Especially after their criticism of newspapers’ printing of leaked classified information, it’s remarkable that congressional Republicans including Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., were involved in setting up a Web site with Iraqi documents that constituted a “basic guide to building an atom bomb,” according to the New York Times. The site made public detailed information that reportedly shocked experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Those who posted the information may not have realized its significance, but such an oversight is alarming. At least the site has been shut down.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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68 Comments
Not to worry, a Bush supporter was fawned of directing people to this web site. As proof of the need to overthrow Saddam. But it was in Arabic, so as long as the Terrorists and Iran do not read Arabic we will be fine!
I get the what you’re saying writerdog. I hope you relize that the Iranians do not speak Arabic, they speak Farsi. Just thought you might want to know.
Republicans don’t want to talk about that little slip, better to talk about Kerry’s slip of the tongue.
I feel much safer now that I know the Bush Administration has provided documents that would enable especially enterprising radical Muslims to build their own atomic bomb.
Somebody other than me pointed out the curious fact that the records of Cheney’s meetings with the energy task force remain classified, while the U.S. helpfully shares the recipie for weapons of mass destruction with America’s enemies. Way to go, guys!
Vote Democratic–for a change.
The real story behind this was that they set up the website to give documented proof that Saddam was seeking to re-build a nuclear program. Of course the media ignored it for 6 months.
But since it is election time, lets try to spin this and make Bush look bad.
realinfo – most Iranians also at least read Arabic. They have to in order to read the Koran.
Joe – one would think that Bush would have had the smarts to redact specific information. Of course, that would be ASS-U-MEing something about Bush that should not be done.
The coke-head is delusional.
Can anyone think of something more treasonous than openly putting instructions, in Arabic, on how to build on atomic bomb on the internet? The Republicans sent out the secrets to people to be used for political purposes. Anyone who is not convinced that Republicans are more interested in their own ambitions rather than the security of the nation are delusional.
Either that or the archives nuclear plans were used as a trap by the CIA on who would contact the Website for information. A good way to pull a would-be ‘bomb maker’ out of the hiding.
I wonder how many terrorist geeks got caught by the trap?
Not likely JM. With all the web-surfing “tourists” that will visit the site there is no way to focus on real bad guys.
Gotta give you credit for trying to find a good pro-Bush spin on it though.
Do a google search. There are more than 9.7 million hits on How to build an nuclear bomb. None of this info is a secret.
But wait, how accurate can any of this info be anyway? Iraq never did anything to us. Iraq and Saddam were a peaceful nation. Any documents found with info about nuclear, chemical and other weapons must certainly be forged by the President’s own hand because there were no WMD’s…
The nuclear bomb instruction materials were the research Iraq was doing. Bush claimed the Iraqis had a successful nuclear program and were near completion therefore America had to invade. The instructions detail how to successfully create certain devices to trigger the explosion and mentioned what problems the Iraqis encountered. Such material would be quite useful for Iran as it could hasten their completion of weapons.
Mr KIA and JM are examples of why Republicans shouldn’t be trusted with national security. They are more interested in political ambitions rather than the security of 300 million Americans. If they had their way people would die so the Republicans would have talking points about why they should be elected. People like them are anti-American and traitors to our nation.
I’m not going to get suckered into a ridiculous fight that can’t be won on that last remark as it is so blatantly false. But nice try Doug.
However, wouldn’t your opening statement justify our action in Iraq. And don’t start with North Korea and Iran just yet because diplomacy always deserves a chance. A decade plus of it wore thin for ole’ Saddam.
“The nuclear bomb instruction materials were the research Iraq was doing.”
Rhonda didn’t get to the half of it.
The real reason the website was created was to provide “evidence” that Saddam Hussein was developing WMD’s.
In their zeal to justify their idiocy, Bush Co. increased the idiocy.
It was one lie to cover another.
As for the “website having been taken down,” that is meaningless and futile.
Everything on the internet is a digital file. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of people have that website stored in their temp files and may not even know it.
It can be resurrected, cut and pasted, e-mailed or re-posted to the web.
Helluva lot of good “taking it down” does.
And Doug, KIA, is exactly right.
