Top of the
fold...Last week, CIA adviser and head of the Iraq Survey
Group David Kay offered his interim report to Congress on his team's
three-month-old search for evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. The
report states, "Iraq's WMD programs spanned more than two decades, involved
thousands of people, billions of dollars, and was elaborately shielded by
security and deception operations that continued even beyond the end of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. ... [Saddam had] dozens of WMD-related program
activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the
United Nations during the inspections that began in late 2002. The discovery of
these deliberate concealment efforts have come about both through the
admissions
of Iraqi scientists and officials concerning information they deliberately
withheld and through physical evidence of equipment and activities that ISG has
discovered that should have been declared to the UN."
President Bush
made it plain to the United Nations a year ago that his principal concern in a
post-September 11 world was not merely that a rogue regime such as Saddam
Hussein's had WMD programs, but that such horrific weapons could find their way
out of Iraq into the hands of surrogate terrorists.
The U.S. inspection
team has uncovered significant evidence of chemical- and biological-weapons
programs, and even more extensive evidence of Iraq's missile program -- all
banned under UN resolutions. Kay reported Saddam's Iraq to have been in
violation of UN sanctions in at least nine separate covert programs. The
inspectors also found evidence of chemical- and biological-weapons testing on
humans. This preliminary report -- after only
three
months of investigation -- stands in stark
contrast to 12 years of failed United Nations weapons inspections; a failure
culminating in the UN Security Council's weak-kneed acquiescence to Saddam.
National Security Director Condoleezza Rice concludes that if the UNSC
had known what Kay's preliminary report shows, they would have supported
military action against Saddam Hussein. "Had any one of these examples been
discovered last winter, the Security Council would have had to meet. And I
believe that they would have had no choice but to take exactly the course that
President Bush followed," said Dr. Rice. "Right up until the end, Saddam
Hussein continued to torture and oppress his people. Right up until the end,
Saddam Hussein lied to the Security Council. ... And let there be no mistake,
right up to the end, Saddam Hussein continued to harbor ambitions to threaten
the world with weapons of mass destruction and to hide his illegal weapons
activities."
The ISG interim report confirms Iraq had weapons programs,
but it did not confirm where those weapons are -- particularly his nuclear and
biological stores. Of course, as we have noted before, absence of evidence is
not evidence of absence. The question is not
whether Saddam had nuke and bio WMD, but
where he hid them during the months when the French were sticking their
thumb in
America's eye to stall military action against Saddam's rogue
regime.
Despite ranting from Leftist political hacks and their media
minions, finding and destroying these WMD stores has nothing to do with
political expedience. Rather, it has everything to do with the likelihood that
what we don't find today will visit our shores in a most terrible way
tomorrow.
There is a substantial body of intelligence, as
The Federalist reported in November of '02,
that Iraq shipped some or all of its biological and nuclear WMD stores to Syria
and Lebanon's heavily fortified Bekaa Valley.
Indeed, additional
intelligence this week indicates Syria is active in the production of
biological
and chemical weapons -- quite possibly taking up where Saddam left off. An
opponent to the ousting of Iraq's Ba'athists, Syria's foreign minister, Farouk
al-Sharaa, made his country's position clear, saying, "Syria's interest is to
see the invaders defeated in Iraq." Even more alarming, Damascus is pursuing a
nuclear weapons program as well, under the guise of nuclear-energy
development.
The Syrians are conducting their nuclear R&D with contracted Russian
aid...the precise pattern already observed in Iran.
Of course, Ted
Kennedy and company would not acknowledge Saddam's WMD program if he personally
detonated a nuke under their Franco derrières.
In a strategic
move
to accelerate the democratization and reconstruction of Iraq, President Bush
this week named NSA Rice to head the newly formed "Iraq Stabilization Group."
The administration hopes the group, under Rice's leadership, will serve a sort
of "traffic cop" function by coordinating operations between the different
civilian and military agencies already at work in the region. In addition, the
group is expected to eliminate much of the red tape separating requests to
Washington from needs in Iraq. The White House emphasized that Dr. Rice's new
role will not compete with that of Iraqi interim administrator L. Paul Bremer,
but will bolster and support his reconstruction work. Specifically, the
work of
Dr. Rice's team will be divided into four areas: counterterrorism, economics,
communications and politics.
It is also hoped that the new post will
help
assuage concerns in Congress over the reconstruction process and lead to a
speedy approval of the President's latest request of $21 billion in additional
reconstruction funding.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration is cooling to
the idea of seeking UN approval and support for the rebuilding of Iraq after a
revised proposal was met with skepticism from Secretary General Kofi Annan and
other members of the UNSC. The striking contrast between recent NATO
cooperation and UN obstructionism in the wars aftermath may point to a viable
future for multilateral, "coalition of the willing"-style, security
operations.
