Further Adventures in Mind Expansion for the Useful Idiot: Shedding Some Light on the WDM Meme

Saskatchewan's useful idiot repeats the meme for which the left thinks it gets the most mileage: "...oh wait it was because of WMDs, nope that's not it.."

So lets take a closer look.

First of all, let's listen to President Clinton in February, 1998:



Clinton does an excellent job of summarizing the cat and mouse game for which Saddam Hussein was famous (infamous, actually). Who in their right mind would trust the Butcher of Baghdad to be forthcoming and honest in his disclosures and cooperation with UN weapons inspections? Who, that is, other than Useful Idiots goose stepping in tune to Taliban Jack and crew?

Secondly, read this:

Iraq - It's Infrastructure of concealment, deception and intimidation

Read all of it. But I'll give you just the opening thesis statement as a teaser:

"The role of the Inspectors is to monitor and verify the disarmament of Iraq as demanded by the international community at the end of the Gulf War, 12 years ago. Inspectors are not a detective agency: They can only work effectively if the Iraqi Regime co-operates pro-actively with the Inspectors. We know this can be done successfully: South Africa did it.

But Iraq has singularly failed to do this."(Emphasis mine)

Perhaps Sean, you were too busy with your studies, working your way through what must have been six, maybe seven or eight years of university, chasing the girl who would become your wife and what not, to be paying attention. You're a young guy with your life ahead of you, so who can blame you for having other priorities. But, Sean, the concealment, deception and intimidation (otherwise known as the cat and mouse game) had gone on for over a decade and continued right up until Baghdad fell. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were not be aware of this. But if you were, then you really are in bed with the devil.

Now, here's a few more about who armed Saddam Hussein and how the sanctions were falling apart.

But Iraq did go Uranium Shopping in Niger

Did you know that Vatican City was one of only a handful of places where Iraq had full diplomatic relations and that the Iraqi Ambassador to the Vatican was the former head of Iraq's nuclear program? No, I didn't think you did. I didn't either, for that matter. But why the heck does an ambassador to the Vatican, probably the most obscure assignment and uninvolved with world politics of all possible diplomatic postings, in other words, easily ignorable, need to have expertise in nuclear weapons and why would he visit Niger, a country known for absolutely nothing except its vast deposits of uranium ore? A deal on yellowcake, perhaps? Interesting question, no? Hitch, the author of the above piece, has an interesting explanation for the whole Valerie Plame affair, too.

You want to know a bit more about which country assisted Iraq in building up its WDM program and why it took a pass on joining the Coalition of the Willing? Read this:

Germany's leading role in arming Iraq

As a matter of fact, Germany was not alone. Read these:

Syria undermined Iraq sanctions, armed Saddam

Facts about who benefits from keeping Saddam Hussein in Power

Setting the record straight on who armed Saddam

Even the Iraq Survey Group's findings, Iraq had no WMD: the final verdict, suggest he had the intent to rebuild his capacity, once the sanctions were lifted:

"Instead, the ISG report says in its conclusion that there was evidence to suggest the Iraqi regime planned to restart its illegal weapons programmes if UN sanctions were lifted."

and as we all know, the sanctions regime was rapidly breaking down, and it was not Saddam Hussein who suffered as a result of those sanctions in any case, but rather, due largely to his ability to circumvent them and exploit Western dupes through the display of sick and dead children, it was the Iraqi people who suffered.

And you know what, Sean. Even the exhaulted United Nations believed he had them:

"In a report which might alternately be termed “stunning” or “terrifying”, United Nations weapons inspectors confirmed last week not merely that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but that he smuggled them out of his country, before, during and after the war."

including Canada:

"Addressing a group of 700 university researchers and business leaders in Montreal last month, (Canada's Prime Minister, Paul) Martin stated bluntly that terrorists have acquired WMDs from Saddam. “The fact is that there is now, we know well, a proliferation of nuclear weapons, and that many weapons that Saddam Huseein (sic) had, we don't know where they are…. [T]errorists have access to all of them,” the Canadian premier warned."

and:

"Every intelligence agency in the world -- French, British, German, Russian, Czech, you name it -- agreed before the war; Jordanian intelligence can certainly confirm their opinion today."

Then there's the Congressional Resolution on Iraq, also known as the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq'. You do know, do you not, Sean, that it is Congress, by a joint resolution of both houses, that must authorize any war that America initiates. It is not "Bush's" war.

Now, I'll turn to statements by prominent Democrats, who evidently have very short memories and very little understanding of the power of new media. It looks like all the Democrats lied, too, but not about their belief in Saddam Hussein's capacity to develop WDM and deceive the world about it. They lied about their stand on (ie. their support) for the war. Flip-floppers, all.

No Sean. The Americans and their allies went to war because George Bush and Bill Clinton told the truth.