Bush and Company start with the conclusions first and find the facts to fit second.
If Iraq were really building a nuclear bomb, we would have never heard the end of it.
More lying from the liars.
Iraq had a nuclear program but Israel destroyed it. Hussein was busy with other things and never got around to rebuilding it. This was all mentioned in the news and in the UN inspectors report. Of course the Bush regime wasn’t concerned with the facts. The nuclear information was from their old program, they didn’t have a current one. Regardless of what the traitors KIA and JM think the information they had is still useful for those countries ambitious to pursue their own programs.
What doesPat Roberts know about oversight?
He is a disgrace, and an embarrassment to the state of Kansas .
He should resign now.
Republican incompetence and arrogance has reached a new level. First the incompetence of posting atom bomb making instructions on the Web. I don’t care if there were already bomb making documents on the web from others, our government should not be doing it! And weapons experts said that these documents were extremely detailed. And secondly, the arrogance of the Bush administration to blame The New York Times for the leak when it pointed out their mistake. Astounding!! And all this is from Republicans who say that they are the only ones who can protect our national security!
I have read elsewhere (sorry, I’m being lazy today, no link) that the web site was set up originally over the administration’s objections under pressure from congressional republicans to “leverage the internet” in order to help prove Iraq’s rearmament efforts, in order to support the invasion, etc.
Either way VT it belongs 100% to the GOP.
This atomic bomb posting is being criticized because it might give terrorists some tips???
Doesn’t this nuclear information PROVE that Joe Wilson and Valarie Plame are LIARS?
Doesn’t this Iraq nuclear information prove that Bush was right to get rid of Saddam?
You cant have it BOTH ways. You don’t want the world to see what Saddam was doing, you dont want the world to know that Saddam was close (within a year) of building a nuclear weapon? A “WMD”???
Not long ago, the Eagle and all the rest of liberal America was demanding that Congress release more “pre-war intelligence.”
Now that the White House is vindicated, now that we have proof that Saddam was close to having nukes, you guys criticize Republicans for releasing too much?
LOYAL OPPOSITION: Wichita Eagle!
Paul, help me out here; how does the posting of Iraqi documents dated before the 1991 “war” provide intelligence about Iraq’s quest for WMDs after said confrontation and before the ill-advised invasion of Iraq in 2003? Guess you must have overlooked that part when you read the linked article, huh.
Absolutely agree, hmmm…
I’ll second Vaughn’s request.
Paul F(alse) Rosell and Joe Williams,
The docs were from BEFORE the 1991 Gulf War.
The docs were TURNED OVER to the UN in the early 1990’s, when the UN also completely DISMANTLED Iraq’s weapons programs.http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/11/04/democrats_condemn_posting_of_iraq_arms_data/?page=full
Let’s see you RATIONALLY explain how those facts PROVE Iraq had an active weapons program in 2003.
cosmos – don’t you know that Paul has said that truth doesn’t matter when it comes to politics?
The information to how to a build an atomic bomb has been around on the internet for several years.The easy part is getting the materials such as for the casing to house the bomb but the hard part is getting the uranium and making a good grade of uranium 235.Getting the uranium takes a very long time to gather up, it is like sifting thru an entire mountain to get enough uranium to make one pound, and also you would have to clean it, refined it several times and build a triggering devise that will work, not an easy process.There is one good thing about building a atomic bomb and that is it takes a great deal efforts by a great many people with a great deal of know how and scientific knowledge, otherwise if it is not done right it does not work.If the handling of the uranium is careless you would start to melt, fall apart and die within a day or several days after exposure, it all depends on the amount of exposure.Most nations has known how to build a nuclear bomb for more then 50 years but accountability of it is not knowing how to build but in the efforts to building it.I would not be so much worry about any small groups of terrorist building nuclear bombs but I would worry about terrorists getting their hands on the vital material of nuclear weapons and scattering radioactivity into the population such as dirty bombs.I would also worry about terrorists getting already built nuclear bombs, which are the real dangers that they can impose.
To the various posters claiming that the Web info was proof that Saddam had WMD, etc……
The info posted on the net was from 1991 – not recent documentation.