As progress continues along the diplomatic, governmental,
reconstruction and economic fronts,
The
Federalist reminds its readers that the democratization of the
Middle
East is in the vital national security interest of the United States and the
Western world.
Quote of the week...
"The deadly combination of outlaw regimes, terror networks
and weapons of mass murder is a peril that cannot be ignored or wished away."
--President George W. Bush
On
cross-examination..."I keep hearing in the press that the
United States is going it alone -- what a funny thing to say. We have 32
countries working with us in Iraq. Eleven of our 19 NATO nations have forces in
Iraq today. NATO is assisting Poland as it prepares to lead a multinational
division in south-central Iraq, comprising forces from 17 different nations in
that one division." -- Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld
Open query..."Those
who question the wisdom of removing Saddam Hussein from power, and liberating
Iraq, should ask themselves: 'How long should Saddam Hussein have been allowed
to torture the Iraqi people? How long should Saddam Hussein have been
allowed to
remain the greatest source of instability in one of the world's most vital
regions? How long should Saddam Hussein have been allowed to provide
support and
safe-haven to terrorists? How long should Saddam Hussein have been allowed to
defy the world's just demand to disarm? How long should the world have closed
its eyes to the threat that was Saddam Hussein? Let us be clear: those were the
alternatives to action." --NSA Condoleezza
Rice
News from the
Swamp...In the Executive Branch, presidential senior advisor
Karl Rove is still roasting in the Leftmedia's cooked-up brouhaha this week,
accused of leaking information that former Clintonista ambassador Joseph
Wilson's wife is a CIA "operative." (It’s worth noting that our
sources at
Langley insist Valerie Plame Wilson is nothing more than an analyst -- the
dime-a-dozen variety -- at the agency's directorate of operations.) Mr. Rove
was accused by Joe Wilson himself, who recently noted, "Neo-conservatives and
religious conservatives have hijacked [the Bush] administration, and I consider
myself on a personal mission to destroy both."
The charges prompted the
CIA's general counsel to ask the Justice Department to open an inquiry.
Unfortunately for the Demo-gogues, they let the independent counsel law expire
in 1999.
Leading the political charge is New York Sen. Chuck
Schumer, who
called the leak "dastardly," and spluttered on – with a straight face, no
less – as to the “many serious allegations that this is at the
highest level of the White House." We remind our readers that this is the same
Chuck Schumer who complimented Bill Clinton in 2000 for vetoing a measure to
increase penalties for those convicted of disseminating classified
information.
Friend of
The Federalist Rich Galen notes,
"Any time Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is the lead dog for the Democrats,
you want to watch where you step."
The whole flap got legs, however
belatedly, after Robert Novak mentioned Wilson in a July column. Mr. Novak has
said since, "Nobody in the Bush administration called me to leak this," and
that
he got the information directly from the CIA. Novak mentioned Ms. Wilson's
position in an effort to explain the administration's baffling decision to use
this Clintonista to investigate reports that Iraq had sought weapons-grade
uranium from Niger. It appears that Ms. Wilson nominated her husband for the
CIA task.
No word yet on whether Mr. Wilson violated any oath of
secrecy
or confidentiality regarding this assignment, since he is now blathering freely
about his role in that investigation.
On Capitol Hill, the House passed
legislation outlawing the horrendous infanticide practice of partial-birth
abortion late last week. President Bush noted the occasion: "I applaud the
House for passing the ban on partial-birth abortion so soon after the
Congressional conferees completed their work. Today's action is an important
step that will help us continue to build a culture of life in America. I look
forward to the Senate passing this legislation so that I can sign this very
important bill into law."
The bill now goes to the Senate, where,
ironically, three-year old Samuel Armas joined his parents last week testifying
about advances in fetal surgery. You may recall, Samuel was only 21 weeks
in his
mother's womb when he underwent corrective micro-surgery for spina bifida. (If
you have not seen these incredible photographs, link to --
http://federalist.com/news/imagodei.html
). When asked if he had anything to
say, Samuel responded, "They fixed my boo-boo." Senator Sam Brownback added,
"There is little debate about whether the child in utero is alive; the
debate is
over whether or not the child is a life worthy of protection."
In other
House news, conservatives lost another round in the fight to reform Medicare
this week, outgunned on a "means-testing" provision that would exclude wealthy
seniors from prescription drug coverage. The measure, voted down 234-161, had
no chance of passage and served only as a symbolic gesture to conservative
constituents.
