role reversal: bush wants war, pentagon urges caut, page-6

I'm glad you approve of the site, Fallguy. No doubt the following intelligence reports with fill your heart with joy to know your prospective employer and leftie idolised underdog is in reality just a plain lying feral dog and is about to become dead meat.

We have the proof" on Iraq, intelligence pros tell Bush
By DOUG THOMPSON
Jan 24, 2003, 01:25

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U.S. intelligence professionals, under pressure from the Bush administration to provide proof needed to justify war with Iraq, say they now have documented Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction as well as the location of hidden chemical weapon warheads.



The documentation, shared for the first time with the White House on Thursday, provides much of the material the administration needs to launch an attack on Iraq.



While proof positive of the existence of weapons of mass destruction is now available, the U.S. is still working to provide a documented link between Hussein and Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda terrorist who masterminded the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon outside of Washington, DC.



“We have most of the pieces of the puzzle in place,” an FBI source confirmed to Capitol Hill Blue late Thursday. “Most of this has come together in the last 36 hours but we now feel comfortable telling the President we can document both the existence and location of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.”



Part of the proof has come from UN Inspectors at work in Iraq through documents obtained at the homes of two nuclear physicists in Iraq. The documents clearly show an ongoing program to develop nuclear weapons in clear violation of the cease fire agreement that ended the Gulf War.



U.S. officials, however, are concerned the weapons inspectors found the documents last week, yet Dr. Hans Blix, head of the inspections team, failed to notify the U.S., Britian or France during briefings.



"The information was in the hands of the inspectors but we had to find out about it through other, independent sources," an FBI source said.



Although Bush has claimed publicly he does not need proof of either the existence of such weapons or a link between Hussein and bin Laden to invade Iraq, leaders in his own party have urged him privately to slow down until the proof was in hand.



“It’s full speed ahead now,” a White House aide said in a relieved tone on Thursday. “We are going to war.”



Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was urging caution with Iraq, signaled his acceptance of the new information Thursday in a press conference with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Powell said he saw “no need for further weapons inspections in Iraq” before launching an invasion.



“The Secretary is convinced now that we have satisfied our need to prove our case,” said a State Department source.



Senior Pentagon military planners are also said to be withdrawing their reservations about the war, reservations based on their belief the U.S. had not yet documented its case against Iraq.



Military leaders were briefed by the CIA and FBI on Thursday morning and told Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld they are behind the President when he gives the order to attack.



“Things are falling into place,” says retired intelligence analyst Ronald Blackstone. “Just 48 hours ago, there were still too many loose ends. Now they are getting tied together. That’s how intelligence works. You keep digging until you find the facts and then you document your case. The intelligence community was under pressure because the administration had moved before everything was in place. It looks like they might luck out on this one.”



Capitol Hill Blue learned Powell shared the information with British Foreign Secretary Straw shortly before their joint press conference on Thursday and that Prime Minister Tony Blair had also been briefed by U.S. officials earlier in the day. The administration still must decide what and how much information to share with reluctant allies like France and Germany but White House sources predicted both would be on board by the time an attack is launched in February.



U.S. officials are not sure how to deal with what they now feel is the UN's reluctance to share what they have found. Although inspectors have admitted finding warheads capable of carrying chemical and biological weapons, they have failed to discose the more damaging discoveries.



"If the UN is not forthcoming, it will increase the liklihood the administration will simply bypass them and proceed against Iraq on our own," says on administration source.



“There’s not a lot of trust of the UN within the Bush administration,” says political scientist George Harleigh. “It might not be feasible to share sensitive information with them or to depend on what they tell us.”



Blackstone says the U.S. might not be able to share much of the information because it might compromise U.S. assets in Iran.



“You can’t risk your sources of information. Plus, ideally, they would like to firm up the al Qaeda link,” says Blackstone. “But that is really a moot issue at this point. Documenting the existence of weapons of mass destruction means Hussein is in violation of the terms of his surrender in Desert Storm. That, in reality, is all the U.S. and its allies need to launch an attack.



Still, France has threatened a UN Security Council veto is the U.S. asks for resolution specifically authorizing an attack. China and Russia have also said they have reservations about an invasion.



Powell, however, is optimistic of support when it is needed.



“When the time comes, I don’t think we will have to worry about going it alone,” he said.
© Copyright 2003 by Capitol Hill Blue


"United Nations, rotten one day, putrid the next."