<p>…and the other half thinks Iraqis blew up the World Trade Center.</p>
<p>It explains a lot as to why Democrats lose the elections.</p>
<p>Half of U.S. still believes Iraq had WMD
By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent</p>
<p>Do you believe in Iraqi “WMD”? Did Saddam Hussein’s government have weapons of mass destruction in 2003?</p>
<p>Half of America apparently still thinks so, a new poll finds, and experts see a raft of reasons why: a drumbeat of voices from talk radio to die-hard bloggers to the Oval Office, a surprise headline here or there, a rallying around a partisan flag, and a growing need for people, in their own minds, to justify the war in Iraq.</p>
<p>People tend to become “independent of reality” in these circumstances, says opinion analyst Steven Kull.</p>
<p>The reality in this case is that after a 16-month, $900-million-plus investigation, the U.S. weapons hunters known as the Iraq Survey Group declared that Iraq had dismantled its chemical, biological and nuclear arms programs in 1991 under U.N. oversight. That finding in 2004 reaffirmed the work of U.N. inspectors who in 2002-03 found no trace of banned arsenals in Iraq.</p>
<p>When I think of the number of my fine fellow citizens who think lottery tickets are a good deal, who go to chiropracters, take health food supplements and read a horoscope for real. I don’t feel so depressed.</p>
<p>In truth, this is another example of good old advertizing principles: message and repetition. Remember, GWB is the MBA president. I think I know which classes he was awake for (or at least his handlers…) BTW, I’m not kidding in the first part of this paragraph.</p>
<p>Oh, I get it. GWB is one of those that STILL believes? </p>
<p>Got it. </p>
<p>Yea, driver, I can accept that GWB still believes that. I bet he reads the horoscope in the paper every morning, too (opps, forgot. He’s told us he doesn’t read papers or follow the news much. Sorry.)</p>
<p>No one has any idea at this point what Iraq really did or did not have. It will be a few years before the final chapter on this sad situation is written and fair-minded people of all political persuasions know that.</p>
<p>Expired (too old for full effect) chemical artilary shells have been found in Iraq since the invasion, and the war talk went on for over a year before the invasion. Saddam knew he could never use WMD, if he had them to use, against the invasion, for that would prove the invaders correct. He had plenty of time to ship them out of the country. After all, the Ba’ath party still controls syria.</p>
<p>We must admit it is possible, though it will probaby never be proven either way</p>
<p>It’s interesting that a post that leads to the condescending observations of our enlightened few is based on a journalistic article that is ripe with distortion. In reading this article one would think that Saddam’s WMD program was “dismantled” in 1991 and that he was leading a life of purity since then. However, in reading the actual report from the ISG, a far different picture is portrayed. A picture of a cat and mouse game that Saddam played with the inspectors throughout the 90s and a conclusion that, far from abandoning WMD, Saddam was merely biding his time. </p>
<p>An interesting survey would be to ask people the question: “If Saddam had been left in power, do you think he would have reconstituted his WMD program by now?” Only the horoscope readers of the left would be saying no to that one.</p>
<p>saddam did have WMD’s. He used them in the 80’s they found them in early 90’s and again in 98 but then the inspectors were kicked out so in between 1998 and 2003 saddam either peacefully destroyed his weapons or hid them pretty damn well</p>
<p>Well, for anyone who was wondering where the 50% comes from, just read ^.</p>
<p>“No one has any idea…” “…probably never be proven…” </p>
<p>Let’s be honest; This is something we probably know more about than 99% of the things we rely on as true every day, for those who are willing to accept fact over ideology. Iraq had no functional WMD’s as of 2003. It had no WMD “program” in 2003. </p>
<p>We do have “an idea”. It “has been proven” as well as anything can be practically proven in the real world. If this was a criminal case it would meet the standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The only reason anyone feels differently is a drumbreat of propaganda from talk radio and blogs. I remember a similar survey in mid-2003, when a majority of those who primarily got their information from Fox News thought that the WMD’s had actually been found. Do you think any of those people ever developed the slightest feeling of embarassment or irritation about being misinformed? Or did they ever even realize it?</p>
<p>Wait, there was WMD in 1998, where did it go? I agree it wasn’t in iraq when bagdad fell, that has been proven. We will never know where the 1998 WMD went. Maybe it expired. Maybe saddam used it for indoor disiplinary purposes. who knows?</p>
<p>What exactly do you disagree with, TuftsPlease? That there were no functional WMDs in Iraq in 2003? That there was no functional WMD program in Iraq in 2003? I understand your irrefutable cougar stick analysis about woulda coulda, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the facts about what actually existed in 2003, which is all I commented on.</p>
<p>I don’t agrue that Iraq didn’t have any working prototype of WMDs - however they were actively attempting to acquire it. However, the fact that they did not have a functional WMD program doesn’t exactly dictate that they were not attempting to acquire it by simplier means. </p>
<p>Do the ends justify the means? Would in future years the Iraq war have saved American lives? I do believe it will. I don’t argue that the situation in Iraq has count us the lives of many American soliders, however, at the same time the Iraq situation is becoming better.</p>
<p>It is good to see that all that airtime GWB and his colleagues used in getting their WMD propaganda out worked.</p>
<p>You can’t fool all the people all the time, but you sure can fool some of the regular posters here. </p>
<p>Keep it up, gang. Looks like you actually paid attention to all those press comferences.</p>
<p>And if you really believe this WMD stuff, can I talk to you about some great investment opportunities I know about? A genuine RNC investment guarantee…(the brooklyn bridge was already sold - privatized, so it’s gotta be something else…)</p>