The Coming October War in Iraq, William Rivers Pitt, Truth Out
Bush's warmongering for Iraq has more to do with the mid-term Congressional elections than a biological or nucluear threat, argues Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq and a Republican. Last Wednesday, Ritter captivated a Boston lecture hall full of "peace activists, aging Cambridge hippies and assorted freaks," reports teacher and author William Rivers Pitt. In his TruthOut.com article, he shows how little Americans know about any threat that exists in Iraq. Ritter tells the lecture hall how meticulously he and his team tracked down bombs, chemical weapons, and nuclear production plants across Iraq. And though up to 10 percent may not be accounted for, he argues that any real risk has been destroyed. So, why is there so much concern about a war? "The Third Marine Expeditionary Force in California is preparing to have 20,000 Marines deployed in the (Iraq) region for ground combat operations by mid-October," Ritter said. Having served under Schwarzkopf during the Gulf War, Ritter warns that once you spend that much money to deploy that much military power, it's difficult to justify sending troops home without using them. Ritter tells the audience that Congress is the only branch with the power to stop it.
--Sara V. Buckwitz
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