From the Chronicle: "A new report on Iraq's illicit weapons program by the chief U.S. weapons inspector is expected to conclude that Saddam Hussein's government had a clear intent to produce nuclear, chemical and biological weapons if U.N. sanctions were lifted, government officials said Thursday. But the report finds no evidence that Iraq had begun any large-scale program for weapons production by the time of the U.S. invasion last year, the officials said."
A chronology of recent bomb attacks in Iraq, from Reuters
"Reporters saw no sign yesterday that a new classified intelligence report predicting serious troubles ahead for Iraq has made any impression on President Bush" from the Washington Post
From A.P.
WASHINGTON -- While a new intelligence estimate offers a gloomy assessment of Iraq's future, President Bush talks instead about brighter days ahead under a new prime minister and the promise of free elections. "Freedom is on the march," he told a campaign rally Thursday.Iraq is a daily theme of Bush's campaign speeches, often a springboard for attacking Democratic rival John Kerry. But Bush does not speak about the more than 1,000 U.S. deaths, the highly publicized kidnappings, executions and beheadings, or the dark scenarios outlined in the highly classified National Intelligence Estimate that was presented to him in late July.
The new report offers a sobering picture of Iraq's future in terms of political, economic and security conditions.
In a worst-case scenario, it envisions developments pointing to a civil war among Iraq's three major populations, the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
At best, the experts said, Iraq will have a tenuous stability. A middle-ground estimate envisions increased extremism and fragmentation that impede efforts to build a central government and adversely affect efforts to democratize the country.
"Words and excuses meet incompetence, chaos and death. That's what this election is about." (Talking Points Memo, today)
Yep, yep yep yep... oh, and by the way, whoever wrote this editorial for the Austrialian needs some serious cult deprogramming. Rupert Murdoch, perhaps? I thought Australia was in a different hemisphere, not on a different planet. (I believe that most Australians would not agree with this editorial, however)
