More About That 550 Tons Of Yellow Cake and Lying Democrats!

My column titled, "Bush Lied? What About That 550 Metric Tons of Yellow Cake, Lefty?" has been widely distributed and commented on over the past several days.

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Comments received have been predictably partisan: Conservatives generally agree with the points made, while liberals almost universally reject the notion that George W. Bush acted in good faith and to the benefit of humanity by choosing to invade Iraq. Additional information and clarifications are presented herewith: 1. I did not claim that the yellow cake was discovered in 2003. 2. The basis for the facts in my article was an AP report, the link to which is provided here. There was no other source. 3. Yellow cake is a very dangerous substance, which can be converted to WMD with the right equipment and technology. To believe that Saddam Hussein lacked the ability or motivation to acquire and perfect the equipment for production of nuclear WMD is, in my opinion, foolhardy and naive. 4. Those who believe that presence of IAEA inspectors assured that the yellow cake was controlled and adequately protected from diversion overlook two vital facts: A. Saddam Hussein kicked the IAEA out of Iraq in 1998. Given that fact, just how effective was the IAEA? B. The IAEA was not, and is not, held in high esteem by some professionals and experts. Those who wish to explore the facts further should Google "IAEA effectiveness in Iraq" to glean more information, which includes, in part, the following report from the Nuclear Control Institute ([url=http://www.nci.org/new/iraq-ib.htm]http://www.nci.org/new/iraq-ib.htm[/url]): "The IAEA performance in Iraq has not been reassuring. Iraq learned early on that it could conceal a nuclear weapons program by cooperating with the IAEA. Khidhir Hamza, a senior Iraqi scientist who defected to the United States in 1994, wrote in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that Saddam Hussein approved a deception-by-cooperation scheme in 1974. "Iraq was careful to avoid raising IAEA suspicions; an elaborate strategy was gradually developed to deceive and manipulate the agency," Hamza said.[6] The strategy worked. Iraq, as a signer of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, was subject to IAEA inspections on all nuclear facilities. But IAEA's inspectors had failed to detect the Iraqi "Manhattan Project," which was discovered after the Gulf War by IAEA teams at sites identified by the U.N. Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM)" There are undoubtedly those who would be able to sleep comfortably in the knowledge that IAEA was protecting one's loved ones from Saddam. That would not be true in my case. 5. Had the United States not invaded Iraq in 2003, that 550 metric tons of yellow cake would have remained physically within Saddam's sphere of influence. Again, perhaps that would not bother some, but in light of 9/11, it bothered many Americans, including President Bush. 6. My column includes scores of references to Democrat politicians and officials who repeatedly declared that Saddam Hussein had WMD and that he posed a severe threat to the world, including the United States. Regrettably, all of those public words by Democrats get lost in the rush to give credence to the left wing mantra "Bush Lied! People died!" In truth, the high emotions surrounding WMD and the war on terror itself appear to be rooted in unmitigated hatred for George Bush and Dick Cheney, rather than objective consideration of facts. 7. Lest we forget, there is also the matter of UN Resolution 1441 which, although it did not authorize the use of force, did in fact document Saddam's legacy of possessing and using WMD. Refer to the link below for the official document titled, "Security Council Holds Iraq In 'Material Breach of Disarmament Obligations' " which was passed unanimously by the UN Security Council on August 11, 2002. 1441: [url=http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/SC7564.doc.htm]http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/SC7564.doc.htm[/url] 8. In October 2002, the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq was passed by the U.S. Congress. In the US House, 296 representatives (215 Republicans and 81 Democrats) approved the Resolution. In the US Senate, 77 senators (48 Republicans and 29 Democrats) approved the Resolution. In total, then, 110 Democrats voted in favor of the resolution. President Bush signed the resolution into law on October 16, 2002. The actual document itself can be viewed at the following link: 9. It has become fashionable "blood sport" in the media, and among liberals, to ridicule President Bush by calling him stupid, either directly or by inference. The delicious irony in that is that those who denigrate Bush's intelligence the loudest are often the same folks who will swear that Bush sonehow tricked those 110 Democrats into voting for the war resolution in 2002! For a man with the alleged IQ of radioactive dust, George W. Bush seems to be an overachiever when it comes to bamboozling, and defeating, Democrats! 10. In my judgment, America (and the entire world actually) is fortunate that President Bush decided to invade Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein. The president's action allowed the Iraqi system of justice to punish Saddam Hussein for his brutal dictatorship, including the use of WMD on his own citizens. In summary, I continue to believe that President Bush acted wisely, and that his actions have made the world a safer place. The fact that Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat to the middle east should earn George W. Bush international acclaim, rather than the abuse and ridicule which has been heaped upon this honorable man by a biased media and Democrat Party still jaded from defeats in two separate presidential elections.