Still Looking

Just following up from a post last night: there is no transcript yet from Nightline's interview with David Kay. However, I'm sure I heard what I mentioned in last night's post. Kay alleged that Hussein's regime was in danger of collapse (ok, maybe he didn't say "imminent," although I want to read the interview). As soon as I find anything, I'll pass it along.

This is getting almost comical, except for the fact that large numbers of US soldiers and Iraqi civilians are risking life and limb on a daily basis. Last night I also tuned into the long version of Kay on C-Cpan. The amount of verbiage used to avoid stating the obvious is staggering. I'll give them that much credit--they hide statements of fact far better than any rouge state's cache of illegal arms (especially when the rogue state in question simply doesn't have them).

I laughed out loud when Kay told one of the senators (I forget who, but it might have been Carl Levin) that evidence of "related program activities" included unsuccessful attempts by the Hussein regime to manufacture VX precursors with local chemicals, and unsuccessful attempts to freeze-dry liquid anthrax (no word on how Hussein GOT anthrax). So Saddam tried to localize his weapons production--duh. He didn't succeed, probably because chemical manufacture is difficult without the proper raw materials, and after 1991, Iraq couldn't even get chlorine (a standard agent in chemical weapons) to purify their drinking water (because chlorine is "dual-use"). Aside: lack of purified drinking water was a MAJOR reason for the large numbers of deaths resulting from the sanctions.

So Saddam Hussein had "the potential to potentially become a potentially major threat" to the United States at "potentially some potential time in the potential future." I'd like to see some criminal defense attorney try to justify criminal action with the "potential threat" defense. It would receive the ridicule it deserves.