Get the facts straight………
These documents are also ones CAPTURED in the war. The UN had not seen some of these documents as US intel did not wither. SO there are a couple of sets of documents that some are trying to lump together. YES there are pre 1991 documents. There are also Pose 1991 and recovered from IRAQ ie CAPTURED DOCUMENTS, which are NOT pre 1991.
NO and sorry sports fans and BUsh haters. This document specifically shows as the IAEA states a “cook book” on how to. Hwat would Iraq (post 1919 there wsclark) need with a “cook book” if they were not “cooking”. This article also states what “Failures” Iraq had. HOW could Iraq had failures if they were not working on a bomb?
Lastly for the article, these are CAPTURED DOCUMENTS!!! That is right CAPTURED DOCUEMTNS!!!! We knew NOTHING of these prior to the Iraq war, and found most of them in 2004 and translated later. THESE are IRAQI documents folks! How much smoke do you need out of a “smoking gun”????
Additionally you also need to read the Senat Committe on the Iraq WMD issue. It ONLY uses the 202 NIE and not much else. These documents in the article WERE NOT in that NIE, again because whad NOT CAPTURED THESE DOCUMENTS AT THAT TIME!!!!!
Wake up. The senate comittee report also talks about the 250 tons of Uranium that the US took OUT of Iraq. Not WMD, but a precursor.
WSClark…Get YOUR facts straight!
Trying again..I posted this a while ago, it was here, now it is not. Censorship on the blog????
There is no need to worry about a website giving nuclear secrets when the US is educating people. FACT: The graduating class of Iowa State in 1973 had 8 people receiving a PhD in nuclear physics, and all 8 were from Iran.
At the time, some people tried to speak out against such practices, but the liberal faction at Iowa State prevailed.
You reap what you sow.
BTW, the captured documents (after 2003) Proved that Pres. Bush DID NOT lie. Could not have lied. The CAPTURED DOCUMENTS sere NOT ACROUND during the disputed SOTU address. Neither were they around during the 2002 NIE, nor the intel leading up to the war. SOME of the pre 1991 documents were around, but this new stuff had just recently been translated.
WHY were they released? Because whinney leftwingers wanted Bush to “explain how he knew”, and to fess up. OK they did, and you are still upset, because now it shows they were after the bomb. ANd still left wingers gripe.
You Dems are as Anti American as it gets.
I bet our congressmen were calling for the web site.Exerpt: The Bush administration set up the Web site in March at the urging of Republicans in Congress who said that public access to such materials from Iraq could increase the understanding of the danger posed by Saddam Hussein. It was shut down after the Times inquired about the disclosure of nuclear information and the experts’ complaints. Among documents posted were roughly a dozen that nuclear weapons experts said constituted a basic guide to building an atom bomb.
While Democrats have called for an investigation, the scientists’ two-week-old complaints, as outlined by federal officials on Friday, indicated for the first time that warnings about the site had come from the government’s own arms experts as well as from international weapons inspectors, the report said.
Besides out of all the documents the article clearly states:
“of “roughly a dozen” documents from Iraq’s pre-1991 nuclear research that contained diagrams, equations and other details for making a nuclear bomb.”
so there are only “roughly a dozen” from that time period. There are others that are newer. That is why they were released. The Democrats demanded that the Bush Admin explain themselves.
That is why they keep some of these things “secret”. Like the NSA phone surveillance, rendition, etc. We don’t talk about them because they reveal dnagerous things and processes.
For a so called intelligent, enlightened, and progressive group, the lefties certianly have spun themselves in a corner with this one.
LIBERAL DUMMACRAT:
“Give us the information and prove it.!”
Bush Admin:
“We cannot, it will reveal dangerous people or peocesses and undermine our WoT.”
LIBERAL DUMMACRAT:
“Give me that information. You are a liar. What do you have to hide!!!”
Bush Admin:
“OK here it is”
LIBERAL DUMMACRAT:
“Hey this stuff is dangerous, how could you let this stuff out?”
“Bush Admin:
“you accused us of covering up and lying, and demanded that it be revealed, that’s why.”
