whether he destroyed them, moved them or hid them, we're going to find out the truth." and then move on quickly.

This is the most dangerous, secretive and deceitful Presidential administration this nation has ever had.
posted by Richard at 8:02 PM