US Intelligence reports: 500 chemical weapons shells recovered in Iraq

If you've been reading this blog, you know that we have discovered both chemical weapons and nuclear materials in Iraq during the past three years.  Of course it was illegal for the Hussein regime to posess those items.

Here is a summary of what we have found in Iraq so far.

Now a portion of a congressional intelligence summary has been declassified, and guess what -- coalition forces have recovered 500 artillary shells containing either sarin nerve gas or mustard gas.

Michelle Malkin and her media blog Hot Air have a PDF file of the document available.  Here is the summary:

It will be entertaining to watch the Left spin this one.  They are a creative bunch though, and I'm sure they'll come up with some real whoppers: 

All those guys coughing up blood because of exposure to mustard gas during WWI were just faking it.  The whole thing was a scam set up by Prescott Bush.  Mustard gas is really harmless.  Ever die from an overdose of Grey Poupon?  SADDAM HAD NO WMD'S!!!

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UPDATE: Super roundup at Flopping Aces.  WizBang has a good post as well.

A Real Ugly American has a good roundup of the hysterical reactions of Bush Derangement Syndrome sufferers, and also relates:

General Tom Mcinerney is reporting on Fox Hannity and Colmes right now that that the administration has been keeping this low profile to avoid exposing 3 of the 5 members of the UN Security council; Russia, China, and France. McInerney says these weapons will be traced to these countries, and asserts it is well known that Russia helped Saddam move most of his WMD stockpiles out of Iraq before the war.

GateWay Pundit has more on the Iraq/Russian connection.

And make sure you check out my previous posts, which outline evidence of Russian involvement, Syrian involvement, and a links to news stories detailing chemical and nuclear weapons discoveries that we have already made:

• It's Syria All Over Again

• My Position on Iraq WMD's Vindicated by AirForceGuy

• WMD's/BNC's Abundant In Saddam's Iraq

• Duelfer's Report Shows Iraq War Justified

Here is the standard Left-wing talking-point response that has emerged: "These are old shells manufactured before the Gulf War  and we've known about them all along." 

Oh, really? 

If that was true, then honest  Democrats would have prefaced their statements about Iraq with something like this: "Other than the 500 shells from the Iran/Iraq war that we knew Saddam still had ..."

But until yesterday, Democrats haven't said a word about those 500 shells that "everyone" knew existed.

Regardless of the age of the shells, their existence proves that Saddam never complied with the stipulations of the 1991 surrender agreement he signed with the UN, which ordered him to destroy all chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons and their manufacturing facilities.  Because Saddam willfully chose not to comply with those agreements, we were justified -- UNDER THE SAME UN RESOLUTIONS -- to resume armed combat against him.  Case closed.

Comments

[Phoenician in a time of Romans]

Now a portion of a congressional intelligence summary has been declassified, and guess what -- coalition forces have recovered 500 artillary shells containing either sarin nerve gas or mustard gas.

"He's been a menace forever, and we will do -- he needs to open his country up for inspection, so we can see whether or not he's developing weapons of mass destruction." - George Bush, 7 Aug 2001.

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us."- Dick Chaney, 26 Aug 2002.

"[Saddam] has amassed large clandestine stocks of biological weapons... including anthrax and botulism toxin and possibly smallpox. His regime has amassed large clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons, including VX and sarin and mustard gas... [he] has at this moment stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons." - Donald Rumsfeld, 18 Sep 2002.

"Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agent. That is enough agent to fill 16,000 battlefield rockets." - Colin Powell, 5 Feb 2003

"Saddam Hussein and his weapons are a direct threat to this country, to our people, and to all free people.... I will not leave the American people at the mercy of the Iraqi dictator and his weapons." - George Bush, 6 Mar 2003

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised." - George Bush, 17 Mar 2003

"The goals of our coalition are clear and limited. We will end a brutal regime, whose aggression and weapons of mass destruction make it a unique threat to the world." - George Bush, 10 Apr 2003.

Bush lied, people died.