Ritter blows hot and cold. (Correction Please!).ITEM: In an interview with Time magazine on September 14th, former UN top weapons inspector Scott Ritter rit·ter n. pl. ritter A knight. [German, from Middle High German riter, from Middle Dutch ridder, from r said that Iraq's Saddam Hussein doesn't seem to have weapons of mass destruction Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or . Questioned about his drastic switch, Ritter stressed: "I have never given Iraq a clean bill of health a certificate from the proper authority that a ship is free from infection. See also: Clean ! Never! Never!" ITEM: Ritter is being widely vilified by the mainstream media, claimed Linda McQuaig in the September 15th Toronto Star. "TV hosts have openly questioned Ritter's loyalty as an American, indicating the media have taken on the function once performed by the McCarthy Committee on Un-American Activities." CORRECTION: Contrary to McQuaig's assessment, Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. senator who became chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations -- never a member of the House, home of the referenced committee. Moreover, while Mr. Ritter's media treatment has been extensive, it has been essentially favorable. Ritter has, however, attracted some detractors. But he called that fire in on himself. For he has said -- in direct contradiction to his own repeated previous conclusions: "Iraq today represents a threat to no one." (Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). , October 12, 2001) Yet before a 1998 congressional hearing, Ritter testified: "Once effective inspection regimes have been terminated, Iraq will be able to reconstitute re·con·sti·tute tr.v. re·con·sti·tut·ed, re·con·sti·tut·ing, re·con·sti·tutes 1. To provide with a new structure: The parks commission has been reconstituted. 2. the entirety of its former nuclear, chemical, and ballistic missile delivery system within a period of six months." The same year, he told an ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. audience, "Iraq retains the capability to launch a chemical strike." Why the switch? One possible explanation has been noted by the Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes: Saddam's regime welcomed the inspector's production of a film that Ritter acknowledged was intended to "de-demonize" the dictator. Some $400,000 in financing came from an Iraqi-American who is, Ritter admitted, "openly sympathetic with the regime in Baghdad." Amid widespread coverage, one aspect has gone largely unremarked. While Ritter may not be pro-Saddam, he is culpable Blameworthy; involving the commission of a fault or the breach of a duty imposed by law. Culpability generally implies that an act performed is wrong but does not involve any evil intent by the wrongdoer. for flying to convey ultimate clout to the |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion