What if that crazy old bastard is telling the truth? Remember Iraq and Nigerian yellowcake? Yes, I do. The CIA, et al estimated with a high degree of confidence that Saddam Hussein had WMD. Did we ever find any WMD in Iraq? No, we did not. Here's from the CIA report in October, 2002:
Iraq has continued its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs in defiance of UN resolutions and restrictions. Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of UN restrictions...
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Baghdad hides large portions of Iraq's WMD efforts.
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...most analysts assess Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program.
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Although Saddam probably does not yet have nuclear weapons or sufficient material to make any, he remains intent on acquiring them.
...How quickly Iraq will obtain its first nuclear weapon depends on when it acquires sufficient weapons-grade fissile material.
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If Baghdad acquires sufficient weapons-grade fissile material from abroad, it could make a nuclear weapon within a year. [Sounds very much like the "breakout" period for Iran, doesn't it? Yes, it does. (emphasis added)]
If Baghdad acquires sufficient weapons-grade fissile material from abroad, it could make a nuclear weapon within a year. [Sounds very much like the "breakout" period for Iran, doesn't it? Yes, it does. (emphasis added)]
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All intelligence experts agree that Iraq is seeking nuclear weapons and that these [high-strength aluminum] tubes could be used in a centrifuge enrichment program. (emphasis added)
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Based on tubes of the size Iraq is trying to acquire, a few tens of thousands of centrifuges would be capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium for a couple of weapons per year.
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Saddam probably has stocked a few hundred metric tons of CW agents.