On the Homeland Security
front...In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the U.S. Congress, at
the urging of the Bush administration, overwhelmingly passed legislation known
as the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act. The act, standing for "Uniting and Strengthening
America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct
Terrorism," was primarily intended to provide law-enforcement agencies with a
legally defined mandate to preempt and respond to real and potential terrorist
threats against the United States. However, since passage of the 340-page
PATRIOT Act, opponents from across the political spectrum have voiced serious
complaints over its nature and scope. To date, some 165 communities around the
country have passed resolutions either condemning the PATRIOT Act or seeking to
restrict its application.
After months of thoughtful review,
The Federalist offers its readers a concise
yet comprehensive analysis of the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act. Link to --
http://federalist.com/patriotact.asp
(If the proposed 2003 Act revisions are
passed, we will update this review.)
A literary footnote:
The Federalist is not at all impressed with
the acronym for this particular piece of legislation. As with the
administration's stupefying decree naming 9/11 "Patriot Day" (there is
already a
"Patriots Day" commemorating the "shot heard 'round the world" at Concord's
North Bridge on April 19th, 1775), somebody needs to open a history book, get a
feel for the meaning of "patriot," and put an end to the cutesy wordplay.
From the "Department of Military
Readiness"... Pressure continues to mount for U.S. military
reservists, 169,000 of whom are now in active service, many on extended
tours of
duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. "Weekend warrior is dead," said Lt.
Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau in charge of all
reserve
forces. "The National Guard is and will continue to be used at a rate that is
unprecedented...." Reserve forces called to active duty are expected to remain
above 100,000 for the next two years, at least. Any new theater of operations
in the war on terrorism, however, would clearly affect that
prediction.
Judicial
Benchmarks...In the halls of justice on the right, the
Supreme Court opened its new term this week with the rejection of excessive
punitive awards in tobacco and accident settlements. The decision releases
Philip Morris USA from a $79.5-million punitive payment, setting an important
precedent in defining the constitutionality of such judgments. The court made
its ruling on the grounds that excessive punitive awards violate the
Constitution's guarantee of due process.
Meanwhile, the high court's
opening session was marked with hundreds gathered in protest of the recent 6-3
ruling against Texas' anti-sodomy law, as well as the court's refusal to
intervene in a lower-court ruling against Alabama's Ten Commandments
display.
In other news from the courts, a federal appeals court has
allowed the Federal Trade Commission to implement its do-not-call list pending
appeal of the program designed to curtail telemarketers. As
The Federalist has previously noted, the
do-not-call list should be allowed to stand, as the regulation of interstate
commerce is reserved to the federal government. The appeal of a lower-court
ruling against the law, calling the measure a violation of free speech, is
scheduled for November 10.
From the Leftjudiciary, federal prosecutors
have been forced to appeal to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court in Richmond in the
case
of accused September 11 conspirator and admitted al-Qa'ida member Zacarias
Moussaoui. Judge Leonie Brinkema, overseeing the case, excluded the death
penalty for Moussaoui when federal prosecutors ignored the court's decision to
give the accused access to three al-Qa'ida detainees at Camp X-ray, Guantanamo
Bay. The prosecution argues that to give Moussaoui such access would undermine
ongoing interrogations and subvert efforts in the war on terrorism. If the
court decision is upheld on appeal, the government will likely turn the case
over to a military tribunal.
From the "Court Jesters" File, remember the
"fat suit" from earlier this year? (No, we haven't been rummaging around in
Teddy Kennedy’s closet.) U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet once again
tossed out a revisited class-action suit charging McDonald's with making its
customers fat, amazingly citing the commonsense view that "it is not the place
of the law to protect ...[people] from their own excesses." (Here at
The Federalist, our medical experts insist
that the most destructive type of fat is the adipose tissue found between the
ears of Left-legal trial lawyers.)
The BIG
lie...This week's "Julius and Ethel Klinton" Award: "Let's
make it absolutely clear that California is not going to be stampeded by the
same right-wingers that gave us the election in Florida and are trying to do
things that are really against our interest." --Sen. Ms. Hillary
Rodham-Clinton-Rodham, stumping -- in vain -- for ousted Goober Gray Davis
Editor's Note: OK, granted, the
election
of political centrist Arnold Schwarzenegger does not exactly constitute a
"right-wing stampede," so perhaps the old mare is right....
This week's
"Braying Jackass" award: Of Teddy Kennedy's recent inebriated rantings about
Operation Iraqi Freedom, Rev. Al “Shyster
”
Sharpton told the Congressional Black Caucus, "This is the Kennedy
tradition. We stand with you. You have nothing to apologize
for."
