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| Iraq |
| Did David Kay fumble the ball on the search for WMD's? |
| 2004-03-02 |
| Tried, but couldn't figure out what to edit out of this! With folks returning home, including our soldiers, it will be interesting to start reading their accounts about what has and has not happened. Case Not Closed: Iraq's WMD Stockpiles In the summer of 2003, I served as Chief of Staff in the Iraqi Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), an organization formerly called the Ministry of Atomic Energy. The Ministry had a small staff of Americans and Iraqis, and was one of several ministries of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Baghdad. One of our key tasks was to transition several thousand Iraqi scientists and engineers from military and state-owned enterprises to private enterprises involved in more peaceful endeavors. Working there, I enjoyed a unique vantage point on the activities of the Iraqi Survey Group (ISG), the inspection agency headed by Dr. David Kay, charged with finding WMD. Dr. Kay's recent report and his testimony before Congress have helped fuel flames of criticism of the Bush Administration, and of 12 years of prewar intelligence on Iraq. We at the MOST were a vital link in the WMD reporting chain, and in coordinating interviews by the ISG with the scientists of the ministry. In addition, we had resident scientific and technical expertise, and some of our people also had extensive experience working with intelligence organizations in the conduct of tactical ground and maritime reconnaissance operations. Based on this background, I want to report to my fellow Americans on some of the problems and missed opportunities I observed in the work of the ISG. In doing so, I speak only for myself, not for my colleagues, or for any organ of the CPA, or for any agency of the United States Government. The ISG's search for significant stockpiles of WMD has so far come up empty. It may be that there are no large stockpiles, as Dr. Kay has stated. But from my perspective in the MOST, this lack of a positive finding may also be the result of unfocused and uncoordinated ISG search operations. It is entirely possible that the much sought-after WMD stockpiles may be literally right under the feet of coalition forces, and until a properly coordinated search effort is completed, no firm conclusions about their presence or absence can be reached. The case remains open. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #5 I don't know whether the WMD's are there or not there, but I understand the difficulty in trying to come up with a rational way to search through an irrational society. I guess the major problem that I have with Kay's search is that scientists will be involved in programs and development - and Kay found programs. One a product has been developed, manufacturing of any substance is usually the realm of engineers not scientists. As the author pointed out, though, you still have to interview the scientists regardless. I think we truly have become a society of morons. Evidently, 50% of Americans believe that a country with knowledge and programs should be left alone. People willing to think can't help but see that enrichment via centrifuge and proliferation Khan-style were watershed changes to the status quo of an order of magnitude similar in level to 9-11. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-3-2 10:42:14 PM |
| #4 Get this, from Hume's interview with Cheney: We still haven't completed the search. There's still a lot more work to be done before the ISG will be able to say they've turned over all the rocks and looked in all the crannies and nooks in Iraq. Now, either the administration is saying "hit us again, please", or there's more to the story than we know. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-3-2 9:30:56 PM |
| #3 Interesting point there B. We know that Iraqis like to bury weapons and ordnance in their gardens. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-3-2 9:05:25 PM |
| #2 HA! I told you so!! the much sought-after WMD stockpiles may be literally right under the feet of coalition forces Uh..."literally" being the operative word here. Please tell me that I am not the ONLY person on rantburg who can "read" this (beside the author). It may be that there are no large stockpiles, as Dr. Kay has stated." But from my perspective....this lack of a positive finding may also be the result of unfocused and uncoordinated ISG search operations." Now here is a little sentence that those of you with better than 20/20 vision can see the real meaning of, "My experience, and the character of day to day life in Iraq, indicate just the opposite" Hello!!! Is the whole *&*(&ng world blind??? Why is this little gem just sitting there all alone??? Come on, man...."Dude"...did you think we would miss it buried among the word heap??? Uh...wrong!!! And I'm quite sure I"m not alone here. For those of us who can see, it's like a beacon...a *&(^*g lighthouse!! Damn...this article is good. For those of you who can't read it properly..this article says, "there are no stockpiles of WMD's. However, the WMD's are buried in the gardens of the scientists or other very clever spots. David Kay and others apparently are not clever enough, (or perhaps they are blinded by the photos of them having sex with minors )to see the very obvious fact that Sadaam did have WMD's. Somebody pay me to do this. I work cheap!! $0/per hour. |
| Posted by: B 2004-3-2 8:25:33 PM |
| #1 Great article. No doubt we'll be hearing many more stories like this....just not in the usual biased media channels. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-3-2 7:43:56 PM |