“as outlined by federal officials on Friday, indicated for the first time that warnings about the site had come from the government’s own arms experts as well as from international weapons inspectors”
You bushbots would be calling for the execution of Kerry if he’d released that info on the internet.
“FACT: The graduating class of Iowa State in 1973 had 8 people receiving a PhD in nuclear physics, and all 8 were from Iran.
At the time, some people tried to speak out against such practices, but the liberal faction at Iowa State prevailed.”Posted by: raptor | November 04, 2006 at 05:22 PM
You sure it was the liberal faction that prevailed? 1973 was the height of the relationship between the US and the Shah of Iran (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi), who was our and Israel’s man in the Middle East until he was deposed in 1979. Under his rule, women enjoyed nearly equal civil rights as men and Iran’s economy boomed with oil revenue and the West’s categorical political support. The Shah loved to brag that he was the “Guardian of the Persian Gulf” and thus the region’s prime guarantor of access to Iranian oil.
Sorry, without more evidence I see every reason to assume that Nixon’s people were tacitly if not overtly behind educating Israel-friendly young Iranian scientists in nuclear physics. The Shah’s relationship with the West stretched all the way back to Operation Barbarossa in WWII. The Shah was instrumental in establishing the Persian Corridor by which the US shipped arms to Russia during Hitler’s invasion from the west. A long history and strong ties with the West.
I think the chances are excellent that you’ve absorbed one of the more potent National Review anti-Liberal revisionist tracts and it’s come out as “those treasonous libruls,” frankly.
Ya know what’s telling?
That a stupid and indefensible act is being defended by defensive stupid people.
Let’s see what we got here….
Well we got Joe Williams. Joe’s a good guy. He just lives in his own little world where the only thing that makes him wet his pants more than “scary terrorists” is “leftists”.
Aw it aint Joe’s fault. Guys like him just listen too much to shills like Paul F Rosell: arbiter of the truth according to Paul!
ASBESTOS? Have you been snorting it or eating it? Now I KNOW the coming elections have ya bugged. But guy? You need to take a break and mop the floor. You are gonna slip and fall on your own drool!
asbestos,
Are you okay???
The “cookbook” reports are the ones Iraq gave to the UN in the early to mid-1990’s.
Why aren’t the Repubs screaming your version? Because it’s BS.
Perhaps you’ve been “confused” by Drudge and his ilk?http://mediamatters.org/items/200611040016
I M fine, and just peachy. It seems as if yours and JR mental faculties are the things that we whould be concerned about.
OH that is rich cosoms, citing Mediamatters, a left winger website as “fact”. You are partisian and insane.
As for your cookbook, only “about a dozen” were from the 1991. OH, you can’t read things that diverge from your political POV can you?
MOST of the documents are CAPTURED DOCUMENTS. IE we did not know what was in them until AFTER the IRAQ invasion and AFTER we translate them.
You lefties whine and complain about how the administration is “not open” and then when this comes out you have kittens.
BTWE, just for your information, this was not released by the Bush Admins, (if anybody bothered to read an entire article anymore) it was released by the Republican portion of the Intelligence committee, as a response to the fact that the Democrat committee members stifled the information. THAT was what was “dragging the investigation”, not Sen. Roberts.
Why the H don’t you guys start using the truth? It will set you free. BTW, develope your reading and comprehension skills as well. And put down that leftwing blog, and look at the original official documents.
That is why most News programs and newspaper writers and journalists are no longer trusted anymore.
the networks had 88% positive stories for the Democrats and 77% negative stories on the Republicans.
Bisa, definately. The “journalistic integrity” bit has worn a bit thin.
‘OH that is rich cosoms, citing Mediamatters, a left winger website as “fact”. You are partisian and insane.’Posted by: ASBESTOS | November 04, 2006 at 09:25 PM
THIS si wyh I kpee coming back hrre, you k:n;o@w!.
The passion, stupid, even though it robs certain posters of their capacity for irony. Apparently, anyway.
Great and memorable rant, but probably not for the reasons you’d like, fiber boy. :)
PS Watch the water, they want to put flouride in it and they don’t CARE what you think because you’re a mere conservative!
