Weapons of mass destruction were quietly found in Iraq earlier this month. For reasons that will be revealed in this column, the Bush Administration has been reluctant to promote the discovery of a very large number of offensive missiles.

The find was reported in the "Periscope" section of the June 9th 2003 issue of Newsweek in a short article titled, "Return to Sender." While the current Bush Administration is pushing the likely fictional notion that two mobile labs discovered in Iraq were WMD weapons factories, most experts disagree. It looks increasingly likely they were really designed solely to produce hydrogen for artillery balloons. See www.truthout.org/docs_03/061603A.shtml for details. The hydrogen use has been verified by investigators for the British government.

The offensive missiles discovered are an entirely different matter. The weapons are offensive in nature and definitely threatened peace in the region. They could have killed many civilians in surrounding countries. These WMD missiles were legally sold to Saddam by an irresponsible Western government seeking profit and influence. They helped protect Saddam from international pressure and made international pressure against his government for killing his own people much less effective.

The most shocking element in the WMD missile story is the country of origin for the missile hoard. Bush Republicans stirring up hatred for our French and German allies for opposing the Iraq Invasion predicted that those countries would be found to be suppliers to Saddam's WMD programs. Neither sold the missiles nor did China or Russia. They were sold to Saddam by the United States of America during the Reagan-Bush Administration.

We all know the Reagan-Bush Administration supplied missiles illegally to the mullahs of Iran during the Iran-Contra Affair. It now looks like this was not the only WMD export to rogue nations under Reagan and the senior George Bush. We need public hearings into their actions during that time. The current Bush Administration has restricted public access to the official papers of the Reagan-Bush Administration by executive order since long before the 9-11 attacks. Why? What crimes or mistakes are being covered up? Are we doomed to repeat them under Bush-Cheney?

Editor's Note: This column was written by Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence (hosts of Democratic Talk Radio).

©Grundy County Herald 2003

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