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WMD murder plans caught on tape

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) -- Saddam Hussein and his cousin "Chemical Ali" discussed killing thousands with chemical weapons before unleashing them on Kurds in 1988, according to tapes played on Monday in a trial of former Iraqi officials.

Nine days after Hussein's hanging, his front-row seat in the dock was conspicuously empty, but Ali Hassan al-Majeed and five other Baath party officials remained on trial for their roles in the 1988 Anfal, or Spoils of War, campaign in northern Iraq.

"I will strike them with chemical weapons and kill them all," a voice identified by prosecutors as that of Majeed, Hussein's cousin and a senior aide, is heard saying.

"Who is going to say anything? The international community? Curse the international community," the voice continued.

"Yes, it's effective, especially on those who don't wear a mask immediately, as we understand," another voice, identified as Hussein, is heard saying on another tape.

"Sir, does it exterminate thousands?" a voice asks back.

"Yes, it exterminates thousands and forces them not to eat or drink and they will have to evacuate their homes without taking anything with them, until we can finally purge them," the voice identified as Hussein answers.

... 

Prosecutors said 180,000 people were killed, many of them gassed, in the Anfal campaign.

But of course, the left continues to tell us that there were no WMDs. Saddam Hussein was hanged for killing 148 people. The left howled about the injustice of it all, playing up the sympathy angle with his sisters as "victims".

This is the type of murderous thug that the left wants to excuse.

This is the type of action that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid essentially want to condone with their calls to cut off funding for the Iraq war.

This is the type of devil that the Vatican would spare because they can't believe that capital punishment was justified.

This is the type of man that France and Russia supported for decades while he defied the United Nations. This is the man that kept the gravy train rolling for U.N. ambassadors and diplomats with the Oil for Food program.

This is evil incarnate. It's just too bad he can't hang once for each of his victims.

Trackposted to Is It Just Me?, Mark My Words, The Random Yak, Don Surber, DragonLady's World, Mensa Barbie Welcomes You, Conservative Cat, Wake Up America, Rightwing Guy, Faultline USA, stikNstein... has no mercy, Pirate's Cove, Dumb Ox News, High Desert Wanderer, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Also linked at Woman Honor Thyself.

Why would Israel be that crazy?

USATODAY.com: 

LONDON (AP) — A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israeli pilots were already training to strike as many as three targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons, aiming to halt Tehran's controversial uranium enrichment program.

Israeli officials swiftly denied the report, which comes amid growing global concerns over an Iranian nuclear program that many believe is secretly aimed at developing weapons. Israel has never confirmed it has nuclear weapons itself, although the Jewish state is widely believed to possess a significant stockpile.

Citing multiple unidentified Israeli military sources, The Sunday Times said the proposals drawn up in Israel involved using so-called "bunker-buster" nuclear weapons to attack nuclear facilities at three sites south of the Iranian capital

Why would they use nuclear weapons for this? Large, non-nuclear bunker busters do exist. It doesn't make sense to come out of the closet this way.

Some view Israeli officials' occasional implied threats as a means of pressuring the world community to take action itself, building on the recent United Nations Security Council decision to impose some economic sanctions on Tehran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

Iran claims its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, including generating electricity. Its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has condemned the U.N. move as invalid and illegal.

Why would a nation as oil rich as Iran need nuclear power to generate electricity?

Former senior intelligence official Ephraim Kam — now of Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Strategic Studies — also suggested the report should not be taken literally. "No reliable source would ever speak about this, certainly not to the Sunday Times," he said.

The Sunday Times seems to be engaging in wishful thinking. I don't know about their unidentified Israeli military sources, but it seems to me that the idea that Israel would use nuclear weapons to take out Iran's nuclear facilities is ludicrous.

First of all, Israel has a policy of ambiguity regarding whether they even have nuclear weapons. I think it's likely that they do have them, but they've never proven that to the world.

Second, large scale conventional bunker busting bombs do exist. The U.S. used them in Afghanistan. Israel has never been a nation that couldn't improve on military technology, or take advantage of it when it was available. Even without the U.S. selling them bunker-busters what would prevent them from developing their own?

Third, Olmert doesn't seem to be the type to authorize the use of nuclear weapons even if Israel has them. He's the one that's been holding the IDF back more often than not. Of course there are people that think he's enough of a bumbler that he would give the authorization.

Finally, Israel knows that Iran has some powerful allies that do have nuclear weapons. Israel might be willing to risk another slap on the wrist from the U.N. but  a preemptive nuclear strike would provoke retaliation from Russia at the least. They have a large interest in Iran's oil.

Their response would likely be nuclear too, but it might not involve uranium or plutonium. It just might involve polonium-210.

OK, the polonium is quite a stretch... the point is though that Israel is a lot smarter than to come out of the nuclear closet by using nuclear weapons for a preemptive strike on something as sketchy as this. Especially when there are other ways to achieve the ends they desire. I think Ephraim Kam is right.

Trackposted to Rightwing Guy, Wake Up America, Is It Just Me?, Mark My Words, Faultline USA, Don Surber, Pirate's Cove, Dumb Ox News, Mensa Barbie Welcomes You, Conservative Cat, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Also linked at Plank's Constant.

OTA Monday

This is your open trackbacks post for Monday, January 8, 2007. If you have something interesting you'd like to share, feel free to link it here and leave a trackback.

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By the way, if you know anyone that's interested in buying a racecar, I know someone that's selling one...