ASBESTOS
Assuming the fix isn’t in, your mindset is gonna get kicked to the curb in just three short days.
IF the system works and that happens. will you come back and rant some more for us? I find you amusing!
Uh, sorry, that probably struck a nerve.
Never mind, fibrous one. Carry on the brave fight!
What is it these last few days? I say it is neocon desperation. You can almost smell the fear.
The nuts are really falling off the tree and into this blog.
First we get semi literate hotlick. NOW we get this ranter ASBESTOS. The right has always been poorly represented here. It seems only to get worse for them.
But OUR “side” continues to add good and thoughtful posters like Pedant and WSClark.
What is really fun is the part about the NYT and the local MSM being outraged that some supposed secrets were put out…..hmmmm, lets ask the NYT about their continuous leaking and likely court appearance for treason.
But it the leaks show that Saddam was indeed working with Osama and on Nukes…well that a diff story…
yep…so it goes. But not usually so blatant.
Sigh……….
Explain again, in plain English……
Bush has admitted that there were NO WMD. Every reputable Republican has admitted that there were NO WMD.
Bush even went so far as to say that he STILL would have invaded Iraq KNOWING what he knows now, that being – Iraq did NOT possess WMD.
The documents were PRE-1991.
As for al Qaeda – why is this so difficult to understand – bin Laden hated Saddam more than he hated the USA.
Bin Laden – fundamentalist Muslim.
Saddam – secular Muslim.
Saddam and bin Laden – mortal enemies.
Unfortunately, I can’t draw pictures for you on this forum.
And those are the facts.
WSClark, the Rethuglicans will go to any lengths to support the lie that Iraq had a nuclear program when we invaded the country a second time. You see, the neo-cons here will simply argue that Hussein had a time machine and that’s why the documents are current, because Hussein is hiding his nuclear program back in the 13th century.
If this was said on the Rush Limpballs show then it would be believed. If it was mentioned on Matt Drudge then the Eagle would report it. Conservatives don’t have much of a grasp on reality.
Nice explanation, wsclark (who I plan to vote for in ‘08 btw!). Too bad that you would probably need a baseball bat to get through to these wingnuts.
Oh, and asbestos, the site was put up at the request of Republican Congressmen and approved by President Bush!http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/011/945usqnx.asp
Well if the Dems win, loook for gridlock, and most likely major terrorist attacks. They know with your big liberal mouths, all you would do is divide the country.
That has been your Party’s MO hasn’t it. No new plan, just complain and whine a lot. When you are down acuse the others of lying, or some other stuff.
What happens if the Republicans don’t loose as much as you and the media think the Dems have locked up?
OH, that’s right, when Dems loose an election, it is the “SYSTEM”, or “the election was stolen”.
However when Republicans loose it is in your screwed up little minds the “will of the people”.
Nice work no brains.
This must be a Left wing drool fest and coffee clatch.
You guys do believe in free speech… don’t you?
The only major terrorist attack happened after Bush stole the Presidency. Amazing how conservatives have powers of foresight to see a terrorist attack. Was there another memo stated “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the US” that someone is actually reading this time?
Bush inflames the terrorists, encourages them to organize and fight against America. Then the Republicans say we need Bush to fight the problem he encourages. It’s like calling an arsonist to help fight the fires that he started then put him in charge of the fire department.
True colors coming out Doug.And WE are the anti-American’s.”The only major terrorist attack happened after Bush stole the Presidency”
So the US and its Democratic leaders you so spew over should just continue to bury its head in the sand over terrorist attacks such has embassy bombings and takeovers, flight highjackings and suicides until something on the level of 9/11 happens?
What you lefties so lovingly refer to as Bush and Republicans inflaming terrorists is finally taking the fight to them, for the first time in 25 plus years.
Again KIA you are being intentionally stupid. Obviously it’s in reference to terrorist attacks happening in America by foreigners. You conservatives are just too damn desperate that any lie will do for you these days. Remember, you are defending the administration which just delivered tips on how to develop a nuclear bomb to everyone in the world with an internet connection. And it is your administration that got 3000 American soldiers killed and 650,000 Iraqis killed.
