First count, making a bunch of guys run around chasing pesticides not stored properly by an impoverished nation

second count, wasting pundits time on same.

Abdul, meet Bubba.

Lawyers... What are they good for?

Impoverished? I guess you didn't see the photos of solid gold toilets and ass-fountains in the presidential palaces.

tenbase:
there are quite a number of impoverished nations in our coalition of the willing where the leaders have gold bathrooms and the people are starving. have you seen the list?

hmmm:
you win for the funniest feedback today.
I am expecting one of the reporters to hold up two sticks from Iraq any moment and say they are precursors to nuclear weapons.

I think this should wait until after a semblance of an Iraqi government is up and running. Taking care of the Iraqis needs should be first priorty. Too much self-interest involved here - especially when everyone will be looking for evidence of bad intentions on the part of the US.

tenbase, that's "impoverished nation", not "impoverished genocidal fascist dictator".

Karen: No, I haven't seen that list. If it exists, would you care to provide it? Or are you too busy weeping for the downfall of the Ba'athist thugs?

yes, nice to see you caught on, an artificially impoverished nation, like much of the rest of the middle east. I wonder how impoverished that nation would be if it's billions in oil revenue went to the people? we shall soon see.

karen, nope, I'd love to see it.

John, You have to be the only one who hasn't seen the list. The list of the "coalition of the willing" is on the White House website. There are definately countries the our own government cites for human rights problems and which are abjectly poor with wealthy leaders.

I would also bet that one would find hundreds of sites of badly stored pesticides in any number of them.

Karen and hmmm: Just curious: Do you think that Iraq *doesn't* have WMD (what we used to call NBC - Nukes, Bio, Chem) because they destroyed them all, or that them have them but these ain't them, or that they never had them, or that they've been moved into Syria, or what? As a follow-up, if it turns out that the missiles and/or barrels don't contain pesticide (i.e., they contain mustard or nerve gas(es)), what will you say?

I can already see how this is going to play out:

Coalition:"This is Nerve Gas"

Iraqi Information Minister: "No it is a special pesticide developed by Iraqi scientists to help noble Iraqi Apache downing farmers"

I always found it strange that Iraq needs "pesticide/livestock vaccination research and production" facilities...won't the Germans and French sell them pesticides and vaccines? Why re-invent the wheel?

I don't think mocking the running around with the pesticides doesn't mean there are chemical weapons.

I also don't think the war is wrong, in either its timeing or conduct.

I think Scott Ritter is a jackass, and wrong. I think Hans Blix was not effective.

I firmly believe we are going to find is illegal weapons *programs.* This is going to come from scientists not from this egg hunt. It is conceivable we might find fully weaponized stocks. (I doubt it, but I am glad the army took all the precautions.)

I you look at this from the point of view of any logical decison tree (and Saddam has been largely logical) you use Chem on staging areas before an attack. You might use them against columns. Saddam didn't use them despite having nothing to lose.

What I know for sure is there is no point to storing 55 gallon drums of non-weaponized, but forbidden, material, which can't help Saddam but could screw him.

Got that straight? We are right to get Saddam. Our men and women are heros.BGush isn't perfect but I ffully agree with him. This war will be succssful militarily and politicaly. But that doesn't mean this 55 gallon drum goose chase is anything but a circus.

All the best,
hmmmm

I agree with that perspective but we're not chasing drums of pesticide, we're coming across them while we're clearing areas of threats. It would be foolish to NOT test suspicious containers for possible toxins.

HAMLET: Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in shape of a camel?
POLONIUS: By the Mass and 'tis, like a camel indeed.
HAMLET: Methinks it is like a weasel.
POLONIUS: It is backed like a weasel.
HAMLET: Or like a whale.
POLONIUS: Very like a whale

You see what you want to see. If you want to see WMD in pesticides then you do. This does seem to be part of a insane stream of stories which don't pan out and don't make sense in the first place. Each time it turns out to be a false alarm.

The UK is a signatory of the International Criminal Court as I recall, and Australia likely is as well.

GeorgiaTech, I like the way your mind works. If you can't have humor, then what's the point.

Geoff Hoon (UK Defence Minister) said tonight that, to date, most POWs have been passed from US to UK custody. Assessments are being made as to who is a "lawful" combatants, "unlawful" combatants and non-combatants. A small number have already been released as they were non-combatants. In the case of Iraqis, I suspect it will be a bit difficult to rule on anyone caught not in uniform as a non-combatant, whether they are regular army or militia. Non-Iraqis might find themselves shipped off. INDICT has also published an extensive list of Iraqis wanted for war crimes:
http://www.desert-voice.net/war_crminals.htm
So there will be look outs I suppose for anyone on this list. Personally, I think the most satisfactory outcome would be an international tribunal (maybe Coalition, Kuwaiti, Iraqi) on Iraqi territory a la Nuremburg.