I haven’t read it and probably won’t. I’m taking it easy tonight because the holiday weekend will be spent working on projects, one BIG, others small (including developing an op-ed based on the “Acting White” study). I won’t give details on the big one unless it’s successful. If not, I’ll pretend I never mentioned it. 
So this post will be mainly updates on what others (including yourselves) are saying about the report. The report basically reports that no WMDs were found in Iraq. As I state in the post title, so what? No doubt John Kerry will use this bit of alarmist information to hammer President Bush tonight, who had better be on top of things. Good grief.
I can’t imagine how tired the president must be, running the free world and preparing to “debate” a sophist and master obfuscator. On national TV. Under hot lights. Nope. No political office for me!
This first link goes to a Washington Times editorial about the Duelfer Report, and what do you know? They agree with me!
“Gotcha, Mr. President.” This was the consensus of the headlines from nearly every daily newspaper yesterday responding to the CIA’s Iraq Survey Group report on Iraq’s prewar weapons programs. Yes, the report found no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. It also concluded that whatever illicit weapons Saddam Hussein did possess were most likely destroyed just after the 1991 Gulf War in accordance with U.N. sanctions. But were these the findings that the report highlighted in the first line of its Key Findings summary? No. “Saddam [Hussein] so dominated the Iraqi Regime that its strategic intent was his alone,” the summary begins. “He wanted to end sanctions while preserving the capability to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction (WMD) when sanctions were lifted….”The fact is that U.N. sanctions did have a debilitating effect on Iraq and Saddam’s weapons programs. But as the report notes, “Saddam’s primary goal from 1991 to 2003 was to have UN sanctions lifted, while maintaining the security of the Regime.
While it does my heart good to have newspapers like the Times around, their editorials don’t affect my opinion. I still believe we did the right thing by going into Iraq. The folks with missing limbs, raped and tortured bodies and dead relatives thank you.
By the way, I’m not watching the debate. I’m taking Friday night off to relax, and listening to a debate is not relaxing. Links to follow…
Links: B4B says, “Rasmussen Electoral College Projections: Bush Lead Highest Ever.” How can this be if he stunk up the joint during the debate?
Power Line: The Associated Press Spins the ISG Report
Joanne Jacobs comments on school terror warnings.
Debate-related: TheShapeofDays about the latest conspiracy: George Bush wore radio receiver during the debate.
