Powell not sure Iraq trailers were labs

April 3, 2004 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State
Colin Powell conceded Friday evidence he presented to the
United Nations that two trailers in Iraq were used for
weapons of mass destruction may have been wrong.

In an airborne news conference on the way home from NATO
talks in Brussels, Belgium, Powell said he had been given
solid information about the trailers that he told the
Security Council in February 2003 were designed for making
biological weapons.

But now, Powell said, "it appears not to be the case that it
was that solid."

He said he hoped the intelligence commission appointed by
President Bush to investigate prewar intelligence on Iraq
"will look into these matters to see whether or not the
intelligence agency had a basis for the confidence that they
placed in the intelligence at that time."

Powell's dramatic case to the Security Council that Iraq had
secret arsenals of weapons of mass destruction failed to
persuade the council to directly back the U.S.-led war that
deposed the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. But it helped
mobilize sentiment among the American people for going to war.

As it turned out, U.N. inspectors were unable to uncover the
weapons, but administration officials have insisted they
still might be uncovered.

David Kay, who led the hunt for the weapons, showed off a
pair of trailers for news cameras last summer and argued
that the two metal flatbeds were designed for making
biological weapons.

But faced with mounting challenges to that theory, Kay
conceded in October he could have been wrong. He said he did
not know whether Iraq ever had a mobile weapons program.

Powell told reporters that as he worked on the Bush
administration's case against Iraq U.S. intelligence
"indicated to me" that the intelligence was solid.

"I'm not the intelligence community, but I probed and I made
sure, as I said in my presentation, these are multi-sourced"
allegations, Powell said.

The trailers were the most dramatic claims, "and I made sure
that it was multi-sourced," he said.

"Now, if the sources fell apart we need to find out how
we've gotten ourselves in that position," he said.

"I have discussions with the CIA about it," Powell said,
without providing further details.

The trailers were the only discovery the administration had
cited as evidence of an illicit Iraqi weapons program.

In six months of searches, no biological, chemical or
nuclear weapons were found to bolster the administration's
central case for going to war: to disarm Saddam of suspected
weapons of mass destruction.

Jim wrote:


Powell not sure Iraq trailers were labs

April 3, 2004 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State Colin Powell
conceded Friday evidence he presented to the United Nations that two
trailers in Iraq were used for weapons of mass destruction may have been
wrong.

In an airborne news conference on the way home from NATO talks in
Brussels, Belgium, Powell said he had been given solid information about
the trailers that he told the Security Council in February 2003 were
designed for making biological weapons.

But now, Powell said, "it appears not to be the case that it was that
solid."

He said he hoped the intelligence commission appointed by President Bush
to investigate prewar intelligence on Iraq "will look into these matters
to see whether or not the intelligence agency had a basis for the
confidence that they placed in the intelligence at that time."

Powell's dramatic case to the Security Council that Iraq had secret
arsenals of weapons of mass destruction failed to persuade the council
to directly back the U.S.-led war that deposed the Iraqi leader Saddam
Hussein. But it helped mobilize sentiment among the American people for
going to war.

As it turned out, U.N. inspectors were unable to uncover the weapons,
but administration officials have insisted they still might be uncovered.

David Kay, who led the hunt for the weapons, showed off a pair of
trailers for news cameras last summer and argued that the two metal
flatbeds were designed for making biological weapons.

But faced with mounting challenges to that theory, Kay conceded in
October he could have been wrong. He said he did not know whether Iraq
ever had a mobile weapons program.

Powell told reporters that as he worked on the Bush administration's
case against Iraq U.S. intelligence "indicated to me" that the
intelligence was solid.

"I'm not the intelligence community, but I probed and I made sure, as I
said in my presentation, these are multi-sourced" allegations, Powell said.

The trailers were the most dramatic claims, "and I made sure that it was
multi-sourced," he said.

"Now, if the sources fell apart we need to find out how we've gotten
ourselves in that position," he said.

"I have discussions with the CIA about it," Powell said, without
providing further details.

The trailers were the only discovery the administration had cited as
evidence of an illicit Iraqi weapons program.

In six months of searches, no biological, chemical or nuclear weapons
were found to bolster the administration's central case for going to
war: to disarm Saddam of suspected weapons of mass destruction.





The Bush Administration...the most incompetent pack of idiots since
Noyby's dental school graduating class!!!!!

Harry Krause wrote in message news:c4mr57
The Bush Administration...the most incompetent pack of idiots since
Noyby's dental school graduating class!!!!!

Now, Harry, you know it's not right to blame the whole class on the
antics of one childish, backward thinking fool!