In case you missed it, the London Times reports Al Qaeda is being defeated in Iraq, with 1/10 of their forces remaining, leading Major-General Mark Hertling, American commander in the north, to say: “I think we’re at the irreversible point.”
The New York Times discovers that 550 Metric Tons of Uranium ,“yellowcake uranium”-a popular term in the Valerie Plame era, has been removed from the main nuclear site in Iraq.
As we have previously noted here at the Chicago Daily Observer, President Bush and Prime Minister Brown announced a drawdown of 30,000 US Surge Troops scheduled for next July. Even John Murtha has acknowledged that progress has been made in Iraq, though only on local Pittsburgh CBS affiliate, and only after hurling a few insults at U.S. Troops.
Paraphrasing a commenter on the London Times site..If America had a Democrat president, he would he praised to the skies, given awards, parades and a Nobel Prize. But since Bush and the Republican Party is disliked by the media, this type of story is barely reported and left unanalyzed.
I’ll pose a follow-up, given the progress in defeating Al-Queda and returning troops to the USA, does Sen. Obama still plan to declare a defeat in Iraq?
Black Robe says:
[Sorry, computer glitch that sent post before I completed it]. Obama will win the Nobel Peace Prize for bringing American troops home after the war is won. Dont you just love liberals!
Justin Passing says:
This is not news. The yellowcake stockpile has been public knowledge since Saddam acquired it in the late 1970s and early 1980s and placed it under IAEA safeguards at the Tuwaitha facility.
Also, yellowcake cannot be directly converted into a nuclear bomb. It must first be enriched, which is what Iran is doing.
The yellowcake stockpile was known to both the Bush I & II administrations, US and foreign intelligence agencies, the UN, and everyone except apparently right wing bloggers. It wasn't removed after the first Gulf War because Bush Sr. administration agreed with the IAEA that it did not pose a proliferation threat.
John Powers says:
JP,
You are correct that this nuclear material has been in Iraq for a long while, at least since after the 1st Gulf War.
However, I have heard a thousand times that Iraq had no nuclear material, which is obviously not true.
I think it probably would have been a good idea for this to have been removed some time ago, despite the claims that nuclear material in the hands of Saddam Hussein did not pose a threat.
JBP
:) says:
But the claim was made that there was NO yellow cake.
550 metric (that is about 605 American tons BTW) tons.
this is a HUGE stokpile.
OH it does not count. in the speach that is bemoned by liberals that SH tried to buy some???
If he had it then so be it, it is gone now.
Rember, Yellow cake is about 5% pure it needs to be in at least the 15+ for fuel and 30s for weapons (hence enrichment like Iran is doing).
He was not suppose to even have
that is like saying all we have is sour mash/ we need to distill it to make whiskey.
Clyde says:
This story also continues the neocon propaganda myth that we invaded Iraq to fight Al Queada. The Big Lie.
Black Robe says:
Who is wanting it both ways? If Saddam Hussien had 550 metric tons of yellow cake uranium, then why is the accuracy of story of his attempts to secure yellow cake uranium relevant. The fact is, he acquired 550 metric tons of it BEFORE the United States decided to invade. Some of you hate Bush so much that you simply ignore the truth and refuse to think rationally. Hatred blinds.
Fred Fighter says:
To Black Robe:
Uh, yes, Saddam Hussein had been sitting on a stockpile of 550 tonnes of yellowcake for twenty years prior to the time frame in which the Bush administration claims he conspired to
secretly buy it. In fact, Iraq SOLD yellowcake on the world market in the 1990's. The last thing Saddam Hussein needed to make an atomic Bomb was MORE Yellowcake.
The accuracy of the Bush administrations claims is relevant, because the forged documents submitted to the IAEA prove that the Bush administration was engaged in a campaign of lies and deception.
To ":)" and John Powers: NO one who actually was paying attention claimed that Iraq had no yellowcake or other nuclear materials. The materials in question had always been openly possessed and declared to the IAEA. Indeed, every nation has nuclear materials. By 2002, Iraq had no nuclear WEAPONS material. Only someone with an acute anti-nuclear paranoia, or a liar, associates all nuclear materials with weapons. Also, ":)" your figures for refinement and enrichment are, to be polite, insensible.
--
FF
Black Robe says:
Obama will