Day: June 21, 2006

Reports are flying fast and furious, and details remain sketchy since Sen. Rick Santorum announced late today that Coalition Forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent. (Transcript in MS Word Doc format, courtesy of Captain’s Quarters)

According to The Corner…

* Since 2003 Coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent.

* Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq’s pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist.

* Pre-Gulf War Iraqi chemical weapons could be sold on the black market. Use of these weapons by terrorists or insurgent groups would have implications for Coalition forces in Iraq. The possibility of use outside Iraq cannot be ruled out.

* The most likely munitions remaining are sarin and mustard-filled projectiles.

* The purity of the agent inside the munitions depends on many factors, including the manufacturing process, potential additives, and environmental storage conditions. While agents degrade over time, chemical warfare agents remain hazardous and potentially lethal.

* It has been reported in open press that insurgents and Iraqi groups desire to acquire and use chemical weapons.

Now, the real question…why now? Why is this story just coming out?

Why?

It will be interesting to see how this evolves over the next few days.

Captain’s Quarters is all over the news. Likewise, Hot Air.

Dan Riehl notes that WMD discovery in Iraq hasn’t been a secret, it’s just been under-reported.

I’ve been an AOL user. I’ve been a Real Networks user. Verizon, DISH Network, and Comcast too. I’ve had dozens of cancellation experiences just like this one, and I can completely relate to the insanity. 

George W. Bush, on Iraq and the polls:

“People didn’t agree with my decision on Iraq. And I understand that. For Europe, September the 11th was a moment; for us it was a change of thinking. I vowed to the American people I would do everything I could to defend our people, and will. I fully understood that the longer we got away from September the 11th, more people would forget the lessons of September the 11th. But I’m not going to forget them.”

“And therefore, I will be steadfast and diligent and strong in defending our country.”

“I don’t govern by polls, you know. I just do what I think is right.”

Contrast this statement with the Democratic Party’s “cut and run” position or as I heard Sen. Diane Feinstein call it, “cut and win” strategy for winning in Iraq and fighting the global war on terror.

With Bush, it’s plain, simple and clear. On Iraq, and on Terrorism, I’m proud to stand with my commander-in-chief.

He’s protesting the killing of an attorney on his defense team. I believe this is just another example of the kind of manipulation Saddam and his cohorts practiced so well during his presidency. By staging another protest, the world is supposed to believe Saddam had nothing to do with this murder, that he’s just another victim, the cards are stacked against him, and he has no hope of getting fair treatment. How do we know he didn’t just get tired of the effort being put forth by this attorney and called for his ‘elimination’ in order to send a message to the rest of his defense team? The point is, we don’t know, but given what we do know of Saddam and his tactics, we should at least be suspicious.

I won’t cut this guy any slack, ever.