Ritter is in Baghdad today..blasting the President and the U.S....my question is why?

What is his problem? If Iraq was clean...then let the inspectors back in. I believe we have enough proof now to prove Saddam is dangerous....Ritter is an idiot.

[b][blue]NAKED[/blue][/b]

But the Iraqis like him.

Can you say "consulting contract"?

His deal is he's part of the UN.

Scott Ritter is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.

Anybody for a game of solitaire?




Adam

One word.......money!

The best explanation I've heard was just on Fox News. They had David Kaye on the phone. Kaye was also a weapons inspector in Iraq, who knows and worked with Ritter.

Kaye said that Ritter was deeply and emotionally upset with the lack of support he received from his government (I assume this means the US Government) 4 years ago when the inspectors were thrown out of Iraq.

Over the last 4 years, Ritter has continued to show escalated symptoms (of what was not specifically explained) and has completely 'lost it!'.

But why does Schwarzkopf and Cheney and others agree that War is not the answer? what is going to be the out come of this? Are we going to Kill Saddam? We still don't have Bin Boy and the terror is still on going.

Are we going to destroy a whole culture to make up for what Bush Sr. should have done in the first invasion. I agree he has chemical weapons. He might have the ability to make a Nuke. We are going to send people to do what and maybe even my children in 4 yrs to take up the fight.

I need to know we are going to change the ideas of the extremist's. I need to know there will be a way for Jews, Christians and Muslims to live together. What is this war really about.

If we do this we need to make a real commitment to fix the problems. Look at Afghanistan. Promised Billions of dollars to get the country going. Only 1/10 has been given. There is only one company and not even American fixing the roads over there. Where is all the support for the people. We Americans have a way of going in and causing lots of trouble, spreading our ideals and philosophy then not putting out after we destroy.

I will back whatever Americans want and I will back our Armed Services. I will not back a few ego minded people who want to get back at someone for the sake of their farther's reputation. If we go in lets make it a better place for everyone. Lets get lower oil prices, a region of peace and prosperity for all. Do not let American and even Iraq blood be drawn for nothing.
Let God, Ala,Buddha,Christ,Moses and whoever sit down in Heaven and stop this insanity.

$400,000 to produce a pro Iraq movie
Loyal to the UN not the US

I am with epdmedic on this one.

Saddam probably has a picture of him with a goat.  Any PhotoShoppers out there want to try their hand at an artist's re-creation? [;D]

I've heard that Ritter was paid over $300,000 to do a documentary about the sanctions in Iraq by a pro-Iraq financer. He was very pissed that non of the networks would pick it up. It was nothing but propaganda in favor of the pro-Sadaam regime. I think he's dug a hole for himself and can't get out.

Ritter has completely changed his tune. See
[url]http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec98/ritter_8-31.html
[/url] for what he thought in 1998
and
[url]http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/000/524dplvk.asp[/url] for what he thinks today.

Back in 1998 there were accusations that he passed inappropriate data to the Iraqis while he was an inspector. I think there's a non-trivial chance he's being blackmailed. Either that or he's just gone off his rocker.

Do any of you know who this William Pitt guy is?  He's the founder of [url]www.democraticunderground.com[/url] If this guy writes anything, it's always something about slamming and trying to discredit Bush, whom he considers an illegitimate usurper of Al Gore.

Trust me, if it was Gore or Clinton planning to attack Iraq, this Pitt guy would be arguing the moral clarity of their vision.

HOLY SHIT!

I am SORRY!

[xx(]

I am so fucking embarrased, I am deleting the post...man I did it to myself this time...hope everyone was sleeping...

Dont know what that is, but I'm sure its a site I can't access from work....

I'll shut up now...

[B)]

Listen, this [s]Iraqi stooge[/s] former marine captain seconded to the UN Weapons inspection program is totally out of his mind. He should be charged with interfering with US foreign policy. I believe there is some little used law that could be used to do just that (but instead administration after adminstration let the Jesse Jackson's of the world meddle wherever they see fit). What the hell are his qualifications for determining US foreign policy?

The weapons of mass destruction are a very important point, but not the only one. Iraq has not lived up to it's agreements. We should have gone back after they tried to kill Bush Sr. in kuwait AFTER the Gulf war. FOr not abiding to the terms they agreed we can strike them any time we want (AND HAVE with hundreds of airstrikes since '91). Scott Ritter has tunnel vision and visions of grandeur, that he is some major player in this whole thing, and not some ex-marine captain.

