The American Spectator

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Getting Out

6.18.04 @ 12:01AM

LATEST SCOOPS
Re: Steven Martinovich's Another Ignored Discovery:

Contrary to his story, the real story is how, after the invasion, the U.S. let so much of this stuff get out of Iraq, in another example of what goes wrong with not enough troops and no advance preparation. Nice try at spinning, Spectator.
-- Steve Snyder

The discovery that a ballistic missile site near Baghdad was dismantled and shipped out of Iraq as scrap between May 2003 and February 2004 says less about WMD (which the author admits the facility was not) and a lot more about how the occupation of Iraq was completely bungled after the Hussein regime was dismantled.
-- Duff Bailey

Baloney! Mr. Martinovich's only fact is Mr. Perricos' photos of a ballistic missile site that was present in May 2003 and missing in February 2004. The Iraqi army was in shambles in March 2003 and the U.S. declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, 2003. Saddam Hussein is running for his life and probably living in holes in the ground like the one in which he was found. How is he shipping WMD out of Iraq as scrap metal during the period of May, 2003 and February 2004? Perricos has no evidence that the scrap metal findings are not the result of the wholesale looting of Iraq by Iraqis that took place under the noses of U.S. troops. The reason Perricos' report was of little interest to the media is because it is crap. No story here, just the ramblings of a neo-con.
-- Jim Breef

In regard to Steven Martinovich's "Another Ignored Discovery" I am thoroughly disgusted with the media's focus on ignoring everything in the Iraq conflict and indeed in foreign affairs in general that they cannot blow out of proportion and blame on President Bush. Witness the President's audience with the Pope. The two men traded compliments, agreed they disagreed on a few things, Mr. Bush presented a medal to the Pope, the Pope said "God bless America, and what were the headlines from our "fair and balanced" journalists the next day? "Pope Rebukes Bush!" In fact the Pope praised Bush.

The problem is: What is to be done? The so-called mainstream press in the U.S. is simply an organ of the American Socialist left (read that: national Democratic Party). My solution, arrived at years ago, was to refuse to buy left wing papers. I grew up with the Baltimore Sun (known locally as the Baltimore Pravda). About ten years ago I switched to the Washington Times. I challenge you -- read the Washington Times for three months and then go back and read the Baltimore Sun. What you will find is the articles, commentary and editorials in the Sun are inseparable and none of them make a damn bit of sense. Ditto television news -- just don't watch the major networks -- their entire agenda is to return the Democratic Socialist elite to power. It's boycott time--who will go along?
-- W. G. Wheatley
Worton, Maryland

Everything Mr. Martinovich said is and should be in the mainstream media for all to see, BUT when the Bush administration was trying ever so hard to sell the war the public, they drilled into our collective brains that Iraq "HAS weapons of mass destruction," they made it seem that these things were lying around the country-side waiting to be used. Mr. Colin Powell had the audacity to even claim that weapons were in the palm trees lining the Baghdad streets.

The weapons inspectors after the Gulf War repeatedly said that the weapons they did find back then were destroyed. If all these chemical and nuclear weapons and factories and people that produced these weapons were shipped out of the country, I'm sorry, but NO ONE NOTICED?? With the technology we have at our disposal, no one noticed this activity? Oh that's right, our so-called technology also pinpointed weapons hidden in the palm trees.

So excuse us for thinking that his reasoning for going to war (remember...to disarm Saddam?) has been tainted since the invasion began over a year ago. If you're brainwashed into thinking something is for real then that reality turns out to be not so real, then how can anyone ever believe what this Administration says? Reminds me of the USSR and the propaganda they used to shove into the faces of their citizens. Even after the 9/11 Commission posts its results, Bush and company will totally ignore their findings and still try to drum into our "American Idol-washed" brains that Saddam has weapons and that he was behind the terrorist attacks. Which reminds me, he also said there would be peace in the Middle East once Saddam is captured and "brought to justice." Okay...still waiting for that "peace".
-- S. G.

Hey, a hot news item, J. H. Hatfield story about a cocaine bust by the president. Go get him, guys. It's great to see upstanding journalism willing to go after a sitting president. I understand G.H. Bush suppressed the story. If anyone can dig up the story, I know You guys can!
-- Luis Flores

I just read the article "Another Ignored Discovery." Is your writer
on Crack?

Seriously, "after the war in Iraq, Saddam Hussein shipped weapons of mass destruction and medium-range ballistic missiles" -- I thought that after the war Saddam was too busy hiding in rat holes to ship anything?

Plus, how does anyone ship anything out of Iraq, say to the Netherlands, without coalition troops knowing about it, seeing as they control all air and sea transportation?

I don't know the exact extent of the resources that Bush has set aside for the hunting down of WMD, but I have read that it is substantial and considering that coalition forces have occupied Iraq for over a year and still have found nothing, odds are they will keep on finding nothing ... especially after the extensive interrogations and reward money that has been offered and still nothing!

Just my two cents ...
-- Harry Jansen

Letter to the Editor

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