So anything the Democrats do wrong is mild in comparison. I hope when you vote that the blood on your hands doesn’t stain the voting machine.
So you are admitting that your view is that only a terrorist attack on American soil is worth a response.Plenty of blood then on your hands too.
Now you are just being stupid. You try to take my initial post out of context then you play the strawman game. Just another sign of conservative desperation. Go back to reading your book about goats.
Out of context?You sure have John Kerry’s talking points down.
KIA, can you explain why you are in favor of genocide in Iraq and torturing children?
Exactly.John Kerry is your God.And I am anti-American.
I see you can’t answer the question. The truth hurts doesn’t it? You support the regime that is responsible for the slaughter of 650,000 Iraqi civilians, over 3000 American soldiers, and wasted billions upon billions of dollars. All of this happened while the Republicans controlled the Presidency and Congress. So how can you blame the Democrats? You can’t. You, and your party hold all the responsibility. You are inept and you are a coward and you like nothing more than seeing people dead and destroying this country. The Iraqi courtroom has some spare time, perhaps they can try you for treason to.
No I don’t blame the Democrats but I wouldn’t DARE refer to what is happening in Iraq as genocide and the torturing of children. That is Anti-American, Anti-Troop propaganda at its worse.Keep talking though Doug.Maybe there’s a voter just leaning your direction who will see your party’s true colors on here and change their mind before Tuesday. Please keep talking.
You are just in denial of what’s really going on. If you were informed then you wouldn’t be a Republican. Don’t blame me for your intellectual laziness.
The terrorists are rooting for the liberals to take over the Senate and House. Why is that?Answer that question and you will know who is on the right side of this fight. The terrorists love Pelosi, Kennedy, Schumer, Kerry, Clinton etc..
Doug you are blathering.
Re-read what you posted here with KIA. BOY he got your number quick.
Root for the terrorists there Anti American boy.
You Doug are the one in denial.
I’m in denial? I must be in denial because the Democrats are the ones in charge and started this illegal occupation. Thanks for clearing that one up for me. Yet again the conservatives are just too eager to make themselves look foolish. Must be all those massages they get in Denver.
Massages in Denver? Who is talking foolish? No rebutal, I see, on the truth that the terrorists want the libs to take over.Re-deploy = cut and run
Where do you get your information that the terrorists prefer the liberals? It’s the Bush regime that has served as a recruitment effort for the terrorists. Why rebut a claim that has no support behind it?
It’s Bush Sr. that put troops in Saudi Arabia that pissed off Bin Laden. It’s the Bush family that has close ties to the hated Saud family. Where do the liberals come into the picture? They don’t, they haven’t ever been in the picture. So once you actually get some facts I’ll try responding to them. Until then you can leave your Rush Limpballs talking points in some arena where they might actually be believed.
LOL, the terrorists want the libs to win.
We have 1 nutjob, bin Laden, and 1 idiot, George Bush, in this situation. The nutjob’s army is smaller than the idiot’s army, and it’s poorer, too. If the nutjob wanted to rectify this situation, it’s easy to see that having a standing but hamstrung American force in a lawless land would be ideal. You can always get young Arabs to come to Iraq and shoot Americans. It’s easy to get in and out. You also get a bird’s-eye view on how to defeat an American occupation force. Lots of little experiments you can do and tons of opportunity to find weak points in American force. If you can use what you learn there to quantify your financial needs, you find it far easier to raise money which you can then give to your poorer army.
The key in this is that the US force is hamstrung. If it weren’t hamstrung, it would be a different situation. But to argue that liberals are anti-American because they want to stitch a little hamstring back into the US military is ludicrous.
Doug is right about the Bush Administration and this war. But I must say one thing further – this war is not about terrorism but more about the profiteering of a few in the US to the detriment of the rest of the country. I call that blood money!
The only way Bush got his way in Iraq is due to the Christian Right (Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and others) giving their endorsement to the war. How proud Jesus must be of his Christian leaders.
Iraqi citizens favor the Democrats, Al-Qaida terrorist favor the Republicans maintaining control. Too difficult for a Bushbot to tell one from the other.