A minority (Sunni) in Iraq is oppressing and ruling over a majority (Shia and Kurds). If this was the former Rhodesia... or Bosnia just a few years back, the libs would be insisting we go in.



I also thought it was $400k. I guess it doesn't matter HOW CHEAPLY someone sells themselves.



When he left he was sure there was more materiel to be discovered, and upset that more wasn't being done. Now four years later, with no inspectors in the meantime (the rest of the inpsectors were kicked out three months after he resigned on the principle of not being able to get the job done), and totally out of the loop, he KNOWS that Saddam has no wmd's. How is that exactly... is he psychic?

Marc, you're a little confused. Cheney is the administrations point man on invading Iraq. He is very much a hawk.



Destroy a whole culture? That's overstating things, don't you think? Look back at some previous adversaries in the past century. Last I heard the Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese all still have their cultures. Unless Saddam does have nukes, uses them, and we respond in kind, I think the Iraqi culture will survive.



Or at least KILL THEM. The war will be about removing the most vicious despot in the middle east (who has started the regions two most bloody muslim on muslim wars, even using poison gas on the Iranians and Kurds), freeing the Iraqi people from the worst tyranny, and setting up some sort of pluralistic government. At the moment Christians and Jews are not having a picnic there (remember the story posted here a little while back about the assyrian nun who was decapitated?): it couldn't be worse, that's for sure!



You're right, but please understand that Iraq is not dirt poor Afghanistan. It has 20% of the world's oil reserves and would have been a wealthy country (like Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States) if Saddam wasn't there to squander their resources over the past several decades. Upon Saddam's removal from power sanctions will be lifted and money will flow in. The standard of living is bound to improve.



The only insane thing would be to continue another dozen years of "containment", as we have been, with little to show for it except wasted lives and tax dollars.

I don't suppose it's crossed any of your minds out there, that Ritter may be part of a CIA intelligence game, with the intention of secretly placing Ritter in a position to negotiate with Iraqi leaders about the over throw of Saddam's Goverment.

One has to remember, In the spy game people are seldom what they appear to be.

Ritter may be our carefully prepped Jack Ryan gone to see the Iraqi Version of "The Cardinal of the Kremlin"

I don't suppose it's ever crossed your mind that that isn't the case. Hanoi Jane was also negotiating behind the scenes with key politburo members during her ESCORTED, STAGED tours. Really!

Hanoi Jane was not on a first name basis, with all the leaders and Armed Forces guys in North Vietnam.

Ritter has and will have availability and access to members of the Iraqi Leadership. Where he could pass along information or be given information on this trip.

Which would make him the perfect agent in place and keep the Iraqi leaders unsure as to what his agenda or mission really was.

Somewhere in that pack of Iraqi leaders, is the guy that thinks he's going to be in power in Iraq in about a month and a half when Saddam's DEAD. Ritter may be there to figure out who that Iraqi leader is.

Listen to the song......

"MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!!!!!....MONEY!!"

Gee, I remember just a coupla years ago, when the Iraqi's were dead bang on sure, that Ritter Was CIA...Hmmmm...Maybe some Iraqi leaders think he's still CIA and a conduit to Washington once the bombs start to fall.

Could you provide a link to anything where Schwarzkopf says this.

Fear and loathing,
That thought has crossed my mind today, after reading freepublic comments.

It comes down to 2 things...money or he's a mole. They have quoted some of his friends, as saying that Ritter has become very strange of late. They say he has been extremely depressed over U.S. inaction over Iraq for the last how many years.

Not sure..but, he has to know he's being traitorous in his trip to Baghdad. He cannot be that stupid. Or that greedy.

We will see,
[b][blue]NAKED[/blue][/b]

These are exactly the thoughts I had.  What is amazing is that the "experts" aren't pointing it out as well.  It seems like he should be the target of a thorough investigation.

I think you would be hard pressed to find 10 people inside the Iraqi intelligence services, that do not think Scott Ritter is still CIA.

Its a double game, both us and the Iraqi's are weighing the benefits received, from the use of Scott Ritter.

Our spy masters, are willing to accept the negative publicity blip, that will rapidly be overshadowed in the Sept 11 anniversary media blitz, (By the middle of next week most of the media will have forgotten about Scott Ritter, with the exception of a couple of talk show pundits, who will throw Ritters name out a couple of times a week, but then again they were throwing his name out once or twice a week before he went on this trip.)

In return our guys in Langley, get a direct pipeline into the Iraqi Government leaders, who are busy trying to play "Lets make a deal" as to what happens after Saddam assumes room temp.