Is Iraq really a distraction from the real Terror War, as some would have us think? Here’s the latest from StrategyPage:
The latest authoritative (from usually reliable sources) Anthrax rumor from Washington points out that only three nations (U.S., Britain and Iraq) capable of making the kind of Anthrax spores used in the 2001 attacks.
Unless Martin Sheen or Harold Pinter got their hands on some military-grade anthranx spores last year, I’m putting my money on Iraq.
This headline must be the Fat Lady stepping up to the mic.
Letting the So San drop off its SCUD missiles in Yemen is not the end of the world. It is not a diplomatic, military, or intelligence failure. It is not a setback in the Current War, nor is it a sign of wobbling in the White House.
You carpers — and I’m speaking directly to certain bloggers here — are either using rhetoric to whore for hits or, at best, just aren’t seeing the whole picture.
First off, let’s be frank: The SCUD is a perfectly shitty missile. Under ideal conditions, even the SCUD-D variant has difficulty hitting the major metropolitan area it’s aimed at — assuming it doesn’t break up in flight.
As a terror weapon, however, you could always argue that. . .well, you could only argue that it’s even worse. Sure, Saddam launched some into Israel back in ’91, accomplishing zip. But those were conventional warheads, you say? So what. Would Saddam, even if he managed to build a nuke, risk losing (er, using) it on a missile unlikely to hit its target, even if it got there? Chemicals, then? Notoriously overrated.
But, what’s that, some of you are griping, what if. . . ohmygod, what if al Qaeda got one? Or a dozen! Let the kids sleep and don’t phone the neighbors. Ever seen a SCUD launcher? It’s like trying to hide an oversized semi-truck. A big, green, military-looking semi. With — duh! — a hulking missile strapped on it.
So what happened yesterday? The Alliance showed that even smaller players like Spain have some teeth. The United States showed that it won’t needlessly embarrass a mostly-cooperative ally over a piddling point. Most importantly, American intelligence showed North Korea that we know much more about their goings on than the Dear Leader should really be comfortable with.
Take a deep breath, wipe the spittle off your monitor, and write about something important, OK?
(or
Yes, I’m actually working on something for tomorrow.
And who knows — someday, I might catch up on email.
I’m listening to Trent Lott on Sean Hannity’s radio show, via Fox News.
Lott has said everything but “some of my best friends are black people,” — but the interview isn’t over yet.
Why inspections won’t disarm Saddam:
United States inspectors visited Osirik seven times during the 1980s, but they were unable to obtain an accurate picture of the activities carried out there, largely due to tight Iraqi control over the timing and agenda of the visits. The Iraqis went so far as to install false control room panels and to brick over elevators and hallways that accessed certain areas of the facility. The inspectors were able to report that there was no clear scientific research or civilian nuclear power program justifying such a large reactor – circumstantial evidence of the Israeli bomb program – but found no evidence of “weapons related activities” such as the existence of a plutonium reprocessing plant.
That report is from the FAS — only I changed it a little. Replace “Osirik” with “Dimona,” the ’60s for the 1980s, and instead of Iraqis, the interlopers were Israeli. That’s how easy it is for our friends to fool us, and at a single known site in a tiny country, instead of multiple, hidden sites in a relatively large nation.
Israel has beween 100-200 nuclear bombs.
Turkey day, Christmas shopping, house hunting, mortgage finagling (er, financing), have all left me busier than I’ve ever been.
Well, except for that summer I worked two jobs for 90 hours a week without a day off — but I was 19 then, and able to consume three pots of coffee before needing a bathroom break.
Anyway.
I’m playing catch up with all the bad news and good blogging I missed this last week, but I’ll always let personal affairs get in the way of my blogging.