On the Left...This
week, Democrat presidential candidate and fired NATO Supreme Commander General
Weasely Klinton Clark formally became...a Democrat, three weeks
after announcing his candidacy for the
Party’s presidential nomination. Clark’s gaffe was discovered last
week, despite his September 27 interview with the Manchester Union Leader in
which he claimed to have already registered. Campaign spokesman Kym Spell (we
like to call her "Miss Spell") said that Clark "is a Democrat and he has talked
of his Democratic credentials a lot in the last several weeks." Recent weeks?
Apparently. Clark, to his credit, has a history of voting for Republican
presidents, including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
In 2001, Clark
told a Lincoln Day (Republican) audience, "I'm very glad we've got the great
team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza
Rice... people I know very well -- our president George W. Bush. We need them
there. ... We were really helped when President Ronald Reagan came in. I
remember non-commissioned officers who were going to retire and they
re-enlisted
because they believed in President Reagan. He helped our country win the Cold
War. He put it behind us in a way no one ever believed would be possible.
He was
truly a great American leader. And those of us in the Armed Forces loved him,
respected him, and tremendously admired him for his great
leadership."
The word "mole" comes to mind, but more accurate would be
this assessment of Clark by his colleague, Lt. Gen. Paul Funk: "The all
important moral force just wasn't there when he was in command. His greatest
asset was the ability to sort out which way the wind was blowing."
In
related news, Demo-contender Bob Graham announced his exit from the primary
race: "I'm leaving because I have made the judgment that I cannot be elected
president of the United States." How astute! Nonetheless, his miss the
mind-numbing dullness that Graham brought to the Demo primary race.
From the "Non Compos Mentis"
Files...On November 7, George H.W. Bush, that's Bush(41),
father of Bush(43) as you may recall, will personally present the 2003 George
Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service to -- Sen. Edward Kennedy
(D-Bushwhack), the first American to receive the award. In announcing the
award, the Bush Presidential Foundation noted Ted Kennedy, after 41 years
in the
Senate, has "consistently and courageously fought for his principles ... his
commitment to excellence in public policy and his devotion to public service
serve as an inspiration to all Americans." Well -- that's certainly more than
we can say for the guy presenting the award!
This is the same Teddy
Kennedy who is constantly chastising Bush(43) for his policy in Iraq, claiming,
"There was no imminent threat [in Iraq]. This was made up in Texas,
announced in
January to the Republican leadership that war was going to take place and was
going to be good politically. The whole thing was a fraud." He characterized
David Kay's report on Saddam's WMD as "an insult to our troops," adding, "the
tragedy is that our troops are paying with their lives because their
commander-in-chief let them down."
That notwithstanding, Bush
Presidential Foundation spokesman Penrod Thornton said that Mr. Kennedy is
indeed the "appropriate" winner. Mr. Bush(41), it’s worth noting, has
sole discretion as to who receives the award.
Around the
nation...From
the states, perhaps you've already heard that ten million voters showed up for
the Kah-lee-for-knee-ah Goober-natorial recall. Almost 65% of them opted to
give Gray Davis the gate, thereby clearing the way for now-Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Ahh-nold, in fact, won by a wide margin, even with
conservative
Republican Tom McClintock -- our candidate -- remaining on the ballot. As much
as the result itself, these numbers indicate serious discontent in a powerful
state long dominated by the Left. Due to Demo ineptitude in office and
mudslinging in the election, California has suddenly become a swing state in
next year’s presidential election -- one the DNC will have to fight to
retain. Governor-elect Arnold will bolster GOP hopes for the state all the
more
if he can show himself a true fiscal conservative and erase
any of the state’s $38-billion
deficit
between now and November 2004.
Our favorite quotes from the week: "I've
always trusted the voters of California, and I know they are going to do the
right thing." --Former California Gov. Gray Davis after casting his ballot in
Tuesday's recall election
++ "I may
not be
going across the hall to the Governor's Office, but I'm not going anywhere."
--Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante
++ "Major
funding by Anheuser-Busch." --Tag line on a message from Albert Arnold Gore in
support of Gray Davis.
++ "He is
extraordinarily enthusiastic, wants to get cracking, wants to do the job."
--Senator Dianne Feinstein, on Arnold Schwarzenegger.
**With friends like
Dianne...Naturally, Democrats have vowed to take the
election
results before the courts in an effort to have them rendered "null and
void."
In economic
news...The
Wall Street
Journal reported Thursday, "A year to the day after major
indexes hit
their bear-market lows [DJI at 7286 and NASDAQ at 1330], Wall Street was
looking
a lot more jubilant. Investors bid stocks to new highs [DJI at 9680 and NASDAQ
at 1912] amid a wealth of encouraging news about the jobs market, retail sales
and earnings." Indeed, new jobs reached a seven-month high, unemployment claims
reached an eight-month low, and inflation is now lower than at any time since
1962. Of course, none of this good news seems to have reached Leftmedia
portals.
